CSTANJ CSPDWeek 2026

In this session, I’ll show you how I use Sphero BOLT, Indi, and Ozobots to make coding fun, hands-on, and accessible for all students. We’ll try out activities you can use right away, explore both unplugged and on-screen coding, and talk about how to keep students engaged while building real problem-solving skills.

In this hands on professional development session, I will guide you through how to effectively integrate Sphero BOLT, Indi, and Ozobots into your K–4 classroom to support computer science learning in engaging and meaningful ways. We will start by exploring the unique features of each robot and how they support different entry points for students, from screen free coding with Indi to color coded and blockly programming with Ozobots and block-based coding with Sphero BOLT.

Throughout the session, you will actively participate in the same types of activities your students would experience. We will begin with simple, accessible challenges to build confidence, then gradually move into more complex tasks that encourage problem solving, collaboration, and creativity. With Ozobots, we will explore both color code programming and transition into Blockly coding to support students as they move into more advanced concepts. With Indi, we will look at foundational use with color tiles and also how older students can extend their learning by recoding the color tiles using the app to create more customized pathways and challenges.

I will model how to introduce these tools to students, manage materials, and structure lessons so that all learners can be successful, including those who may need additional support.

I will share ready to use lesson ideas, classroom management strategies, and tips for differentiating instruction. Time will be built in for exploration, questions, and collaboration so you can think about how these tools will look in your own classroom.

By the end of the session, you will leave with practical strategies, classroom ready activities, and the confidence to begin using robotics and coding in a way that is engaging, inclusive, and aligned to your students needs.

This workshop moves beyond using microcontrollers to designing intelligent systems. Educators will explore how AI, physical computing, and engineering design intersect through the CreateAI for micro platform, while also extending into Arduino Uno for more complex hardware applications.

Participants will deepen their understanding of how to scaffold from beginner physical computing (Micro:bit) to more advanced systems (Arduino + AI), while building classroom-ready projects that integrate:

Machine learning concepts

Sensor-driven decision making

Real-world problem solving

Standards-aligned computational thinking

By the end of the session, educators will not only build, but also design curriculum systems that scale across grade levels.

Introduction to AI with Micro:bit (CreateAI)
Tool Focus: CreateAI for micro

Activities:
Train a simple ML model (e.g., gesture recognition or sound classification)

Connect model to Micro:bit inputs/outputs

Test real-time predictions

Concepts Covered:
What is machine learning? (classification vs. rule-based coding)

Training data vs. hard-coded logic

Inputs → Model → Outputs pipeline

Classroom Connection:
How to teach AI without requiring math-heavy background

Age-appropriate explanations of bias and accuracy

Activities:
Build a game or interactive system using CreateAI:

Example: reaction game, smart pet, movement-based controller

Integrate:

Variables (state tracking)

Conditional logic based on predictions

Feedback systems (LED, sound, motion)

Arduino Deep Dive
Tool Focus: Arduino Uno

Activities:
Compare Micro:bit vs Arduino:

Built-in vs external components

Build a simple circuit:

LED + sensor input

Intro to text-based programming (Arduino IDE)

Concepts:
Voltage, pins, and circuits

Scaling complexity in hardware systems

When to transition students to Arduino


Deliverables:
Sample rubric (process + product)

Project scaffolding templates

Challenge Design System (Whole Group) Activities:
Walkthrough of Challenge Creator workflow

Participants design their own:

Beginner → Intermediate → Advanced progression

Generate a standards-aligned challenge using AI

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.

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.