ABC CREATE L.E.A.D.S. 23-24

We are excited to announce a partnership with ABC CREATE that has been forged through the PA Smart Advancing Grant writing process and also through past relationships of our curriculum department staff. ABC Create has been awarded a grant and is partnering with ARIN to provide push in professional development with interactive remote robotics & coding classes for students & educators through their ABC CREATE L.E.A.D.S program. The goal of this work through the PA Smart grant is to provide more opportunities for CS learning across our region.

We don't offer coding and robotics lessons to make every student want to become a software engineer. Opportunities such as this help 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. Lessons where students have multiple approaches to a problem and an opportunity to see various strategies help build resiliency, adaptability, problem solving and critical thinking skills that they will need to be career and life ready . It's not just coding, it's so much more!

Students learn pattern recognition, decomposition of problems, pattern abstraction, and algorithmic design. In essence, these sessions teach them how to think, while helping them develop a growth mindset and a design mind for thinking about problems.

• Ideal for 3rd-8th grade - Beginner to intermediate coders
• 30-45 minutes - 30 mins learning time, 15 mins of Q&A time
• Up to 400 participants with computers, Chromebooks, or tablets, no robots required - open to ABC CREATE partner and pilot school districts. (All other educators, subscribe to the CodeJoy newsletter to learn about upcoming free opportunities with CodeJoy – and more!).

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 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, or Finches in the CodeJoy studio.

3-hour, virtual professional development for beginner level teachers

• Free, 3-hour, virtual professional development for beginner level teachers

• Registration limited to ABC CREATE partner and pilot school districts, attending educators will receive a $40/hour stipend

• A free Micro:bit, Hummingbird, or Finch robot will be given to eligible participants (while supplies last). Click HERE to see if you are eligible to receive a free robot.

2-hour, professional development 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 work on new classroom projects.

• All Robot Potluck PD will be held in-person

• CS/STEAM Coaches will be available

• All teachers who attend will receive a $40/hour stipend

Botluck will take place at Penn State New Kensington campus

Thursday, March 14, 2024, 5:00-7:00 pm

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

• These opportunities are open to ABC CREATE Partner Schools as well as Next 10 Pilot Year schools. Click here to see if your school is eligible.

• Free robots for teacher PD are limited to eligible teachers only. Click here to see if you are eligible.

• Please note, if your district has teachers involved in the professional development, you'll need to connect your business office with Freeport Area School District to learn how stipends are being handled for this grant.
  

Contact Stacie Isenberg, Curriculum Specialist, sisenberg@iu28.org, 724.463.5300 x1216