OregonCSTA
The Oregon Computer Science Teachers Association (OregonCSTA) is an organization of teachers training teachers in Oregon since 1984. Our main focus is professional development in the areas of computer science and engineering education for K-12 educators and extended program volunteers.
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Oregon Computer Science Teachers Association
REGISTER 2026 Spring Conference
REGISTER High School Programming Contest
2026 Spring Conference and HS Programming Contest
- Date: Saturday, April 11 (for both events!)
- Time: 8:30 AM – 3:00 PM
- Location: George Fox University (Newberg, OR)
There is NO COST to attend the SPRING conference. In addition to a robust course offering, you’ll receive some cool perks:
- Coffee and morning munchies
- Catered lunch
- Lunchtime keynote: Oregon CSTA business meeting and election
Schedule & Session Topics
8:15a-9:30a; Coffee and Pastries
9:30a-10:30a; Session 1
AI Drivers-Ed for Educators: Issues & Ethics
AI is an amazing tool when used appropriately, but how do you use it appropriately when most courses simply teach you how to use it, not what to be aware of? The side of AI that gets overlooked in education, this is a critical exploration of the ethics, safety, and literacy required to navigate this new AI frontier. Moving beyond simple “detection” or “bans,” this session empowers educators and leaders to build a safe AI culture and know what hurdles lie in front of us. We will tackle the hard truths—algorithmic bias, hallucinations, and data privacy barely scratch the surface, so let’s dig into AI Drivers-Ed.
K-5 Coding
Are you curious how our youngest students learn programming in the elementary STEM classroom? Come learn about the progression of coding skills in the K-5 setting. We’ll discuss the hardware and software available for this age group, as well as provide a framework for building computer science foundations that prepare students for middle and high school.
Makey Makey
Details coming soon!
CS Legislation in the Next Biennium
Join us for a review of the key points from this biennium’s SB541 and a discussion of priorities to recommend for a future bill.
10:45a-11:45a; Session 2
Fun with AI Part 1: In the Classroom
From generating creative projects like a fake specialty food truck business to designing themed classroom experiences, AI has opened new possibilities for me and my classroom. I’ll demonstrate how AI has refined course materials, tailored units to frameworks like IB MYP, proofread and iterated on my email responses/requests, and helped to create creative, engaging assignments/worksheets. The goal is not to tell you how you should use AI, but to get your mind thinking about what you could do with AI. You do not have to attend both sessions to get something useful out of this session
Creating AI – Assignments and Software
Sunset HS has an advanced CS class that CREATES learning software, rather than just using it. Topics, classroom assignments, and software packages used will be covered. This class is taught in Python, and it Jupyter notebooks with the TensorFlow and Keras libraries.
K-5 Coding
Details coming soon!
Makey Makey Pt. 2: Code-a-Key backpack (adapter board for the micro:bit to Makey Makey
Details coming soon!
12:00p-1:00p; Lunch
1:00p-2:00p; Session 3
Game Design with Unity
Two introductory classes for Sunset HS use Unity and video game creation. This session will introduce the software, how to use it, and assignments that are covered in the class.
AI tools for grading
Details coming soon!
Fun with AI Part 2: Outside the Classroom
“Do you use AI outside of the classroom? – I mean, beyond making random images or short videos? In this session, I’ll showcase some of the fun things I’ve done outside of the classroom, from recipe development, vibe coding, music generation, and more. Hopefully these random gems will inspire you to do something fun with AI in your personal life. Like my other Fun with AI session, the goal is not to tell you how you should use AI, but to get your mind thinking about what you could do with AI. You do not have to attend both sessions to get something useful out of this session
Using ECS as an on-ramp to Computer Science
It can be difficult to bring new and and especially under-represented faces into CS programs. This session will give you connections and tools to add diversity to your program through the Exploring Computer Science program.
BETA AI App for Makey Makey
Details coming soon!
2:15p-3:15p; Session 4
CAD and Rapid Prototyping
Makerspace, Digital Fabrication, Fab Lab, Rapid Prototyping, Digital Woodshop… whatever you want to call it, this course will be an instructor led, attendee driven roundtable discussion on all things “Engineering” at the High School Level. We might talk about CAD packages, fabrication projects, classroom management and best practices, Architecture curriculum, building a Program of Study, whatever it takes to get a program off the ground, or to the next level.
Cybersecurity Topics and Projects
One of the advanced classes in Sunset HS’s CS pathway covers topics in Cybersecurity. This includes Unix commands, reverse engineering with assembly language, digital forensics, and decryption techniques.
Programming Competition Prep: Tips and Tricks
Coding competitions can be difficult to prepare for. Let’s talk about a few tips and tricks I give my students when preparing. We’ll look at a collection of past GFU coding competitions, see the pattern in all problems, and work towards simplifying the process. The language I’ll focus on is Python, but the concepts can be converted to other programming languages. A big focus will be on file reading & input receiving, parsing data, and building functions (divide & conquer).
Creating Classroom resources using Github, Copilot and Devswarm
Details coming soon!