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 fill out this form to get the Raffle Link.
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—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 survey. As soon as you hit submit you will get an email with the link to a special Birdbrains raffle for a Finchg robors (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. Contact your CSTA-Vermont chapter leaders for a special discount code for Vermont educators in interested in computer science.
▶️ Clip 1: (8 min)
Introductions (Vermont CSTA and Tom Lauwers )
▶️ Clip 2: (5 min)
AI--Where are we now and why explore AI with Physical Computing
▶️ Clip 3: (5 min)
Overview of AI and Physical Computing Lessons & Teaching Resources
▶️ Clip 4: (9 min)
Google Teaching Machines Mini Lesson
▶️ Clip 5: ( 20 min)
Using Create AI with one microbit Mini Gesture Recognition mini-lesson
▶️ Clip 6: (17 min)
Coding a second microbit to control your microbit-embedded inventions or microbit-embedded robots (i.e. Finch) with AI
Testing GIF