2026 OCSTA Summer SuperQuest

Free, online professional development computer science courses for teachers

By Linda Barney, Barney and Associates

The Oregon Computer Science Teachers Association (OregonCSTA) is an organization of teachers training teachers in Oregon since 1984. OCSTA’s flagship SuperQuest program is a collaborative technology training series designed specifically for K-12 educators teaching computer science (CS) courses. 

The 2026 OCSTA Summer SuperQuest program includes a variety of online courses designed to empower educators with the skills and classroom tools to build hands-on technology learning directly into their classrooms or after school activities. “Free professional development courses from OCSTA empower teachers to start the school year off strong. SuperQuest 2026 includes training sessions on how teachers can provide students with solid training in Computer Science and software design while also preparing students to use AI and GenAI tools in this age of AI implementation,” states Jacob Niebergall, OCSTA President. There is NO COST to attend thanks to a grant from the South Metro STEM Hub and TechStart!”

The remote online sessions count for Professional Development credits and teachers can attend as many as they want. There are two-hour online Zoom Professional Development sessions, at 10 AM or 2 PM on August 3-5 and August 10-12. You must register for the session to receive an email with a Zoom link. Click here to see more details on the sessions.  Click here to register for sessions.

2026 OCSTA SuperQuest Sessions

AUGUST 3

  • 10:00 AM-CS as a Math Credit, Stephanie Partlow:  Describes how to integrate current Oregon high school math standards and college discrete math standards to an intro Computer Science class so the class can be offered as a high school math credit towards math graduation requirements.

  • 2:00 PM-iOS App Development for HS students, Stephanie Partlow: Describes a year-long development course where high school students learn how to create an iOS application. The session covers App Development tools and how teachers use GitHub and Xcode to set up the environment for students.

AUGUST 4

  • 10:00 AM-Vibe Coding for CS Teachers, Judson Birkel: Describes how teachers can use Vibe coding as an AI-assisted approach to software development while “hammering home” programming concepts in a secondary Computer Science classroom.

  • 2:00 PM-Creating Curriculum Supplements with NotebookLM & Wayground, McKenzie Fuller:  Explores how to leverage powerful AI tools like Gemini, NotebookLM, and Wayground to design dynamic, multilingual core curriculum supplements.

AUGUST 5

  • 10:00 AM-Teaching Software Design in the Age of Agentic Coding: Part 1, Robert Eckstein: Examines what remains uniquely valuable in software design education when implementation is increasingly automated.

  • 2:00 PM-Teaching Software Design in the Age of Agentic Coding: Part 1, Robert Eckstein: This is a continuation of the 10AM session covering how curricula, assignments, and assessment methods may need to change to prepare students for the future.

AUGUST 10

  • 10:00 AM-Coding In Science and Math Classes, Middle and High School Level, Ness Blackbird: Describes using coding curriculum to teach science and math as regular middle school math and science classes where all students, including those without the confidence and background can more easily benefit from it.

  • 2:00 PM-Secondary CS Curriculum Design and Pedagogy, Terrel Smith & Robert Mattox:
    Explores secondary high tech curriculum options, pedagogy, and teaching strategies. Robert Mattox will discuss ways to offer certifications on various topics. Terrel Smith will discuss strategies for student engagement, recruiting and accountability.

AUGUST 11

  • 10:00 AM-Everything AI..if that’s possible, Jacob Niebergall and Friends: This session will look at policies, challenges, and possibilities for teachers and students in an age of AI implementation.

  • 2:00 PM-GenAI Literacy First, Tools Second: ODE’s Updated Guidance for Generative AI in K–12 Classrooms, Nate Shelley & colleagues from Oregon Dept. of Education: Generative AI is rapidly entering Oregon classrooms, often outpacing district policy. The session discusses ODE’s updated guidance document titled, Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in K–12 Classrooms (v3.0), covering updated GenAI key principles, implementation resources and safety considerations.

AUGUST 12

  • 10:00 AM-Python Power-Up: Data cleaning, analysis and visualization for High School teachers, Montessa Young: Explores first using data analysis tools in Google Sheets and then applying Python library tools to build professional-looking graphs. This session will include notes, and assignments for a full curriculum example.

TechStart Supports OCSTA SuperQuest Training

“Tech education is critical to Oregon's future, and the Oregon Computer Science Teachers Association does more to enable tech education by training teachers than any other organization. TechStart is proud to support OCSTA in their efforts to have teachers training teachers,” states John Tortorici, TechStart Board Chair.