Teachers and home educators are invited to a free Educators Evening for World Science Festival Queensland.  Network with fellow educators and enjoy complimentary refreshments as you participate in an hour-long Professional Development workshop with education experts, STEM Punks.

4:15pm:                             Entry and refreshments
4:30pm–5:30pm               Free Teacher Professional Development Workshop
5:30pm–6:00pm               Drinks and nibbles

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP

Educators of all year levels are welcome. This workshop is particularly aimed at Years 6–9 teachers who wish to increase their knowledge and confidence in Design and Technologies.

Autonomous Technologies are rapidly transforming our world, moving us toward a future where machines can operate with minimal human intervention. At their core, these systems rely on a sophisticated interplay of Sensors, Computers, and Actuators. Sensors act as the system’s “eyes and ears,” gathering data about the surrounding environment. This information is then processed by powerful Computers, which use algorithms and Artificial Intelligence to make decisions. Finally, actuators carry out those decisions, translating digital commands into physical actions.

Key learning outcomes:

• Understand the concept of autonomy and how it’s applied in modern technologies
• Identify the core components of autonomous systems
• Recognise real-world applications of autonomy
• Apply learning through a hands-on coding task with an AI Rover simulation

OUTLINE

 Welcome & Introduction (5 mins)

• Overview of session goals
• Why autonomous systems matter in STEM education
• Define autonomy in technological systems

The ‘Sense – Think – Act’ Loop (10 mins)
Explore the 3 core components:

• Sensors: input from environment
• Computers: decision-making using AI
• Actuators: physical response/output
• Discuss how these work together in real-time

Hands-On Activity: Code an AI Rover (35 mins)

• Use Microsoft Makecode to code a micro:bit and AI Rover
• Train an AI Camera in AprilTags
• Goal: Program an AI Rover to complete a task (e.g., identify minerals on Mars )