June 12 - June 16
Tiny TechiesSM
Integrate into Literacy, Math, and More
There are so many opportunities for kids to experiment and play with technology, but preparing students to be creators instead of consumers doesn’t only happen in front of a computer! Tiny TechiesSM will help students build computational thinking and problem-solving skills, be creative, and practice working together. In an increasingly technology-driven world, these are all skills that will help them as they grow and prepare for jobs that don’t yet exist. The best part is that we’ll do this through hands-on activities that will get them moving, building, and thinking!
We are partnering with the Iowa Department of Education and Iowa AEAs to expand our CS PD Week this year and provide free, high-quality professional development in Iowa! Please fill out this interest survey to let us know what sort of professional development opportunities you are interested in and programs you would like to see offered.
- Tiny Techies is a 2023–2024 STEM Scale-Up program! Applications for awards to cover the professional development program, materials, stipends, and credit are open through the Iowa STEM Council from January 9–February 28, 2023. Visit https://www.iowastem.org/Scale-Up-Application for more information and to apply. We expect most workshops to be offered through the STEM Scale-Up awards between July 17th and August 12th, 2023
- The Computer Science Professional Development Incentive Fund can be used for all of our computer science professional development options, including Tiny Techies. Reach out to our team through the button below for more information about this funding opportunity
- 1 hour of teacher relicensure or grad credit available through the AEA
Our Tiny Techies professional development supports PreK–2nd-grade teachers with training on foundational computer science concepts and how they relate to some of our youngest learners. You will experience engaging lessons that can tie into other content areas and help students become creative problem solvers.
Included lesson materials:
- Hello Ruby books
- Cubetto robot base set
- Additional Cubetto mats + books
- Learning Beautiful materials
- Tangrams set
- Squishy Circuit materials
- Snap Circuits Jr. set
Example activities:
- Discover and ask, “where are the computers around us?"
- Pattern recognition and breaking down problems into smaller parts
- Explore electricity using conductive playdough, Snap Circuits, and more
- Integrating computer science and literacy
- Explore programming concepts (functions, loops, decisions) through movement and food
"Tiny Techies is the course that will help transform your teaching to the next level. You will be immersed with the skills to be a superhero computer science teacher! I highly recommend every preschool through second grade teacher to experience it! It totally changed my teaching and it empowered my students to be creators, communicators, collaborators, and problem solvers. Tiny Techies promotes engagement of all levels of learners and provides differentiation with a positive impact on students. This course is summed up best by Benjamin Franklin: Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn."
Lori Randall
2nd Grade Osage CSD, 2021 participant
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Interested in more resources to encourage your students along? Check out our Computer Science Resources page!