Free Teacher Training at W5 LIFE

Join the Dream Space team at W5 LIFE for FREE teacher training sessions. Coming up we have:

20 August 2025 (In person at W5 LIFE, Belfast)

Dream Space at W5 LIFE will be running a day of CPD for teachers in August 2025. Get ready for a new school year and learn how tools like micro:bit's, MakeCode Arcade and Minecraft Education can be used to introduce coding, digital skills and a lot of fun into your lessons!

Free parking will be provided, and a free children's workshop for kids aged 8+ will be available at the same time to help with child care.

Minecraft Education for Beginners 10:30am-12:30pm

This session will be an introduction for beginners and new users of Minecraft Education. Find out what makes it different from the regular Minecraft, why you would want to use it in the classroom and some of the features designed to aid your lessons. No previous experience with Minecraft is necessary. Linked to Using ICT curriculum.
(If possible please bring a device that has Minecraft Education installed.)

By the end of the training sessions, you should be able to:

• Know the difference between Minecraft and Minecraft Education
• Log-in to Minecraft Education
• Create a world
• Move and build within the game
• Complete the Pixel Art lesson in your classroom
• Use the pre-made lessons in the library

Micro:bit FUNdamentals - 1pm-2:30pm
A beginners guide to using the micro:bit in the classroom for those who have no experience. During this session we will cover everything you need to know to get started. Discover what the micro:bit is and what it can do, create your first simple coding project, and learn how to transfer and interact with your code.

By the end of the training session, you should be able to:

• Access and log onto the MakeCode micro:bit website
• Create a simple piece of code using the drag and drop menu
• Understand simple coding concepts such as sequence, inputs and loops
• Successfully connect your micro:bit to the computer and download the code
• Use the micro:bit Classroom feature as a teacher

27th August 2025 (Virtually on Microsoft Teams)

MakeCode Arcade for Beginners - 11:30am-1pm

A beginner's guide to video game creation in MakeCode Arcade. This session will include an overview of the MakeCode Arcade platform and cover everything you need to begin creating simple retro arcade video games in the classroom to bring your lessons to life.

By the end of the training sessions, you should be able to:

• Use MakeCode Arcade to create a simple video game in your classroom
• Understand the code behind the game include sequence, variables and conditional statements
• Understand how the platform can be used to link into other areas of the curriculum to include ICT skills

If you have any questions, please get in touch with our W5 LIFE team via emailing [email protected].

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