The Pathfinders Summer Institute, hosted by the Infosys Foundation USA, is a flagship professional development program designed to expand access to high-quality computer science and maker education for K-12 public school teachers. Since its inception in 2018, the initiative has empowered thousands of educators across the United States by providing tuition-free, hands-on training in cutting-edge fields like Python coding, robotics, and artificial intelligence. By equipping teachers with these essential digital skills and classroom resources, the program aims to bridge the digital divide and inspire the next generation of innovators in underrepresented communities.
About Pathfinders Summer Institute
Makey Makey as a Hands-on Computing Journey – From Simple Circuits to AI
This two-week PD experience supports educators in teaching computer science as a hands-on discipline that blends invention literacy, computational thinking, and creative computing. Makey Makey brings CS into the physical world by engaging students in re-imagining how they interact with computers.
Participants progress through a unique and scaffolded learning arc based on Makey Makey’s soon-to-be-released elementary computing curriculum aligned with ISTE and CSTA standards, including the 2026 CSTA revision. We’ll begin with physical invention, building simple circuits, inventing computer interfaces, and exploring input and events in both hardware and software. We’ll start with connecting inventions to Makey Makey’s “no-code” web apps, then move into remixing and programming interactive projects in Scratch® and Microsoft MakeCode®. We’ll explore “beyond code” with age-appropriate AI and machine learning concepts through integration with CreateAI, a Machine Learning platform for the BBC micro:bit, and other classroom AI tools.
Course Learning Objectives
Participants experience the classroom-ready lessons as learners first, then step back to examine constructionist facilitation strategies and assessment approaches that support diverse learners. The PD culminates in an Invention Challenge, where participants create and share a Makey Makey-powered capstone project inspired by accessible interface design principles that can be shared with their students when they return to their classrooms in the fall.
Participants will come away from this course with:
- Confidence to Guide and Mentor Student Inventors through hands-on experience designing, testing, and iterating on circuits, switches, and inventions.
- Standards-Aligned, Future-Ready Computing Curriculum aligned with ISTE and CSTA standards (2017 and 2026).
- Foundations for Teaching Artificial Intelligence as CS aligned with AI4K12 content guidelines, treating AI as a topic within computer science rather than a black box.
- Constructionist Teaching Strategies that Work, through pedagogical tools and facilitation techniques that support curiosity, collaboration, and creative confidence.
Course Schedule
Workshop Dates: July 27th - August 7th
Tuesdays through Thursdays - Synchronous Instruction
Mondays and Fridays - Asynchronous Work Days
Time
10:00 am – 4:00 pm EST daily (unless otherwise noted)
Course Instructors
Jason Innes
Derek Runberg
Course Materials
Each participant will receive all required Makey Makey materials and a copy of the computing curriculum (optimized for grades 3-5 and extensible through grade 8 with supplemental materials). Participants will need their own computer and basic classroom crafting materials (scissors, tape, markers, construction paper, etc).
Signup and take this course for FREE!
Does this course seem like a good fit? Excited to learn how to implement Makey Makey in the classroom? Apply now and make plans to dive into the world of Invention Literacy with Makey Makey and AI this summer!
Who can take the course?
Public school teachers, STEM Directors, Librarians and media specialists! There is a limit on the number of seats available for librarians and media specialists, so sign up to reserve your spot!
What materials do I need vs what is provided?
Makey Makey is providing the materials listed in the course materials list that will be shipped to your address before the course start. We also provide a list of recommended tools and materials to have on-hand throughout the two weeks to build and invent with!
What is the time commitment for the course?
Part of signing up for this course and receiving the materials that we ship to you is a written commitment in the form of a letter that is signed by your principle. By submitting this letter, you are committing to attend and participate in the course and complete all assigned activities.
Where do I sign up?
You can sign up through the Infosys website (which you will need to sign-up for and take a screenshot as part of signing up), or jump to the Google Form here . Either way, you will need an Infosys login!
How much of the workshop is online vs offline?
The course is two weeks in length with Mondays and Fridays being days that are asynchronous work days where you will be assigned work to complete on your own. Tuesday through Thursday each week will be live instruction via Google Meets.
What grade is the content targeted at?
Each participant will receive all required Makey Makey materials and a copy of the computing curriculum (optimized for grades 3-5 and extensible through grade 8 with supplemental materials).
You didn't answer my question!
If you have a specific question about our Infosys Pathfinders Summer Institute course, please feel free to reach out to us at workshops@joylabz.com