CSTANJ CSPDWeek 2026

This virtual two-session professional development helps K–12 educators integrate computer science (CS) into their existing curriculum through interactive storytelling and AI-supported lesson design. Teachers explore how students can create and share projects such as choose-your-own-adventure stories, escape room games, and app-style experiences that combine writing, visuals, audio, and interactivity to deepen content learning across subjects.

Educators begin by experiencing a student-facing project and then use the Elementari AI lesson generator to create a standards-aligned lesson tailored to their grade level, topic, and instructional time. Each lesson includes a structured student writing organizer, built-in scaffolds (such as sentence starters and word banks), and assessment tools to support multilingual learners and diverse student needs. In the second session, teachers test and refine their lessons through peer feedback. By the end they will leave with a tested, classroom-ready lesson and a free upgrade to use Elementari will all their students.

This virtual 2-day (6-hour) professional development helps K–12 educators integrate computer science (CS) and artificial intelligence (AI) into their existing curriculum through interactive, cross-curricular lesson design. Using Elementari, teachers design lessons where students create and publish projects that connect coding with writing, storytelling, and content learning. The focus is on making CS integration practical, accessible, and aligned to diverse student needs, including multilingual learners.

By the end of the PD, educators will create a tested, classroom-ready Elementari lesson. Each lesson includes a standards-aligned plan, a student writing organizer with built-in scaffolds (such as sentence starters and word banks), assessment tools, and a clear strategy for classroom implementation.

Session 1: Experience Learning and Generate a Classroom Lesson
Educators begin by working through a guided Elementari activity from a student perspective. This experience demonstrates how coding supports writing and storytelling while introducing key CS concepts such as sequencing, events, functions, interactivity, and debugging.

Participants then explore how students create interactive projects such as choose-your-own-adventure stories, escape room games, and app-style experiences. These projects combine writing and coding with built-in supports such as structured organizers, scaffolded prompts, illustration libraries, and options for recorded voiceovers, music, sound effects, and multiple story paths. They will also review a range of student published projects from multilingual learners to students with diverse needs to see how all students can succeed and express themselves through writing and coding.
In the second half of the session, educators transition from learner to designer. Using the Elementari AI lesson generator, they input their grade level, topic, and instructional time. The tool generates a complete lesson, including writing supports, organizers, assessment materials, and standards alignment.

Session 2: Test, Refine, and Plan for Implementation
Educators review and analyze their AI-generated lessons, focusing on clarity, alignment, and accessibility. They evaluate how effectively the lesson supports student writing, content learning, and differentiation, and identify areas for refinement.
Participants also examine how the AI lesson generator works, including prompting strategies, how structured lesson components are generated, and how to evaluate outputs for accuracy, bias, and alignment to instructional goals.
Through peer feedback and collaborative testing, educators revise their lessons and strengthen scaffolds, differentiation, and student supports. They also explore classroom strategies such as peer feedback routines, group roles, and collaborative structures.

The session concludes with implementation planning. Educators determine where the lesson fits within their curriculum, how it will be delivered, and how it will support their students. Teachers leave with a tested, classroom-ready lesson and a clear plan for implementation.

This is part 2 of a two part session you must attend part 1 to attend part 2.

In this full-day, hands-on workshop, educators will explore the complete journey from virtual design to physical creation through CAD design and 3D printing. Participants will design their own 3D models, prepare them for printing, and print hands-on during the session. They will also be introduced to coding in 3D and AI-assisted 3D object generation as emerging pathways for creativity, computational thinking, and design. With multiple 3D printers on hand, educators will experience the full workflow from idea to object and leave with practical skills, sample project ideas, and greater confidence using 3D design and printing in their teaching.

Microsoft MakeCode to control Finch Robots, modeling climate data, simulating environmental challenges, and designing solutions. This hands-on experience connects coding to real-world issues while building data literacy and problem-solving skills.

Participants will apply computer science and coding with purpose, using Micro:bit coded in Microsoft MakeCode to control the Finch Robot, modeling climate data, simulating environmental challenges, and designing solutions. This learning experience emphasizes real-world relevance by connecting coding to meaningful climate challenges that students can understand and care about. It promotes data-driven thinking as participants use sensors and coding logic to collect, interpret, and represent environmental data. At the same time, it builds problem-solving skills by encouraging learners to design, test, and refine solutions to complex, real-world issues.

Join this hands-on workshop to explore how micro:bits and Forward Education’s Climate Action Kit can bring climate change concepts to life in your classroom. Participants will engage in interactive activities, build simple sensor-based projects, and discover practical strategies for integrating climate science and coding across the curriculum. No prior experience with micro:bits required.

This interactive workshop helps middle and high school educators transform foundational AI concepts into practical classroom experiences. Participants will explore selected AI tools through hands-on applications, design student-ready activities, and learn how inviting a guest AI expert can strengthen both conceptual understanding and real-world relevance. The session offers a theory-to-practice model that educators can directly adapt for engaging classroom instruction.

This workshop presents a classroom-ready model for helping middle and high school educators move from foundational AI concepts to direct classroom application. The session begins with a concise conceptual overview of how AI tools can support creativity, critical thinking, and student-centered learning across different subject areas. Participants will then engage in guided hands-on activities using selected AI tools to design student-ready classroom tasks and mini-projects.

A distinctive component of the workshop is the integration of a live guest AI expert, demonstrating how real-world voices from academia or industry can strengthen relevance, increase student motivation, and connect classroom learning with authentic applications. The session concludes with strategies for adapting this theory-to-practice model into participants’ own classrooms through reusable activity structures, guest speaker formats, and age-appropriate AI learning experiences for students ages 11–18.

Unlock the Power of Play: Game Design in ScratchJr!

Turn your students into game designers! In this hands-on session, you’ll discover how young learners can build their own interactive games using simple, block-based coding. We’ll explore essential game mechanics, strategies to support diverse learners, and easy ways to integrate coding across your existing curriculum.

What you’ll get:
Practical Skills: Master basic game logic like triggers and sequencing.
Inclusive Strategies: Tools to ensure every student can design and play.
Ready-to-Use Resources: Walk away with free lesson plans and project ideas to kick-start game design in your classroom immediately.

Hackathons are an educational tool, because not only does a problem get identified but the solution to the problem is often one that requires vast research. When the solution is implemented using student interest, it can provide the community with awareness to the problem posed and the solution created.

Running a Hackathon may sound overwhelming, especially if one has not been run in your school before. This workshop will provide you with details and guidelines necessary to run a hackathon in your school. Hackathons are an educational tool, if implemented using student interest and community problems can be very effective in educations attendees on solving problems using computer science. Hackathons should be passion driven, propose a solution to a problem in the community and educate the community members on the problem and proposed solution. From this workshop, you will gain knowledge on how to create, implement and improve a hackathon in your school.

Microsoft MakeCode to control Finch Robots, modeling climate data, simulating environmental challenges, and designing solutions. This hands-on experience connects coding to real-world issues while building data literacy and problem-solving skills.

Participants will apply computer science and coding with purpose, using Micro:bit coded in Microsoft MakeCode to control the Finch Robot, modeling climate data, simulating environmental challenges, and designing solutions. This learning experience emphasizes real-world relevance by connecting coding to meaningful climate challenges that students can understand and care about. It promotes data-driven thinking as participants use sensors and coding logic to collect, interpret, and represent environmental data. At the same time, it builds problem-solving skills by encouraging learners to design, test, and refine solutions to complex, real-world issues.

Join this hands-on workshop to explore how micro:bits and Forward Education’s Climate Action Kit can bring climate change concepts to life in your classroom. Participants will engage in interactive activities, build simple sensor-based projects, and discover practical strategies for integrating climate science and coding across the curriculum. No prior experience with micro:bits required.

Following this session, educators teaching Kindergarten through second grade will be instructed on how to input student information into the Computales dashboard and monitor student progress within this complimentary curriculum designed to reinforce reading skills through computer science concepts.

Introduce your students to the foundational concepts of computational thinking and digital literacy through an engaging, standards-aligned curriculum. Join Martin and his friends as they explore Computer Land, where each chapter offers meaningful activities designed to strengthen computational reasoning and enhance literacy skills. Developed for students in Kindergarten through second grade, CompuTales is designed to complement your current reading instruction while fostering essential skills that lay the groundwork for future learning in coding and computer science.