ACSE is pleased to announce a conference for TAS1O/TAS2O teachers!
Are you teaching the new Technology and the Skilled Trades (TAS) curriculum and looking for practical, hands-on resources? TAS Teachers Conference is your chance to connect with fellow educators, explore ready-to-use classroom projects, and gain confidence teaching TAS — whether you’re experienced or newly assigned.
This one-day, in-person event is designed and delivered by teachers, for teachers.
What You’ll Learn:
- How to design and deliver lessons to support student projects using the Engineering Design Process
- How to use Tinkercad for Electronics with your students to design and test circuits
- How to build Electronics projects : lessons to establish fundamental knowledge and skills, simulating circuits using Tinkercad, breadboarding, and soldering – take home a fully functional soldered LED flasher kit and a breadboarded project (20 units) that your students can complete in the classroom
- How to design and code interactive projects using Micro:bit
- How to use communications and design tools to support project-based learning using Blender
- Explore how artificial intelligence tools can support teachers in the classroom
Who Should Attend?
- General Studies teachers assigned to Technology and the Skilled Trades (TAS)
- Gr. 9–10 Technology Education educators building new content skills for coding, and electronics
- Educators looking for practical, approachable project ideas
- ACSE community members committed to sharing and supporting others
Whether you’re just getting started or already diving into TAS, you’ll leave with ideas, materials, and connections to support your work.
FREE STUFF! More Reasons to Attend!
ACSE is pleased to announce that Abra Electronics is now sponsoring our conference and will be providing a soldering kit to every attendee!
Furthermore, Abra Electronics is also providing 10 digital multimeters to be raffled off at the conference.
See you at the conference!
Date:
October 18, 2025
Cost:
$50
Location:
St Joan of Arc Catholic High School
1 St Joan of Arc Ave, Maple, ON L6A 1W9
Sessions:
Introduction to Electronics (Grant Hutchison / John Rampelt)
This double session will start with an exploration of electronics and some of the key components that will be used with students in TAS. We will identify physical components and how components can be assembled to make complete circuits using a simulator (Tinkercad) and build and test circuits using breadboards (we will have 20 breadboard projects for attendees to take home). The project that we will build is connected to the automotive sector and examples of how to incorporate the Engineering Design Process that you can use with your students will be provided.
This session will also include guided demonstrations of safe soldering and there will be 5 soldering stations available for you to build your free LED flasher kit or the LED Ripple flasher kit that Abra has provided for every attendee.
Computational Thinking and Coding with Micro:bits (Grant Hutchison / Edwin Lee)
In this session we will explore how to incorporate Computational Thinking concepts and skills as students learn the fundamentals of coding. Our platform will be the Micro:bit Makecode environment (block-based coding) and we will examine various extensions and project ideas. The Engineering Design Process will be used in our student projects and there are so many different options for extensions with this platform. The final projects that we will explore include remote controlled robots and 3D printing parts for the robot to add additional functionality.
Introduction to Blender (Alexi Balian)
The primary objective of my session is to demonstrate how visualization software—specifically Blender—can be seamlessly integrated into the Design Process to enhance student creativity and problem-solving. By leveraging a tool with a minimal learning curve and modest hardware requirements, students can quickly begin exploring design concepts, iterating solutions, and producing both 2D and 3D visualizations. This approach empowers learners to engage meaningfully with the design cycle across a range of subject areas, fostering cross-curricular connections without the barriers of expensive software or high-end equipment.
3D Modeling for Additive Manufacturing: From Tinkercad to 3D Printer (Ray Mercer / Gerry Corrigan)
This comprehensive, hands-on workshop introduces the fundamentals of 3D model design and the complete 3D printing workflow. In this workshop, you will become familiar with the free, browser-based Tinkercad software to design and modify 3D models; partake the end-to-end process from digital design to physical output, including optimizing models for successful printing; and understand the critical role of the 3D slicer in preparing your exported design for an additive manufacturing machine, converting your model into the precise printer instructions (G-code). 3D printers will be on-site for small scale fabrication of your designs.
Tinkercad for Electronics (Rob Ceccato)
This session will give you all the necessary resources needed for teaching basic electronics to students in either the grade 9 or grade 10 TAS course. We will quickly go over the unit on electronics (look at the resources and how they are laid out). I will then demonstrate how to use TinkerCad (a free online electronics workbench that runs on a web browser) and to give you a resource that you can share with your students so they can learn how to use TinkerCad. Finally, I will show you how I would use the resources and material and apply it to the TAS curriculum. Three final TAS Curriculum related assessments will be shared that are related to the unit. This is a resource-based session. (You won’t be building or creating anything, but you will have access to lesson plans, ppt’s, assessments, assignments etc.) Please do not share these resources with your peers if they did not attend the conference.
AI in Action: ChatGPT and Gemini for the New TAS Curriculum (Peter Beens)
Discover how ChatGPT and Gemini can become powerful teaching partners for the new Technology and the Skilled Trades curriculum (TAS1O and TAS2O). In this hands-on session, you’ll explore prompt wizards designed for lesson planning, assessment, and student engagement, and learn how to create your own custom GPT or Gemini Gem infused with the TAS curriculum documents. You’ll leave with practical tools, strategies, and ready-to-use resources to save time, align with curriculum expectations, and support student success in Ontario’s technological education classrooms.