Brilliant Learning & Teaching

In this captivating keynote, presenters Jacob Lingley will guide attendees on an inspiring learning journey, exploring maker-centered projects that intertwine community, creativity, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Brace yourself for an interactive experience, showcasing cutting-edge technologies in presentations. Join us as we embark on this exhilarating voyage of discovery together.

Join us as we explore how to integrate luminous activities into classroom instruction. This informal event will explore the intersection of light science, code, creativity and boundaryless subject areas. There may be moments of wonder, laughter and intrigue.

Discover Natalie Rusk, an educator, innovator, and speaker. As an accomplished researcher at the MIT Media Lab, she has revolutionized learning, motivation, and educational technology. Leading the development of OctoStudio, a groundbreaking coding app, Natalie is transforming how learners interact with mobile devices. Co-founder of the Computer Clubhouse and co-creator of Scratch, she has made remarkable contributions to technology and computer science education for youth. Recognized as a keynote speaker at esteemed events like CCERS and international conferences, Natalie's expertise inspires educators worldwide. Join us for her keynote presentation to learn from her and be part of this enriching experience. Join us and ignite your passion for education, creativity, and innovation.

Maker Centred Learning in Classrooms: Maker Centred learning offers safety and comfort with materials and technologies that are accessible and allows them to explore new ideas and stretch their thinking. This process is led by an enthusiastic facilitator utilizing a design process to foster creative learning. In this session, we will highlight ways to set up a makerspace in schools and learning centers and provide youth with maker-centered learning experiences.

Community of the Future: The Community of the Future Innovation Challenge will inspire your students to explore their empathy and ingenuity to realize how our environment can impact a community’s wellness, economy and longevity. Together, let’s find innovative ways to solve real world problems design communities that will reduce our environmental impact, and carbon footprint.

Creative Coding: As we all know, coding is an integral tool for fuelling creativity, problem-solving, and logical thinking. But how do we go beyond just learning the basic programming and use the skill for meaningful and creative activities in an educational setting? This session aims to introduce participants to creative coding strategies and tools that can be implemented in educational contexts. Through this workshop, participants will be able to gain the skills to design activities that works towards the development of creativity, problem-solving, communication, and collaboration.

Emerging Technologies: We live in an age where technology impacts all aspects of our lives. As educators, we must change with the world, navigating fast-changing technologies to prepare students for an unpredictable future. Join us to dive deep into technologies to introduce in the classrooms. Specifically, we will explore Artificial Intelligence, 4D printing, and Tangible Computational Media

Multigenerational Creative Coding with OctoStudio: Join us to try the pre-release OctoStudio interface, scheduled to launch in October 2023. OctoStudio is a free app developed by Lifelong Kindergarten, the MIT Media Lab research group that created Scratch, the world’s most popular coding language for kids. OctoStudio transforms how children use mobile phones and tablets, enabling them to create their own stories and games anytime, anywhere. Children can take photos and record sounds, bring them to life with coding blocks, and send their projects to friends and family.

Morphing matter: Morphing Matter is a new field that combines material science, programming, and 3D printing technologies to make computational objects with dynamically alterable physical properties. This workshop will introduce Morphing Matter (based on real research from the Carnegie Mellon University Morphing Matter Lab) to design fashion, food, and craft-based projects. Specifically, we will explore underwater morphing, pneumatics, morphing food tools and techniques.

Electronics design and embedded programming: In this hands-on workshop, we will learn to solder electronic components onto a Printed Circuit Board (PCB). We will then program it to perform specific tasks, such as turning lights on and off when it's loud or dark, controlling a servo motor, etc. The session will introduce working with ATTiny chips and circuit design with Tinkercad.

Getting creative with robotics: Unleash your creativity with robotics! When we envision robots, we often imagine human-like automatons. But how can we harness the power of robotics to creatively solve problems within our communities? Let's explore innovative ways to blend technology and human ingenuity for the betterment of our society.

Community Maker Fun Session: Let's embark on an exhilarating adventure, hand in hand, as curious explorers. Join this collaborative maker project alongside a passionate community maker, where we blend history, making, and culture using simple materials. Together, we create a harmonious tapestry of ideas and bring communities closer.

As a celebration for our 10 year anniversary, our BL team members will take the stage to keep writing the story of Education Innovation and Creativity for our students. The teacher and students as designers of their journey through learning. With this experience, the teachers, leadership teams attending the event will be able to develop capabilities to create endless, innovative and creative options for their schools. They will transform the teacher into facilitator, students into innovative designers and thinkers of the world. How to blend everyday materials with a maker centered learning focus on harnessing the power to the students !

Connections Together, let's venture into the realm of exploration and develop various skills coding rovers, connecting to the cloud, soldering, biomaking and connect the dots of all these various initiatives and how they can elevate your classroom projects.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are powerful technologies that enable computers to learn and make decisions. Join us as we delve into uncharted territories together and discover the applications of ai in your classroom and offer students exciting opportunities for innovation and problem-solving.

Biomaking: Biomaking encourages innovation for a sustainable future, taking manufacturing with nature a step further. It inspires us to design innovative projects by collaborating with harmless microbes like fungi, bacteria, yeast, and algae. In this workshop, we will explore Biomaking to spark student's curiosity to tinker with living matter. We introduce designing novel eco-conscious projects using Circular Design approach. Let us imagine a future where we harness new bio-based technologies and design new products, spaces, and systems.

Innovative Fashion: What if we could use fashion as a powerful instrument to bring positive change? How can we design sustainable, culturally diverse, and inclusive fashion? In this workshop, we will introduce ways to engage students in designing fashion projects with responsive materials that augment the sensory and functional capabilities of the bodies.