Project ROCS: FarmBeats for Texas Middle School Educators
Learn. Build. Analyze. Innovate.
Ready to bring the future of smart agriculture and tech right into your classroom and earn a $450 stipend while doing it?
Project ROCS
Texas middle school educators from any subject or background are invited to team up for Project ROCS, an energetic, highly collaborative, two-day, hands-on learning adventure powered by Microsoft FarmBeats for Students and micro:bit technology.
This workshop is proudly facilitated by the UTeach CS team at the National Center for STEM Education at the University of Texas at Austin.
No prior coding or robotics experience? No problem at all. Alongside exploring micro:bits, you’ll dive into beginner-friendly programming with Scratch, learn how to build and train your own AI models, and discover practical ways to ensure AI systems are created fairly and without bias. Over two, dynamic days, you’ll roll up your sleeves to collect environmental data, test soil health with sensors, and train custom machine learning models. And you'll head back to school with awesome free gear to inspire the next generation of problem-solvers.
Space is limited to just 15 educators.
Applications will be reviewed and participants selected based on their fit with the Project ROCS goals. Submit your application today for consideration!
Workshop Details
Location:
Education Service Center Region 17
1111 W Loop 289 Access Rd
Lubbock, TX 79416
Dates & Times:
December 9-10, 2026
9:00 AM-4:00 PM, daily
Facilitators:
UTeach CS Team, National Center for STEM Education at UT Austin
Teacher Perks & Benefits
When you complete the workshop and post-survey, you’ll walk away with an incredible toolkit for your classroom:
$450 teacher stipend (participant responsible for their own travel costs)
Five Microsoft FarmBeats kits
Free lunch and refreshments provided both days
Substitute reimbursement up to $100/day (if attending during school hours; reimbursement paid directly to the school or district)
Confidence and ready-to-teach lessons in Scratch, ethical AI, data science, and environmental sensors
Aligned to Texas Standards:
Agriculture TEKS
Grade 6 Technology Applications TEKS
Grade 7 Science TEKS
Grade 8 Science TEKS
Lock In Your Spot Today.
Get ready to build, tinker, and experiment! Through fun engineering challenges and interactive investigations, you'll see firsthand how tech is revolutionizing modern farming. You’ll leave energized, fully supported, and equipped with turnkey lessons that effortlessly bridge computer science into science, ag, and tech classes.