CSTANJ CSPDWeek 2026

Robotics Playground offers a full‑day, open‑house learning experience designed for K–12 educators. Teachers are welcome to stop by at any time to explore robotics devices, engage in unplugged coding, and participate in hands‑on collaborative activities. With support from experienced facilitators, participants will uncover innovative strategies to strengthen computer science instruction and inspire student engagement in STEM.

This hands-on workshop introduces young learners to physical computing through a three-part progression. Using Hello Ruby, participants explore input, output, processing, and memory by connecting computer systems to familiar real-world examples. They then experiment with circuits using Makey Makey to understand how inputs trigger actions through code. The experience culminates with the Micro:bit, where learners engage with a microcontroller as the “brain,” connecting inputs and outputs through simple programming. This session bridges concrete exploration and computational thinking, making physical computing accessible, creative, and meaningful for elementary classrooms.

This session will give elementary school teachers a clear understanding of what vibe coding is, why it matters for the future of education, and how to begin building your own classroom tools. Hands-on segments will give participants the chance to start building a real project they can take back to their students.

Can puppets help students understand computer science concepts? In this engaging and unconventional session, I’ll share how I used character-driven storytelling to teach coding concepts throughout the school year.

Using a cast of classroom puppets—including Count Hackula, Waffles, and Sammy the Sandwich I created short “mini puppet shows” that introduced and reinforced topics like sequencing, loops, conditionals, and debugging. These performances helped transform abstract ideas into relatable, narrative-driven experiences that kept students attentive and excited to participate.

Attendees will see real examples of these puppet-integrated lessons and learn how storytelling can lower barriers to entry, especially for younger learners or those intimidated by coding. I’ll also share practical strategies for incorporating puppets (or simple storytelling techniques) into existing computer science curricula—no theater background required.

This session is ideal for K–8 educators, technology teachers, and anyone looking to make computer science more interactive, inclusive, and fun.

My puppets will also making an appearance during the presentation

Join LEGO Education for a hands-on session that brings Computer Science and AI to life through engaging, accessible learning experiences. Explore how to support all students with tools that make complex concepts approachable, while building critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills. Participants will work directly with new LEGO Education Computer Science & AI solutions and leave with practical, classroom-ready strategies to integrate meaningful, standards-aligned learning into any environment.

This engaging, hands-on session is designed to explore how educators can effectively support all students with accessible, inclusive solutions for Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence in today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape. As schools continue to navigate the increasing importance of computational thinking, digital literacy, and AI awareness, this session will provide practical strategies and tools to bring these concepts to life in meaningful and equitable ways.

Participants will have the opportunity to work directly with LEGO Education’s newest Computer Science & AI solutions, experiencing firsthand how hands-on, inquiry-based learning can deepen student understanding and engagement. Through guided exploration, educators will discover how these tools empower students to move beyond passive learning—encouraging them to build, test, iterate, and problem-solve as they develop critical skills aligned to modern standards and future-ready competencies.

This session is intentionally designed to model instructional practices that promote active learning, collaboration, and creativity. Educators will learn how to scaffold complex CS & AI concepts in ways that are approachable for diverse learners, ensuring that every student—regardless of background or prior experience—can participate and succeed. From foundational coding principles to emerging AI concepts, participants will explore how to integrate these ideas into existing curricula through flexible, standards-aligned pathways.

By the end of the session, attendees will walk away with actionable insights, classroom-ready strategies, and a clear understanding of how to implement iterative, student-centered learning experiences that make Computer Science and AI both accessible and impactful. Whether you are just beginning your CS journey or looking to expand and enhance your current programming, this experience will equip you with the tools and confidence to bring meaningful, hands-on innovation into your classroom.

Learners are already interacting with AI through everyday tools like voice assistants, face recognition, and recommendation systems. This session explores how educators can introduce AI concepts in developmentally appropriate ways—starting with unplugged play, moving into ethical discussions, and building toward early prompt engineering and machine learning experiences. Participants will leave with practical strategies, tools, and lesson ideas for Elementary and Middle School classrooms.

Experience firsthand how playful, hands-on design challenges can serve as engaging entry points into core computer science concepts. Using a playful, team-based monster-replicating challenge as the anchor activity, we explore the foundational CS concept of input → process → output. Then we’ll explore how we might use open-source AI platforms to adapt the lesson to support differentiated instruction for diverse learners, revisiting the anchor activity from multiple learner perspectives. Then we’ll switch gears and dive into student-facing AI, using it as a tool for building personal communication and creative thinking skills rather than a substitute for their own ideas. Leave with practical strategies, ready-to-use activities, and a clear framework for connecting computer science, hands-on STEM, and inclusive pedagogy across the K–8 classroom.

In this highly interactive session, educators will experience how a simple, tech-free building challenge can serve as a powerful entry point into the basics of computer science, differentiated instructional design, and responsible AI integration, all without a single line of code. Participants will engage in a fast-paced, team-based monster-replicating challenge that brings the foundational computer science concepts of input → process → output to life. Working in teams of three, each participant takes on a rotating role, builder, describer, and reconstructor, experiencing firsthand how clarity, sequencing, and precision directly shape outcomes. The debrief surfaces natural connections to algorithms, debugging, and the kind of communication skills that underpin both strong writing and strong computational thinking.

The session is intentionally designed as a low-floor, high-engagement experience accessible to all educators, regardless of CS background. No prior knowledge of computer science is assumed, and no technology is required for the core activity. At the same time, it offers high ceilings and wide walls, the same monster build that introduces algorithms to a kindergartener can spark rich conversation about instructional equity, learner variability, and the design of inclusive learning environments for seasoned educators.

A central focus of the second part of this session is modeling how AI can help teachers rapidly differentiate instruction without starting from scratch. Participants revisit the monster challenge through AI-generated variations of the same activity, each designed to support different learner needs. This allows educators to experience firsthand how small shifts in language, structure, and scaffolding can significantly impact access and outcomes. The facilitator then pulls back the curtain, sharing the AI prompts used to generate these adaptations and walking the group through the prompting process live. Key strategies are discussed, including how to write prompts grounded in specific learning goals, how to describe a learner profile with enough clarity to generate useful responses, and how feedback loops between teacher, student, and AI can refine both instruction and output over time.

The final segment of the workshop shifts the lens from teacher-facing to student-facing AI use. Participants explore how to model AI as a tool that strengthens student thinking, communication, and creativity rather than replacing it. Through a playful, game-based experience, educators see how structured prompting and iterative feedback can help students clarify their ideas, strengthen their writing, and deepen engagement. This also offers a natural ELA extension through storytelling and descriptive writing.

Throughout the session, participants will experience strategies for differentiation, collaboration, and student-centered facilitation that honor diverse learners and multiple entry points. Participants will leave with a ready-to-use unplugged CS activity adaptable across grades K–5, a live-modeled AI prompting framework for generating differentiated lesson materials, and a student-facing AI approach they can bring back to their classrooms right away. Most importantly, they will leave with increased confidence that CS and AI integration does not require a technology background, it requires curiosity, strong instructional design, and a willingness to build a monster.

Join LEGO Education for a hands-on session that brings Computer Science and AI to life through engaging, accessible learning experiences. Explore how to support all students with tools that make complex concepts approachable, while building critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills. Participants will work directly with new LEGO Education Computer Science & AI solutions and leave with practical, classroom-ready strategies to integrate meaningful, standards-aligned learning into any environment.

This engaging, hands-on session is designed to explore how educators can effectively support all students with accessible, inclusive solutions for Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence in today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape. As schools continue to navigate the increasing importance of computational thinking, digital literacy, and AI awareness, this session will provide practical strategies and tools to bring these concepts to life in meaningful and equitable ways.

Participants will have the opportunity to work directly with LEGO Education’s newest Computer Science & AI solutions, experiencing firsthand how hands-on, inquiry-based learning can deepen student understanding and engagement. Through guided exploration, educators will discover how these tools empower students to move beyond passive learning—encouraging them to build, test, iterate, and problem-solve as they develop critical skills aligned to modern standards and future-ready competencies.

This session is intentionally designed to model instructional practices that promote active learning, collaboration, and creativity. Educators will learn how to scaffold complex CS & AI concepts in ways that are approachable for diverse learners, ensuring that every student—regardless of background or prior experience—can participate and succeed. From foundational coding principles to emerging AI concepts, participants will explore how to integrate these ideas into existing curricula through flexible, standards-aligned pathways.

By the end of the session, attendees will walk away with actionable insights, classroom-ready strategies, and a clear understanding of how to implement iterative, student-centered learning experiences that make Computer Science and AI both accessible and impactful. Whether you are just beginning your CS journey or looking to expand and enhance your current programming, this experience will equip you with the tools and confidence to bring meaningful, hands-on innovation into your classroom.

These informal, end‑of‑day meetups give K–12 educators a dedicated space to connect with colleagues who teach similar grade levels. Teachers can share insights from the day’s sessions, compare classroom experiences, discuss challenges, and exchange practical strategies that support computer science and AI learning. Whether you’re looking to reflect on new ideas, troubleshoot with peers, or build ongoing professional relationships, these meetups offer a supportive environment for meaningful conversation and collaboration.

What if students didn’t just use AI—but directed it? In this hands-on session, educators will learn how to guide K–5 students in creating 3D-style characters and stories using simple, accessible AI tools. This approach blends creative writing, storytelling, and computer science in a way that’s engaging, developmentally appropriate, and aligned to NJSLS-CS standards. Participants will leave with a ready-to-use lesson they can implement right away.

AI is quickly becoming part of everyday life, and elementary students need early, meaningful experiences that help them understand how it works and how to use it responsibly. This session introduces a classroom-tested, “creative first” approach to AI literacy that makes complex ideas accessible for young learners.

Using a simple, structured workflow, participants will learn how students can use AI tools (text, image, and voice) to create 3D-style characters and short story scenes—connecting naturally to skills in writing, design, and computational thinking.

Throughout the session, we will focus on practical strategies teachers can bring directly into their classrooms, including:
Prompting as a process
Teaching students that prompts are clear, step-by-step instructions—helping build early understanding of algorithms and logical thinking

Storytelling through design
Supporting students in developing characters, settings, and narratives while using AI as a creative tool—not a replacement for thinking

Human-centered AI use
Helping students understand their role as the creator, with an emphasis on decision-making, ownership, and responsible use

This is a highly interactive session where participants will experience the lesson as learners, then reflect as educators. Time will be built in for discussion, adaptation across grade levels, and planning for classroom use.

Participants will leave with:
A ready-to-use lesson plan
A clear, repeatable workflow
Strategies for integrating AI into existing curriculum without needing advanced tech skills or materials"

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.

Seesaw offers an expert-designed, all-in-one solution for teaching elementary computer science with confidence. It provides ready-to-use lessons, pacing guides, and professional development, along with engaging instructional content, meaningful practice activities, and assessments that track student growth in problem-solving and computational thinking.

This session explores how Seesaw supports confident, high-quality elementary computer science instruction through an expert-designed, all-in-one approach. Participants will discover how to leverage built-in scope and sequences, lesson plans, pacing guides, and professional development to effectively plan and deliver instruction. The session will highlight engaging instructional tools, including videos, interactive texts, and discussion prompts that deepen student understanding. Attendees will also learn how students apply their knowledge through cross-curricular, real-world activities, and how built-in assessments provide valuable insights into growth in problem-solving and computational thinking.