Missed Our AI + Physical Computing Workshop?
Here are some highlights along with a chance to win a Finch Robot!
If you weren’t able to join us live for our recent CSTA-Vermont workshop with Tom Lauwers- Exploring AI with Physical Computing,
we’ve made it easy to catch the highlights—and still be part of the experience.
Bonus: You can still enter to win a Finch Robot—just read the takeaways below, check out a couple of the video clips below and follow the instructions for entering the raffle found in in our EXIT ticket.
3 Key Takeaways from the Workshop
1. AI becomes clearer when students can see and touch it
Tom showed how physical computing tools—like micro:bits and robots—help students understand abstract AI concepts by making them visible and interactive.
👉 Instead of just talking about AI, students can experience it.
2. You don’t need advanced coding to get started
Using block-based programming, students can begin exploring AI-related ideas right away.
👉 This lowers the barrier so more students—and more teachers—can jump in confidently.
3. Small projects can lead to big understanding
Even simple activities—like a robot responding to inputs or making decisions—can introduce core AI ideas like:
- Inputs and outputs
- Decision-making
- Patterns and behavior
Tom demonstrated each of these powerful entry points into AI literacy.
⏱️ Watch in Small Chunks
No need to watch the full session all at once—jump into these video segment when they best fits your time:
🎁 Don’t Forget the Raffle!
Tom has generously extended the deadline to March 27—so you can still enter to win a Finch Robot.
Simple watch one or more video highlight below and then complete this short CSTA-Vermont Exit survey. As soon as you hit submit you will get an email with the link to a special Birdbrains raffle for a Finch robot (exclusively for participants of this event - the odds are in your favor! Deadline Friday, March 27.
🙌 Thank you from CSTA-Vermont
Whether you joined us live or are catching up now, we’re glad you got a chance to experience the power of physical computing to help students gain deeper about how AI models are trained and why this matters. Computational thinking matters now more than ever.
Please consider joining CSTA-Vermont so can all work together to prepare our students. Together we can work together to bring our students powerful learning experiences that help them understand, navigate, and control the technology in their world. You can find an exclusive Vermont only discount code here.
Introductions (Vermont CSTA and Tom Lauwers )
AI--Where are we now and why explore AI with Physical Computing
Overview of AI and Physical Computing Lessons & Teaching Resources
Google Teaching Machines Mini Lesson
This lesson is the foundation of the next two lessons and does not require a microbit.
Using Create AI with one microbit Mini Gesture Recognition mini-lesson
In this mini lesson Tom showed us how to create a magic wand with a microbit that uses use AI for gesture recognition using Create AI website
Coding a second microbit to control your microbit-embedded inventions or microbit-embedded robots (i.e. Finch) with AI
This lesson leveled up to integrate the two previous lessons and by the end of it we were able to train AI and code a microbit to control an second microbit embedded in a student created project or to control any robot with an embedded microbit. (like the Finch)
Complete the Exit Survey to help shape CSTA-Vermont
and for a chance to Win a Finch Robot *by March 27
As soon as you hit submit you will get an email with the link to a special Birdbrains raffle for a Finch robot (exclusively for participants of this event - the odds are in your favor! Deadline Friday, March 27.
Testing GIF