Bring AI into Your Classroom: A Makeblock Canada Workshop Plan

By Robot Kits & Laser Cutters for STEAM Education | Published: 2026-11-01

Category: How-to Guides

A step-by-step plan for using the Makeblock Canada teacher workshop to bring AI into your classroom, from pre-session prep to post-workshop lesson planning.

Quick answer

Start by registering for the Makeblock Canada teacher workshop on November 2 at the University of Toronto Scarborough, then use its two CyberPi sessions to build a concrete AI lesson plan you can teach the following week.

Why a hands-on workshop beats reading about AI tools

AI lesson planning for teachers often stalls because the tools feel abstract. A workshop forces you to use the same hardware your students will use, so you discover the friction points before your class does.

The trade-off is time: a single-day workshop cannot cover every grade level. Treat it as a starting point for one or two lessons, not a full curriculum overhaul.

What the CyberPi sessions actually cover

Session 1 focuses on teaching machine learning and artificial intelligence with CyberPi for grades 4–12. Session 2 moves from blocks to bots, which helps you see how the same device scales from visual programming to more advanced robotics.

If you teach outside grades 4–12, the workshop content may need adaptation. Check the session descriptions before you commit.

Steps to turn the workshop into classroom AI lessons

Register and confirm your session fit: Check that the grade 4–12 focus of Session 1 matches your students. If you teach younger or older grades, decide in advance which parts you will adapt. Write down one learning objective you want to walk away with.
Prepare a real lesson problem to test: Bring a specific classroom scenario, such as a sorting task or a simple prediction activity, so you can try it with CyberPi during the session instead of just watching. A concrete problem makes the hands-on time more useful than general note-taking.
Attend both sessions and note the progression: Session 1 covers machine learning and AI concepts; Session 2 moves from blocks to bots. Track how the same CyberPi device supports both, because that continuity is what makes ai lesson planning for teachers manageable. Note one concept from Session 1 that you can extend in Session 2.
Map the workshop to one week of lessons: After the workshop, sketch a five-day sequence: introduce the concept, demonstrate with CyberPi, let students modify a project, run a short challenge, and debrief. Keep the first iteration small. Aim for one workable lesson rather than a full unit.
Test the hardware before students touch it: Set up CyberPi and run the project yourself once. Check connections, software, and timing. The common mistake is assuming the classroom setup matches the workshop setup. If something fails, simplify the project rather than adding more steps.

Workshop details at a glance

[Workshop] Learn how to bring AI to your classroom with Makeblock - Canada: Two sessions on November 2: 10:15–11:45 and 12:45–14:15, at the Sam Ibrahim Active Learning Spaces Building, University of Toronto Scarborough. The back-to-back schedule lets you attend both sessions in one day, but you need to plan travel and lunch around the 12:45 start.
[Workshop] Learn how to bring AI to your classroom with Makeblock - Canada