UPCOMING TRAINING EXPERIENCES
View upcoming training experiences and resources
View upcoming training experiences and resources
ABC CREATE L.E.A.D.S. Leveraging Education to Accelerate Diversity and Success
The ABC CREATE L.E.A.D.S. initiative will focus on elementary CS to build foundations and to close gaps. Design and implement a professional development model that will address substitute teacher shortages, surround educators with coaching support, build skill and confidence of a broader swath of elementary teachers, and leverage the progress and opportunity that PAsmart Targeted grants brought to elementary schools.
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CodeJoy Virtual Student Sessions
Students learn pattern recognition, decomposition of problems, pattern abstraction, and algorithmic design. In essence, it teaches them how to think, while helping them develop a growth mindset and a design mind for thinking about problems.
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Join Kelsey and Matt the Robot from CodeJoy for this interactive virtual field trip session for students - scheduled at YOUR convenience! Student participants watch as their code controls real robots in the CodeJoy studio - LIVE! CodeJoy can handle up to 400 participants at once - so please invite other classrooms as well! No coding experience necessary, students will just click a link to join.
- All student sessions will be delivered during the weeks listed below and can be scheduled at a time that works for the teacher and the teacher's students. Teachers are encouraged to invite other teachers and their students who are available to attend at the same date and time.
- Each teacher will receive a link via email for the students to join. All students should join from separate devices - computers or Chromebooks are preferred. * NOTE: Students do NOT need a robot for these sessions! The programs the students create will control Micro:bits/Hummingbirds/Finches in the CodeJoy studio.
Robot Romeo: 14 Sessions
Matt the Robot is directing a Shakespearean play - Romeo & Juliet. He’s not doing a great job, though… The actors need our help to feel something other than “sad.” CodeJoy participants will engage with the text of Romeo & Juliet and use the micro:bit LEDs to create emotions. Learn more about Robot Romeo |
Robot Memories: 14 Sessions
While Elby is visiting his grandma Dottie during a terrible storm and resulting power outage, her memory files become corrupted. Together, we need to find them and bring them back to life with color and movement. CodeJoy participants will learn the basics of coding tri-LEDs and motors using Makecode. Learn more about Robot Memories |
Robot Rovers: 14 Sessions
Elby the Robot just got a brand new pet rover! But - it's not *quite* house trained yet. CodeJoy participants will learn to program the motors of the Finch Robot to teach the new rover "tricks" while also learning coding concepts like loops and pause blocks. Learn more about Robot Rovers |
What Teachers are saying about CodeJoy Virtual Student Sessions:
“Some students who were not enthusiastic about coding liked these sessions much more than coding independently!” |
“It was fun, cool, very professional and really engaging! The whole structure of the lesson with the robots and humans was really well done. Really, really excellent.” |
“A lot of fun! It was different in the best way and a great type of event or assembly that can be done during virtual learning.” |
Virtual PD with Hummingbird, Finch, and Micro:bit
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Join Kelsey and Matt from CodeJoy for this FREE professional development opportunity! Each 3-hour session is an entry level introduction, focusing on a different topic/tool: BBC micro:bit, Hummingbird Robotics Kit or Finch 2.0 Robot. Sessions are all virtual, meaning you can join from anywhere, and offered at different times and days of the week for maximum flexibility. There is no need to attend ALL the sessions - just pick the ones that interest you and work best with your schedule.
These sessions are ideal for:
A) Teachers who are new to or curious about teaching with technology;
B) Teachers planning to teach students who are new to CS, coding, or robotics; or
C) Teachers with some tech experience, but looking for new classroom projects.
As an attendee, you will receive a $40/hour stipend and a FREE robot to keep that corresponds with the PD you attend. You will be able to pick this robot up from Penn State New Kensington or from the ARIN IU before the session time, to use during the session, and to keep and use afterward! You will also have access to a lending library of additional robots to use in your classroom.
These sessions are ideal for:
A) Teachers who are new to or curious about teaching with technology;
B) Teachers planning to teach students who are new to CS, coding, or robotics; or
C) Teachers with some tech experience, but looking for new classroom projects.
As an attendee, you will receive a $40/hour stipend and a FREE robot to keep that corresponds with the PD you attend. You will be able to pick this robot up from Penn State New Kensington or from the ARIN IU before the session time, to use during the session, and to keep and use afterward! You will also have access to a lending library of additional robots to use in your classroom.
Intro to Micro:bit Sessions
LED Animations, Starry Night January 30, 4:00 - 7:00 PM EST Music Party, Dance Party February 21, 5:45 - 8:45 PM EST Emotion Badges, Poetry Generator March 8, 4:00 - 7:00 PM EST The BBC micro:bit is a small, square microcontroller with its own inputs (sensors) and outputs (actions). It's great for quick activities in ANY classroom, from measuring light levels to writing poetry! And, it's becoming one of the most popular tools in the WORLD, used by over 30 million students in over 60 countries. |
Intro to Hummingbird Sessions
Tiny Drummer January 31, 4:00 - 7:00 PM EST Robot Mini Golf February 22, 5:45 - 8:45 PM EST Little Bot March 6, 4:00 - 7:00 PM EST The Hummingbird Robotics Kit is the best tool on the market for creative, crafty robotics! The kit includes all the motors, LEDs, and sensors you need to create your own robots. It's great for doing work that deeply connects to ANY classroom - like making a Robot Poetry diorama, or an interactive social studies display! The Hummingbird Kit is designed to be combined with common craft supplies, so bring your hot glue gun! |
Intro to Finch Sessions
Finch Drawing February 1, 4:00 - 7:00 PM EST Finch Mazes February 23, 5:45 - 8:45 PM EST Finch Jousting March 7, 4:00 - 7:00 PM EST The Finch Robot 2.0 is a GREAT K-12 learning tool for computer science and robotics. It has coding languages ideal for K-3rd, 4th-8th, or 9th-12 grade learners. The built-in motors, LEDs, and sensors make this robot ready to go right out of the box, ideal for short class periods, library time, or art. Plus - teachers love the new marker attachment for creative drawing and geometry! |
More Virtual PD! Hummingbird Inputs
2 virtual, Hummingbird Input sessions are being offered:
Distance Sensor, Light Sensor Wednesday, March 1, 5:45 - 8:45 PM Dial, Accelerometer Tuesday, March 14, 4:00 - 7:00 PM |
These sessions are ideal for teachers who have already been introduced to Hummingbird outputs, such as LED’s and Servos, and want to further explore using Hummingbird inputs, such as light sensors, distance sensors and accelerometers.
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ROBOT POTLUCKS
3 sessions @ Penn State New Kensington
Thursday, February 9, 4:15 - 6:15 PM Tuesday, February 28, 6:00 - 8:00 PM Wednesday, March 22, 4:15 - 6:15 PM 3 sessions @ ARIN IU Wednesday, March 15, 4:15 - 6:15 PM Thursday, March 30, 4:15 - 6:15 PM Tuesday, April 4, 4:15 - 6:15 PM |
There is another type of session being offered called Robot Potlucks! These are 2-hour, professional development workshops for teachers to gather together, in-person, to learn more about Micro:bits, Hummingbirds and/or Finch robots. Teachers can share ideas, ask questions, and build community around using coding and robotics in the classroom. Sessions will be held at Penn State New Kensington and at ARIN IU. In-person attendees will enjoy light refreshments.
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PARTNER WORKSHOP: Community, Education, and Workforce
A major focus of ABC CREATE L.E.A.D.S. (Leveraging Education to Accelerate Diversity & Success) is to capitalize on existing relationships with employers, community members, and educators to accelerate workforce-education-community outcomes particularly for those who are historically underrepresented in CS/STEAM.
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With the Consortium for Public Education (CPE) as its partner, the following initiatives within ABC CREATE L.E.A.D.S. will enhance CS/STEAM offerings and applicability to real-world opportunities
- CPE's School-Business Partnerships Training designed to strengthen community, education, and workforce partnerships
- CPE’s Project Based-Learning (PBL) cohort model of professional development aimed to make CS/STEAM learning real-world and relevant
- CPE’s Educator in the Workforce program designed to expose teachers, counselors, and other educators to employment opportunities, the job market into which they’ll be sending students, and to the skills the students will need to thrive after graduation
- ABC CREATE Career Coaches commissioned to capture and to share the developing model designed to sustain partner engagement and to connect real-world skills to school-based learning
- Identify and track educator and workforce needs and contributions
- Real-world use cases directly to classroom STEAM lessons and ABC CREATE Learning Pathway
When: December 14th, 8:00 AM - 2:30 PM
Where: In-person at Penn State New Kensington |
On Wednesday, December 14, 2022, the Consortium for Public Education will kick-off the Partner Relationships component of ABC CREATE L.E.A.D.S. with a full-day Education-Workforce-Community Partnership Training. Forty-five participants representing ABC CREATE school districts and their community and workforce partners will explore school-business-community partnerships and how they can help improve educational and workforce outcomes. Together we will:
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PAST TRAINING EXPERIENCES
View past training experiences and resources
View past training experiences and resources
Teachers' Summer STEAM Retreat 2022
Summer 2022 This ABC CREATE summer experience focused on supporting teachers as they reconnected with peers, as they gained perspective about systemic shifts in education, the workplace, and society, and as they tapped into the expertise, resources, and support from ABC CREATE. |
STEAM Showcase Show & Tell 2022
Spring 2022 Teachers and students shared BRIEF, CASUAL and RELEVANT professional development sessions highlighting ways in which classroom teachers are connecting with/to STEAM! Educators showed how embedding STEAM and technology into the Arts, World Languages, and Humanities adds depth, relevance, and perspective to the learning experiences of local teens and how they playfully infuse STEAM learning into their 3rd-8th grade classrooms. Explore and/or view all Show & Tell sessions HERE. |
ABC CREATE Micro:bit Training
December 2021 Kelsey Derringer and Matt Chilbert of CodeJoy guided educators through some of the many exciting uses for micro:bits in the classroom! Attendees practiced using micro:bits, collaborated with colleagues and developed lesson plans. |
Teachers' Summer STEAM Retreat 2021
Summer 2021 This ABC CREATE summer experience focused on supporting teachers as they reflected upon their experiences teaching through the challenges of the past year+, as they refreshed understandings of the changes in work, education, and society, and as they designed pathways for STEAM integration and the teaching of future ready skills. Watch the Day 2 'Shifting Paradigms' Conversation Get handouts and links to retreat resources |
STEAM Showcase Show & Tell 2021
Spring 2021 Inspired and inspiring teachers came together to reflect, connect and honor the persistence and resilience of educators within the ABC CREATE community and beyond! Teachers and/or our education partners shared tech tools and pedagogical approaches that have helped them to resolve challenges that arose while teaching through a global pandemic. Explore and/or view all 27 Show & Tell sessions are viewable HERE. Get your own copy of our Kickoff Interactive Notebook and/or Celebration Interactive Notebook |
Teaching Hands-On Learning in Virtual and Hybrid Learning Environments
Early Fall 2020 Educators joined Kelsey Derringer of CodeJoy, an online coding, robotics, and engineering classroom, to learn tips, tricks, and tools for teaching engaging, hands-on lessons via Zoom. Hummingbird in the Virtual and Hybrid Learning Age Early Fall 2020 Educators joined Kelsey Derringer from BirdBrain Technologies, to learn the basics of coding, building, and teaching with the Hummingbird Robotics Kit. |
Finch 2.0 Training
Winter 2021 In this 2 hour, hands-on, virtual PD workshop, participants learned to use the brand new Finch 2.0! They learned basic programming and also did a few fun, hands-on activities. Kelsey Derringer and Matt Chilbert of CodeJoy made sure all participants received a personalized, hands-on experience! |
OBS/Multiple Cameras Training from CodeJoy
Fall 2020 Facilitated by Kelsey Derringer and Matt Chilbert of CodeJoy, these virtual sessions taught educators how to use OBS Studio, a free, open source software. Participants learned how to use the split screen, share screen, and seamless video integration features of OBS to improve their virtual/hybrid teaching. Learn more about OBS features from THIS 90 second video. |
Summer STEAM Virtual Retreat 2020
June 2020 This experience focused on supporting teachers through the challenges and opportunities presented by the pandemic with online/distance learning. Focal points for discussion, dissemination of resources, and areas of exploration focused on helping educators to be better prepared for integrating online learning and/or STEAM education into their teaching repertoire to best prepare students to navigate a digital world. View Our Retreat Journals: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4 Access Valuable Shared Resources: STEAM Summer Resource Central |
STEAM Showcase 2020: Integrating STEAM for Life in a Digital Economy
March 2020 Educators learned how ABC CREATE and Nextovation are collaborating with local businesses and providing innovative opportunities for teachers and students, discovered how schools are using voice and agency to promote equity and authentic learning, explored educational approaches that focus on student-centered learning, connected with peers and more! Learn more about our 20+ breakout sessions and presenters! |
Learn more about all of our past STEAM showcases and teacher summer camps