Deep Dives

2026 WeTeach_CS Deep Dives

Join us for the 2026 WeTeach_CS Deep Dives at La Cantera, DoubleTree, and Drury Inn in San Antonio, taking place June 17–18, 2026. This year’s event will feature a variety of immersive, hands‑on professional learning experiences designed to support computer science and STEM educators across Texas.

Deep Dive session offerings include:

  • AI/ML in the Classroom: A Deep Dive for Educators (Grades 6-12)
  • Future-Ready Counseling (K-12) - June 17 only
  • Launch_K5 CS (Grades K-5) 
  • HealthTech Makers: Coding, Sensing, and AI with Micro:bit (Grades 6-12) 
  • Unlocking Cybersecurity & AI Brilliance in Education: Dynamic Curriculum, Engaging Activities, and Escape Room Adventures (Grades 9-12)

These trainings will be in San Antonio, TX at the Hilton La Cantera Resort, the DoubleTree Hilton San Antonio Northwest, and The Drury Inn Near La Cantera from 8:00am to 4:00pm each day. Continental breakfast, lunch, snacks, and water/coffee/tea will be provided. Location details and further event logistics will be provided after you've been accepted and have successfully registered. 

Texas educator participants will be selected through an application process and will receive:

  • Transportation reimbursement up to $400
  • Lodging is provided at no cost to you at The La Cantera, The DoubleTree, or The Drury Inn in San Antonio, TX. (You will have your own room, no roommate. Your hotel assignment depends on your assigned session. Your lodging details will be provided upon acceptance no later than May 14.)
  • $100 per day stipend for professional development attendance and completion OR equivalent instructional materials related to your session's content (included in workshop descriptions further down)
  • Complimentary parking
  • CPE credit hours (please refer to the individual offerings for their specific CPE Credit hour)
  • Free registration (discount code will be provided upon your acceptance)
     

***The priority deadline is April 15, 2026, and applications will close on May 12, 2026 or when they reach capacity; whichever comes first. Applicants will be notified of their status no later than May 14, 2026. 

 

Important Dates

Event: June 17–18, 2026

Applications close: May 12, 2026 or when capacity is reached

Contact

Aryana Imani

aimani@tacc.utexas.edu

2026 Workshop Options

AI/ML in the Classroom: A Deep Dive for Educators
June 17-18, 2026   |   Grades 6-12
Prerequisite: Proficient in Python
$200 Stipend
14 CPE Hours

This one-day professional development experience is designed to help middle and high school teachers confidently integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) concepts into their existing curricula. Rather than treating AI as a standalone topic, the deep dive shows educators how core AI ideas—such as pattern recognition, classification, clustering, and prediction—naturally align with math, science, and computer science standards they already teach.

Participants begin with an accessible introduction to AI and ML using real-world analogies and everyday examples. Teachers then work hands-on with real datasets to explore how data can be transformed into stories and insights. Through guided challenges, they practice simple AI techniques such as grouping similar data (clustering), making decisions with labeled data (classification), and identifying trends to make predictions (regression and forecasting).

A central focus of the program is helping teachers move from “learning AI” to “teaching with AI.” In the second half of the day, participants will create a mini-syllabus or lesson sequence that incorporates AI/ML challenges directly into their subject area. These lesson plans include learning objectives, datasets, student activities, and discussion prompts focused on critical thinking and ethical considerations such as bias and limitations of AI systems.

The experience concludes with teachers sharing their lesson designs, receiving peer feedback, and building a small community of practice around AI education. By the end of the program, each participant leaves with classroom-ready materials, a clearer understanding of AI fundamentals, and the confidence to bring data-driven inquiry and AI concepts into their classrooms.

Ultimately, this deep dive equips educators with both the technical foundation and pedagogical tools needed to prepare students for a world increasingly shaped by data and artificial intelligence.

Apply Now

Launch_K5 CS
June 17-18, 2026   |   Grades K-5
Resources Provided: VEX123 kit of 2 (K-2) or micro:bit Club Pack of 10 (3-5)
18 CPE Hours

Launch_K5 CS is designed for K-5 educators and aligned with the new K-5 Technology Applications TEKS implemented in the 2024-2025 school year. This workshop integrates computational thinking, computer science, cybersecurity, and AI into core curricula, offering educators a unique opportunity to enhance their teaching practices.

Access K-5 lessons, both unplugged and plugged, ready to be integrated into your classrooms. We will also take time to explore block-based coding and physical computing - essential skills for fostering a generation of learners prepared to thrive in the modern world.

Upon completion of this workshop (both the 2 day in-person sessions and an asynchronous Canvas course), participants will receive a physical computing set to take back to their classrooms. K-2nd grade teachers will receive a set of 2 Vex 123 robots, and 3rd-5th grade teachers will receive a set of 10 micro:bits. 

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 HealthTech Makers: Coding, Sensing, and AI with the  micro:bit
June 17-18, 2026   |   Grades 6-12
Resources Provided: micro:bit Club Pack (Pack of 10)
14 CPE Hours

This two‑day, hands-on workshop immerses educators in the world of coding, sensing, and health‑focused innovation using the BBC micro:bit, micro:bit CHARGE , TI‑Nspire technology and more. Participants explore how accessible tools can bring real‑world healthcare concepts into the classroom from pulse oximeters to step counters to machine‑learning‑powered activity trackers.

Across both days, teachers learn how to code with BOTH a calculator and a computer, collect and analyze authentic sensor data, and build meaningful STEM experiences that connect directly to student curiosity and real‑world health challenges. The workshop blends elements from TI’s Inspire curriculum, micro:bit’s accessibility‑focused design, and Rice University’s research to create a modern, classroom‑ready approach to HealthTech education.

Educators leave with ready‑to‑teach lessons, micro:bit projects, and a deeper understanding of how AI and machine learning can empower students to investigate the world around them.

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Future-Ready Counseling
June 17, 2026   |   Grades K-12
$100 Stipend
7 CPE Hours

This interactive, counselor-only workshop is designed to help K-12 advisors who want to better advise and guide students to be prepared for our tech-driven world. Computing is the foundation for emerging areas like AI, cybersecurity, and quantum computing, and a necessary skill for almost every career opportunity for students.

Participants will build digital literacy, including AI, so they can accurately explain how today’s and tomorrow’s careers are changing, while also understanding why computing remains essential even as AI tools become more powerful. Counselors will explore our unique Computing + Passion framework, the formula for every student's post-secondary success. Counselors will examine how AI is transforming the workforce, and consider both the opportunities and challenges emerging technology presents for students’ learning and well-being.

Every concept ties directly to the school counselors mission: preparing all students for success. Counselors will leave with practical, ready-to-use resources, including a short, student-facing lesson that they can bring back to their schools so computing education is seen as a foundational subject area.

By the end of the workshop, counselors will be able to:

  • Identify emerging computing and tech related career trends and the skills students need to pursue them.
  • Incorporate advising practices that integrate digital and AI literacy into career exploration.
  • Strategically use individual and group counseling skills to empower students to explore and enroll in computing and technology pathways.
  • Engage families and other stakeholders to build excitement and support for computing education.

Apply Now

Unlocking Cybersecurity & AI Brilliance in Education: Dynamic Curriculum, Engaging Activities, and Escape Room Adventures
June 17-18, 2026   |   Grades 9-12
$200 Stipend
14 CPE Hours

Unlocking Cybersecurity & AI Brilliance in Education is a dynamic, hands-on two-day professional development workshop designed for high school cybersecurity and computer science educators ready to bring cutting-edge, real-world learning into their classrooms. This immersive experience features both the RING Cybersecurity and RING AI secondary education curricula and models engaging instructional strategies teachers can immediately implement with students.

Through collaborative labs, interactive games, and a high-energy escape room adventure, participants will explore foundational and advanced cybersecurity concepts including threats and vulnerabilities, data and system protection, adversarial thinking, and cyber ethics. Educators won’t just learn the content—they’ll experience it the same way students would, gaining practical insight into how to teach complex topics in an accessible and engaging way.

The workshop also dives deeply into artificial intelligence fundamentals, equipping educators to confidently introduce AI concepts at the high school level. Participants will explore machine learning fundamentals, including how models are trained, tested, and used in real-world systems. The AI portion emphasizes the growing intersection of AI and cybersecurity, highlighting risks, protections, and emerging challenges.

In addition, educators will examine AI governance, laws, and ethics, gaining classroom-ready strategies for discussing responsible AI use, bias, privacy, security, and the societal impacts of AI technologies. These conversations empower teachers to help students think critically about how AI systems are designed, deployed, and regulated.

Throughout the two days, participants will receive comprehensive teacher resources, lesson plans, assessments, and implementation tips aligned to secondary classrooms and industry frameworks. Educators will leave with ready-to-use activities, increased confidence, and innovative strategies for fostering student curiosity, engagement, and career awareness in both cybersecurity and AI.

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Deep Dive into MIT App Inventor for Computational Action through Physical Computing using micro:bits
June 17-18, 2026   |   Grades 6-12
Resources Provided: Micro:bit (1 device with additional hardware) 
14 CPE Hours

The first day of the WeTeach_CS Two-Day Workshop comprises a 'deep dive' into MIT App Inventor. MIT App Inventor includes all the features of a modern imperative programming language and is used for developing mobile applications with all the components and connectivity of today's smart mobile devices. Participants will gain a basic understanding of what it takes to develop code and teach coding to students.

The second day of the WeTeach_CS Two-Day Workshop comprises a 'deep dive' into physical computing using MIT App Inventor and micro:bit. MIT App Inventor — with a Bluetooth Low Energy connection to a micro:bit — can collect data from sensors and drive actuators connected to the micro:bit while providing greater programming, data science, networking, and AI capabilities than are available on a micro:bit alone.

Apply Now