Professional Development
Our professional development offerings are designed to make it as easy as possible to bring electronics and computational thinking to the classroom. From our premier, week long course introducing a variety of electronics to one day workshops on specific products to custom consulting, we offer the trainings you need.
Take a look below at our professional development options.
FIVE Day, Public Workshop
Microcontrollers for Educators
Implementing Computer Science in the Classroom
Our flagship workshop series, these five-day classes are designed to provide educators (middle school and up) a foundation in electronics, programming, computer science and computational thinking for the classroom. In these courses, we will introduce the basics of circuits, electricity, engineering and computing. Each course will focus on the technical aspects as well as the pedagogy, activities, pacing, and strategies for implementing a project-based STEM classroom using the designated microcontroller.
Highlights:
This Year's Workshops:
Workshops have concluded for 2019.
Fill out this form if you would like to be informed when the next Microcontrollers for Educators workshop is scheduled.
What Educators are Saying
This class is a double edged sword of awesomeness...it gives you training on amazing tools while simultaneously pushing your further along the path to teaching greatness.
Based on what I learned from the projects, I am now able to build my electronics/robotics curriculum so that I can have a continuum from 6 to 9, with a maker faire planned for the final unit in grade 10. I have so much to take back to my school and use and apply, in ideas, skills and hardware! This was a fantastic experience and I highly recommend it.
If you have a strong interest in using technology with your students to make things, take this course. It will truly strengthen and improve your cadre of knowledge and ability to apply skills for your teaching practices.
I have never been a programmer and have always been scared of it to some degree. Starting at the very basics but being able to do some more advanced topics very quickly with the Arduino has been very empowering.
Incredible. I have never learned so much in one workshop in my life. I wish I had taken it two years ago. It's going to completely change the way I approach coding in my classes.
Additional In-person Professional Development
One Day Workshops
Designed to ease the introduction of SparkFun hardware into the classroom, our one day workshops cover the basics of how to use specific products in a classroom setting as well as tips for taking your learning further and designing projects using electronics.
Courses Offered:
Consulting
Have a specific goal in mind but not sure how to make it happen? We can provide custom consulting to fit your needs. We have helped districts create curriculum for new classes, design computer science progressions over the course of multiple grade levels, implement makerspaces and more.