Past Events Showcase

The Makey Makey Deep Dive will be a more intensive workshop than our introduction, and is intended for participants who already have experience using Makey Makey in their classroom or who have completed the introductory workshop. We will be drawing circuits, creating pressure sensitive switches, and integrating Makey Makey with other tools such as the Microbit. We will also explore some of the Makey Makey extension kits such as the Get Up and Go Booster Kit, the Craft and Code Booster Kit, the Code-a-Key Back Pack and the Backpack Bundle. You will also walk away with practical ideas for integrating Makey Makey into your classrooms on a more advanced level.

Often, students come to computing through another subject. Many students need to see how they can apply computing before they become interested in computing. In this 2-hour workshop, Lt Col Michael Castania, Director of Aerospace Education for the New Jersey Wing and Capt. Jonathan Lace of Civil Air Patrol will be coming to talk to us about Aviation, flying planes and how the computing systems they use on planes integrate real-time data from maps, weather services and other resources. They will be showing flight simulators and how they help students engage with computer science in a multi-disciplinary way. Finally, they will be talking about how teachers can become Aerospace Education Members with Civil Air Patrol, allowing them to have access to curriculum resources including computing hardware kits.

Modern computer science is often recognized as starting in the 1930s with ENIAC. However, it is in 1995, 60 years later, when Microsoft launches Windows 95 with its “Start me Up” campaign and quick and easy connections to the Internet we see the rapid adoption of computers in schools and homes. Now, many of us have multiple computing devices on our person connected to the Internet, WiFi or talking to each other such as our phone and watch with earbuds. In this day-long workshop, we will discuss the basic topics of Networks and the Internet while also unpacking the standards, and demonstrating lesson activities.

We will be taking our micro:bit and computer science skills to the next level by: Combining multiple pieces of hardware (potentiometers, RGB lights, sensors, etc) to make more advanced projects Learning advanced concepts such as: functions, nested loops and conditionals, arrays/lists, and logging data from the micro:bit Experimenting with text-based coding on the micro:bit using the Python programming language

If you ask someone what computer science is, often that response is "Coding" Coding is only one component of the programming and software design process. In this day long workshop, we will discuss the relationship between coding and programming and algorithms. Content in these areas are applied in demonstrations to model instruction using unplugged and plugged possibilities to teach programming and algorithms

The Montclair State University Computer Science Hub presents Buddy Programming. It will be a special professional development where we invite you to bring a student (and their parent/legal guardian) to the PD and you will receive professional development using a device and then code with the student. If you want to bring your own K-8 child, why don't you invite their teacher to come so they can experience the workshop too? Any student participating will need to have their parent/legal guardian present for the full activity. Four new devices/games will be offered for the students: Dashbots- Grade K-4 students: This programmable robot can sing, dance, navigate obstacles, and respond to voice commands. Learn coding concepts like sequencing, loops, algorithms, & variables with this educational robot through hands-on play and challenges. Mixed Reality Coding - Grade 2-8 students: The Merge cube is an augmented/mixed reality (AR/MR) tool that allows users to hold and interact with 3D digital objects. It's used in schools and at home to teach science and STEM concepts through hands-on learning. Code Master -Grade 3-8 students: ThinkFun Code Master is the perfect blend of brain-boosting challenges and entertaining gameplay - ideal for keeping you students engaged and learning. Enhance your student's programming logic, sequential reasoning, and problem-solving skills through a variety of progressively difficult levels Sunfounder Project Complete Starter kit - Grade 6-8 students - Compatible with Arduino UNO. Suitable for young beginners as well as experienced software/hardware engineers who are interested in learning electronics and programming. It includes development board compatible with Arduino UNO, 1602 LCD, motors, and ultrasonic modules. It contains interactive graphical programming based on Scratch and C language courses compatible with Arduino IDE.