Tech and Play: Creating Space for Middle School Educators to Explore the Future of STEM Learning
As technology continues to reshape classrooms, careers, and communities, educators are being asked to prepare students for a constantly evolving future. From artificial intelligence and cybersecurity to computer science and data literacy, emerging technologies are creating new opportunities and questions for schools across the country.
But how do educators find time to explore new ideas, gain confidence with new tools, and envision how these concepts can support teaching and learning?
Tech and Play
Tech and Play is an interdisciplinary model that builds campus-wide instructional capacity, equipping a broad community of educators with ready-to-implement curriculum and resources. While more than half of participants are usually teachers of middle school Technology Applications, others represent diverse content areas—art, drama, physical education, and core subjects.
Education is at its best when it guides learners from one genuine “aha!” moment to the next, instilling a resilient belief in their ability to solve unfamiliar problems. Having experienced that transformation firsthand, Tech and Play attendees take that energy back to their campuses—empowering students with a lifelong growth mindset that will serve them far beyond the middle school classroom.
Workshop Projects
Tech and Play scaffolds foundational computational thinking into cutting-edge physical computing and applied AI.
Foundational coding in scratch: Educators begin by mastering block-based programming, developing the pedagogical foundation to teach algorithm design, logic, and debugging in an approachable visual environment.
Physical computing with sphero and Micro:bit: They transition code into the physical world, driving Sphero robots and engineering automated systems with BBC micro:bit microcontrollers.
Smart farming and applied machine learning: They build automated soil moisture sensors to monitor irrigation needs in real time. Integrating AI computer vision, they analyze crop health by comparing plant imagery against datasets of thousands of soil conditions to diagnose nutrient deficiencies.
Renewable energy engineering: They design and test Junior Solar Car racers, linking hands-on mechanics to clean energy principles, highlighting the vital role solar and wind power will play in sustainably meeting the energy demands of advanced computing and AI infrastructure.
Modern AI pedagogy and app development: Moving beyond traditional syntax-heavy programming, the workshop introduces modern paradigms including AI agent workflows and natural-language “vibe coding,” empowering middle schoolers to build functional apps directly from algorithmic logic.
"I came into this workshop without much background in technology, and I was a little afraid that I would not be successful. The instructor created such a positive and encouraging learning environment that I quickly gained confidence. Every night I went home excited to continue working on the things we had learned during the day." —workshop participant
Workshop Details
Location:
TBD
Dates & Times:
Summer 2027 dates coming soon.
Facilitators:
UTeach CS Team, National Center for STEM Education at UT Austin
Classroom and Real-World Impact
Tech and play supports a learning path that overcomes limited school district capacity. It establishes skills and enthusiasm in existing classroom teachers that they pass on to students who use it to develop future-ready skills and solve real-world problems.
Expanding District Capacity: Equipping non-CS subject teachers removes traditional scheduling bottlenecks, making technology pathways accessible to students throughout the entire school day.
Community-Centered STEM: Projects ground abstract concepts in tangible, local challenges—from environmental stewardship and precision agriculture to smart infrastructure.
Future-Ready Skills: Demystifying artificial intelligence and physical computing builds critical digital literacy, inspiring diverse learners to see themselves as active creators, engineers, and problem-solvers in modern technology careers.
"Being able to incorporate the tech directly during class time will give the opportunity to expose so many more students to things that may lead them in a completely different direction career-wise." —workshop participant
Aligned to Texas Standards
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Support for Tech and Play
Tech and Play would not be possible without partners committed to expanding opportunities for educators and students. We are grateful to Lockheed Martin and WeTeach_CS for supporting Tech and Play sessions around Texas. Their support helps educators access high-quality professional learning experiences and reflects the kind of collaboration needed to strengthen STEM education at scale.