Professional Development
Professional development on your schedule.
Parallax offers four on-demand workshops to educators hands-on experience with the same hardware, programming tools, and curriculum they'll use with students. Follow the workshop videos and presentation materials at your own pace, get help from Parallax when needed, and qualified educators can earn professional development certificates.
micro:bit for Beginners
A practical introduction to physical computing with the BBC micro:bit
New to micro:bit? Start here. This workshop introduces the micro:bit through hands-on programming and physical computing activities designed to help educators quickly understand what the platform can do and how it can be used in the classroom.
You'll work with the micro:bit's built-in features, write programs, interact with sensors, and explore projects that connect coding to the physical world. The workshop includes two hours of on-demand instruction and qualifies eligible educators for a 2-hour professional development certificate.
What You'll Learn
- Get started with the BBC micro:bit
- Program with MakeCode
- Explore Python programming
- Use the LED display, buttons, radio, and built-in sensors
- Connect programming concepts to physical computing
- Explore classroom projects and curriculum resources
What You'll Need
A BBC micro:bit and USB connection are all you need to get started. The micro:bit V2 GO Bundle provides the basic hardware for completing the workshop activities.
Workshop Resources
Watch the 2-Hour Workshop
Get the micro:bit V2 GO Bundle →
Cybersecurity with Python & micro:bit
Teach cybersecurity by actually doing it
Cybersecurity becomes much easier to understand when students can see information being transmitted, intercepted, modified, and protected.
In this workshop, educators use BBC micro:bits and Python to explore wireless communication and fundamental cybersecurity concepts through hands-on experiments. Rather than discussing cybersecurity only in theory, you'll work directly with radio packets and build activities that demonstrate both vulnerabilities and defenses.
The workshop consists of three two-hour sessions and qualifies eligible educators for 8 hours of professional development after completion.
What You'll Learn
- Program the micro:bit with Python
- Send and receive wireless radio packets
- Examine how information moves between devices
- Explore encryption and decryption
- Analyze and manipulate data packets
- Investigate sniffing and brute-force attacks
- Explore methods of defending against attacks
- Connect cybersecurity concepts to physical computing
What You'll Need
Two BBC micro:bits are required so you can experiment with communication between devices and reproduce the activities demonstrated in the workshop.
Workshop Videos
Watch Session 1
Watch Session 2
Watch Session 3
Workshop Resources
Get the micro:bit V2 GO Bundles →
cyber:bot Robotics with MakeCode & Python
Build it. Program it. Make it interact with the real world.
The cyber:bot combines the BBC micro:bit with a programmable mobile robot, giving educators a platform for teaching programming, electronics, sensors, robotics, and engineering in one system.
This workshop takes you from basic robot operation through sensing, navigation, and autonomous behavior. The cyber:bot supports both MakeCode and Python, allowing educators to choose the programming environment that best fits their students and curriculum. The workshop includes three two-hour sessions and qualifies eligible educators for 8 hours of professional development.
What You'll Learn
- Program the cyber:bot with MakeCode and Python
- Control servo motors and robot movement
- Assemble and configure the cyber:bot
- Build and test electronic circuits
- Connect and read sensors
- Navigate using sensor feedback
- Develop autonomous robot behaviors
- Explore classroom curriculum and assessment resources
What You'll Need
A cyber:bot Robot Kit with micro:bit provides the controller, robot hardware, breadboard, motors, chassis, and electronic components used throughout the workshop.
Workshop Videos
Watch Session 1
Watch Session 2
Watch Session 3
Workshop Resources
Shield-Bot Robotics with Arduino Uno
Learn Arduino through a robot you build and program yourself
The Shield-Bot combines the Arduino Uno with Parallax robotics hardware to create a complete platform for learning programming, electronics, sensors, motors, and autonomous robotics.
During the workshop, you'll build circuits, write Arduino programs, control the robot's motors, gather information from sensors, and progressively combine these skills to create autonomous robot behaviors. The workshop includes six hours of on-demand instruction and qualifies eligible educators for 8 hours of professional development.
What You'll Learn
- Get started programming the Arduino Uno
- Build and test breadboard circuits
- Control servo motors and robot movement
- Assemble, calibrate, and test the Shield-Bot
- Interface sensors with the Arduino Uno
- Use sensor information for autonomous navigation
- Combine hardware and software into complete robotic systems
- Apply engineering design and troubleshooting skills
What You'll Need
The Robot Shield with Arduino provides the platform used for the Shield-Bot workshop activities.
Workshop Videos
Watch Session 1
Watch Session 2
Watch Session 3