CSinc Professional Development

To compliment the CSinc outreach camps, the team also deliver Professional Development (PD), to help teachers to build confidence and to continue to build upon and deliver computer science subjects (formal and informal) within their schools.

The teacher professional development has been very successful, where the CSinc team delivered PD to ~800 teachers (some repeated sessions), with the demand to run multiple sessions around the country over the past two years. We travelled to several schools, where the school hosted the PD session, and also ran PD in four education centers. The demand is again growing with teachers/groups calling for additional sessions around the country, if you wish to host a PD session in your school as a group or cluster, please contact us.

The PD sessions vary in content, from introductory microbit (primary school and up), up to and including the leaving certificate computer science subject. Below you will find all of our formal sessions. We also run sessions in local schools (from Donegal to Cork), which will not be listed below, so contact us, if you are unable to attend some of the formal sessions, and we may be able to point you to some of our outreach PD sessions.
We invite you to attend any of our PD sessions!

Professional Development Resources

Many of these resources are from the NCCA for the Leaving Certificate Computer Science subject, where one of the CSinc team members was commissioned to develop them. We have also many other resources to share, contact us to enquire about the resources for Junior Cycle short course!
> NCCA: Leaving Certificate Computer Science Specification (Available here)

> NCCA: Leaving Certificate Computer Science Python Video Tutorials (Available here)

> NCCA: Leaving Certificate Computer Science Micro:bit Video Tutorials (ALT4) (Available here)

> NCCA: Leaving Certificate Computer Science ALT1 Interactive Information Systems Video Tutorials (Available here)

> Compsci.ie - an amazing collection of resources developed by the PDST and teachers alike (Available here)

> CSINC Pyhon 3.6.0 Envoirnment with Firebase, Serial, Matplotlib, Pandas installed (for Thonny with video instructions) - (Available here)

2021-22 PD Sessions

(Note: Due to COVID-19 all PD sessions will be online and Free, where attendees will also have access to the recordings after the session - Click on any session to book)

HTML and CSS

06/01/2022 Virtual Venue: Donegal Education Center (6 - 8 pm)

This session covers an introduction to HTML and CSS. We aim to cover fundamentals, pedagogical approaches and activities, to help you in your classroom for leaving certificate computer science. We will cover elements, content, embedding and CSS (inline and external) where if time permits we will also look at Bootstrap. While we will cover content the goal is to work on how to deliver such content in the class, basing our approaches on “use, modify, create” and PRIMM with suitable take-home activities.

Introduction to Scratch (for JC Coding)

10/01/2022 Virtual Venue: Sligo Education Center (6 - 8 pm)

This 2 hour-long event, is aimed at providing an introduction to Scratch for secondary school teachers. Scratch is a popular block-based programming language and is the staple language of the Junior Cycle short course in coding (covering aspects of Strand 1 and 3). While we will cover content the goal is to work on how to deliver such content in the class, basing our approaches on “use, modify, create” and PRIMM with suitable take-home activities. You DO NOT need to have any prior programming knowledge to attend this event. The event will aim to cover: Introduction to Scratch and Block-based programming, Inputs, Variables, Strings, Conditional Statements and Iteration.

Python - Functions and Recursion

11/01/2022 Virtual Venue: Sligo Education Center (6 - 8 pm)

This session covers functions and recursion in Python. We aim to cover fundamentals, pedagogical approaches and activities, to help you in your classroom for leaving certificate computer science. We will cover creating a procedure and a method, specifically focusing on arguments and returns, finally with recursive examples. While we will cover content the goal is to work on how to deliver such content in the class, basing our approaches on “use, modify, create” and PRIMM with suitable take-home activities.

JavaScript

01/02/2022 Virtual Venue: Laois Education Center (6 - 8 pm)

This session covers an introduction to JavaScript. We aim to cover fundamentals, pedagogical approaches and activities, to help you in your classroom for leaving certificate computer science. We will cover JavaScript elements, accessing and modifying elements and creating dynamic tables from lists. While we will cover content, the goal is to work on how to deliver such content in the class, basing our approaches on “use, modify, create” and PRIMM with suitable take-home activities.

Databases - Python and CSV files

08/02/2022 Virtual Venue: Monaghan Education Center (6 - 8 pm)

This session covers Databases in Python using a flat-file (CSV). We will cover accessing 2D data from a CSV file displaying the results and then inserting data into a CSV file. While we will cover content, the goal is to work on how to deliver such content in the class, basing our approaches on “use, modify, create” and PRIMM with suitable take-home activities.

Databases - Python, JavaScript and Firebase

15/02/2022 Virtual Venue: Tralee Education Center (6 - 8 pm)

This session covers Databases in Python and in JavaScript using an online cloud database. We will cover accessing data from a Google Firebase, displaying the results and then inserting data into the Firebase Database using HTML and JavaScript. While we will cover content, the goal is to work on how to deliver such content in the class, basing our approaches on “use, modify, create” and PRIMM with suitable take-home activities.

Tea with CSinc

08/03/2022 Venue: Kilkenny Education Center (6pm to 8:30pm)

CSinc - TU Dublin, Tallaght Campus are delighted to announce a Tea evening with CSinc and special Guests (Dr Brett A. Becker from UCD).

This evening aims to discuss the Leaving Certificate Computer Science theory aspects from the specification. Participants will be invited to send questions in advance or on the evening where a panel and group discussion will aim to help answer them.

Searching and Sorting Algorithms 1 - Python

15/03/2022 Virtual Venue: Dublin West Education Center (6 - 8 pm)

This session covers searching and sorting in Python. We aim to cover fundamentals, pedagogical approaches and activities, to help you in your classroom for leaving certificate computer science. We will cover Linear and Binary searching algorithms, Selection and Insertion sorting algorithms. While we will cover content the goal is to work on how to deliver such content in the class, basing our approaches on “use, modify, create” and PRIMM with suitable take-home activities.

Searching and Sorting Algorithms 2 - Python

29/03/2022 Virtual Venue: Donegal Education Center (6 - 8 pm)

This session covers searching and sorting in Python. We aim to cover fundamentals, pedagogical approaches and activities, to help you in your classroom for leaving certificate computer science. We will cover Linear and Binary searching algorithms, Selection and Insertion sorting algorithms. While we will cover content the goal is to work on how to deliver such content in the class, basing our approaches on “use, modify, create” and PRIMM with suitable take-home activities.

Modelling - Python

26/04/2022 Virtual Venue: Sligo Education Center (6 - 8 pm)

This session covers Modelling in Python. We will cover real-world models, basic models in Python, simulations and Agent-based Modeling (theory only).. We aim to cover fundamentals, pedagogical approaches and activities, to help you in your classroom for leaving certificate computer science. While we will cover content the goal is to work on how to deliver such content in the class, basing our approaches on “use, modify, create” and PRIMM with suitable take-home activities.










Python - Inputs and Variables

12/10/2021 Virtual Venue: Donegal Education Center (6 - 8 pm)

This session covers input and variables in Python. We will cover fundamental operators, precedence, inputs, casting and special characters for displaying your results.

Python - Conditionals

26/10/2021 Virtual Venue: Sligo Education Center (6 - 8 pm)

This session covers conditional statements in Python. We will cover single conditional statements, else if’s and else, along with nested conditionals and additional boolean operators.

Introduction to the micro:bit

02/11/2021 Virtual Venue: Laois Education Center (7 - 8 pm)

This event covers the BBC micro:bit, and is a hands-on virtual course. The micro:bit is essentially a programmable computer. The micro:bit is designed by the BBC for use in computer education in the UK and around the world. The micro:bit aligns very well with primary school curricula, Junior Cycle short course and the new leaving certificate in computer science. This session is open to complete beginners, from primary to second level, for those who have never used the micro:bit before – essentially a getting started session.

Python - Loops

09/11/2021 Virtual Venue: Monaghan Education Center (6 - 8 pm)

This session covers Loops in Python. We will cover while loops and for loops, with a small subset on nested loops.

Python - Lists

23/11/2021 Virtual Venue: Tralee Education Center (6 - 8 pm)

This session covers Loops in Python. We will cover creating, appending, deleting, copying, indexing and display 1D lists, and if time permits an introduction to 2D lists.

Design and Make a micro:bit Satellite

30/11/2021 Virtual Venue: Kilkenny Education Center (6 - 8 pm)

This session is an introductory module, where little to no coding experience is needed. All you need is a micro:bit to gather your data, where software is provided to capture all 13 sensors worth of data, to store and examine! On completion of this module you are equipped to enter the CanSat challenge!

Analytics - Lists and Graphs

07/12/2021 Virtual Venue: Dublin West Education Center (6 - 8 pm)

This session covers an introduction to Analytics (ALT2) in Python. We will cover accessing data (CSV and Lists), pre-processing of data, analysis of data and visualisation of data using graphs.