Educator Development Workshops
Calling all teachers, principals and guidance counsellors!
Developed to assist you expand and deepen your skills as educators, we invite you to attend a Professional Development workshop at the Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business.
Workshops are created and facilitated by our esteemed Faculty Members with specializations in the business, technology and design sectors!
To learn more about our offered workshops and register, please visit our Educator Development Workshop events page.
Exploring Creating Coding: Equipping High-School Teachers with Open-Source Programs for Engaging Technology Education
Facilitated by Dr. Karen Cochrane
Creative coding, which uses programming as a tool for artistic expression and interactive projects, is an exciting way to engage students in technology education. This session will teach high school teachers about free Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) that support creative coding and programming. Starting with user-friendly platforms like Scratch and Blockly, which introduce block-based programming, educators can help students build foundational skills through visual logic and problem-solving. As students advance, environments like p5.js and Processing allow for more complex creative coding, enabling the exploration of interactive visuals and animations. Teachers can further introduce Repl.it, an online IDE that supports multiple programming languages, offering flexibility for text-based coding in courses such as Python or JavaScript. Tools like Thonny, with its beginner-friendly Python interface, provide a structured, approachable transition to text-based programming. The Arduino IDE offers a gateway into microcontroller programming for physical computing and electronics, while Pure Data introduces more advanced students to multimedia and sound synthesis. Platforms like Code.org round out the toolkit by integrating curriculum-aligned activities that combine block-based and text-based coding. By equipping teachers with this diverse range of IDEs, we empower them to deliver engaging learning experiences that cater to students' varied interests and skill levels.
Available Dates: November 1st, and November 15th