Engaging Minds in IT

Bring emerging technologies to life in your classroom. Discover endless learning possibilities of a Technology Professional Development course at the Engaging Minds in IT workshops!

This two day event will focus on hands-on, activity-based learning and problem-solving activities that foster discussions and networking opportunities, enabling teachers to enrich their classes with engaging content for their students. This Professional Development is specifically tailored to cater to the needs and interests of teachers seeking to incorporate AI, AR and VR into their curriculum, with a particular focus on empowering female students and First Nations students.

Event: Engaging Minds in IT
Dates:

• Monday 13 December: Arrival for teachers coming from outside of Brisbane | 3pm onwards (AEST)
• Tuesday 14 December: All teachers | 9am-4.30pm (AEST) (optional dinner & keynote address 5pm - 9pm)
• Wednesday 15 December: All teachers | 9am-2pm (AEST)

Travelling to join us? Accommodation will be provided for teachers coming from outside of Brisbane at no cost to the participant (please specify that you will require on-campus accommodation in your registration. Breakfast included in accommodation)

What you will receive: You will receive a certificate of participation, access to all tools, websites and software used during the PD, a copy of teaching resources and ongoing educational support beyond the PD

Schedule - Day 1

8:45 am: Welcome

We will meet at the University of Queensland in Collaborative Room (49-301) at the Advanced Engineering Building.

9:00 am: Learn Through Play (Concurrent Streams)

• Binary Coding - Computer languages are often referred to as Python, C#, Cobol and more, the computer’s original language is very basic and binary, 1’s and 0’s. In this workshop teachers will learn the basic of binary coding and how to create their own code. From there, they will design their own personalised wristband using the code.
• Break the Code - Cryptography - This workshop will introduce teachers to the fun world of cryptography where they will learn how to leverage skills in maths to create and solve different coded messages. You will work in groups using cipher methods and with the help of a key; decipher secret messages performing an inverse substitution process to extract the original message, teachers will be able to “crack the code” and hopefully send some decrypted responses back!

10:00 am: Interactive Presentation

• AI Learning Companions - Explore how AI can be used to support student learning rather than simply completing work on behalf of learners. Participants will examine why meaningful learning requires challenge, reflection, agency and opportunities to make and correct mistakes. Practical demonstrations will show how educators can use AI to generate questions, provide feedback, support brainstorming and guide reflection while maintaining appropriate academic and ethical boundaries.

11:00 am: Morning Tea

Enjoy morning tea in the atrium of the Advanced Engineering Building.

11:30 am: Hands-on Workshops

• Day of AI Australia: Building AI Literacy in Every Classroom - This practical workshop will introduce teachers to adaptable activities and resources from Day of AI Australia. Participants will explore how to introduce the foundations of artificial intelligence through safe, creative and age-appropriate activities. Topics may include how machines learn, how training data influences an AI system, where bias can enter a system and how students can assess the opportunities and risks associated with AI. The activities are designed to be accessible to teachers without a computer-science or digital-technologies background and can be adapted for students with different levels of experience and access to technology. Day of AI Australia provides classroom programs and educator resources intended to make AI literacy approachable for teachers and students.

1:00 pm: Lunch

Enjoy a delicious lunch in the atrium of the Advanced Engineering Building.

1:45 pm: Technology Studio

• Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Virtual Reality and Micromelons - Gain hands-on experience using and applying artificial intelligence, machine learning, virtual reality and Micromelon robotics in your own teaching context. Working through practical challenges, participants will investigate how these technologies can encourage creativity, collaboration and critical thinking among students. Activities will demonstrate how teachers can combine physical and digital learning experiences—for example, collecting information through a robotic device, examining the resulting data, using machine-learning concepts to identify patterns and presenting an idea or solution through an immersive VR environment. The emphasis will be on transferable teaching approaches rather than mastery of any one platform.

3:15 pm: Design Challenge

In this collaborative workshop, participants will design an AI-, AR- or VR-supported learning experience that responds to a genuine student or community need. The workshop will encourage participants to consider accessibility, cultural safety, student agency, cognitive load, privacy and the unintended consequences of a proposed technology.

5:00 pm: Keynote Address and Dinner

Enjoy a delicious dinner at Patina @ Alumni Court and hear from a guest Industry partner, who will deliver a keynote on making STEM fun, engaging, and relatable. The evening will explore the role of immersive technologies and how educators can make these fields engaging, relevant and accessible to the next generation.

Schedule - Day 2

8:45 am: Welcome

We will meet at the University of Queensland in Collaborative Room (49-301) at the Advanced Engineering Building.

9:00 am: Guest Speaker

Explore how systems thinking can help students understand complex challenges by identifying relationships, feedback loops, patterns and unintended consequences. Participants will consider how AI-generated models, interactive data visualisations and immersive environments can help students investigate systems that may be difficult to observe directly, including ecosystems, disease transmission, climate processes and urban environments. The session will also examine the limitations of digital models and the importance of teaching students that every model involves assumptions, omissions and uncertainty.

9:30 am: Hands-on Workshops

• Making the Invisible Visible: Augmented Reality, Data and Fiducial Markers - Discover how augmented reality can layer digital information onto physical environments to support observation, explanation and exploration. Participants will experiment with fiducial markers—recognisable visual markers that allow a device to position digital content in relation to a real object or location. Rather than beginning with specialist software expertise, participants will start with an area they understand—such as science, mathematics, geography, history, health, the arts or technologies—and investigate how an unfamiliar AR tool might help communicate that knowledge.

10:30 am: Morning Tea

Enjoy morning tea in the atrium of the Advanced Engineering Building.

11:00 am: Applied AR and VR Studio

• From Storyboard to Prototype - Before developing a complete immersive experience, students need efficient ways to test whether an idea will work. In this workshop, participants will use storyboarding and low-fidelity prototyping to plan an AR or VR learning experience. Teachers will map what a student will see, hear, do and decide at each stage of the activity. Participants will learn that evaluating and rejecting an unsuitable technology is a successful design outcome when the evidence shows that a simpler approach would better support learning.

11:45 am: Panel Discussion and Q&A

Join educators, researchers and industry representatives for a discussion about the role of artificial intelligence, augmented reality and virtual reality in education.

1:00 pm: Lunch

Enjoy a delicious lunch in the atrium of the Advanced Engineering Building.

Limited spots available. Book yours now!

Register now