Events for teachers, schoolkids, families, general public

This is an occasional post highlighting some talks and events that touch on computer science or computing-adjacent tech and which are not aimed solely at an academic audience. This isn’t a complete list (an impossible task!) but is drawn from a range of venues and organisations, some already computer-focused, some that have a wider focus but who sometimes host computing events. If you have a suitable event, particularly ones for which the public / schools can get tickets for, please let me (Jo) know, thanks.

January 2024

For teachers – ICT for Education (several seminars and conferences in the UK coming up).

London, FREE: in-person ‘ICT for Education’ seminar – 16 Jan 2024, University of Roehampton

Webinar: Experiences of disability and neurodiversity in IT
Tuesday 16 January 2024, 12.30-1.15pm
Online, £0, free
BCS
“This webinar sees the launch of a new BCS report ‘The Experience of Neurodiverse and Disabled People in IT’. Synopsis. A specialist panel explores the contribution that disabled and neurodivergent people make to the profession, and what can be done to allow those groups to contribute even more.”

Webinar: Encouraging girls, women and people of BAME descent into STEAM education
Friday 19 January 2024, 6-7pm
Online, £0, free
BCS
“Emefa Takyi-Amoako will give a presentation on encouraging girls, women and people of BAME descent, who even today, as it has and continues to be, seem not to have achieved equal representation in the STEAM subjects. James Uhomoibhi will give a presentation on AI in Education: Developing and Delivering Relevant Education Informed by Culture, Tradition and Technology in Emerging Communities. The e-Learning Specialist Group in collaboration with BAME+ Network and the MAVRLAB (Mixed Augmented and Virtual Reality Laboratory) at Ulster University jointly supports tonight’s seminar on Women/Girls in STEAM and on the use of AI and technology in the provision of relevant education for all.”

Weekend Family STEM Bytes
Saturday 20 January 2024, 11am – 4pm
In person (Bletchley), £10 adult, £7.50 concessions, £25 family (2 adults, 3 kids)
The National Museum of Computing
“We offer a variety of activities from Sphero Bolts and OSMO Augmented Reality to programming BBC Micros and making 3D art in Virtual Reality! Between the sessions, you can explore the rest of our museum or have a go with our Digital Trails (available at the main entrance).

Please note that these hands-on activities are not drop-off events. Parental supervision is required at all times.”

Weekend Family STEM Bytes
Saturday 27 January 2024, 11am – 4pm
In person (Bletchley), £10 adult, £7.50 concessions, £25 family (2 adults, 3 kids)
The National Museum of Computing
See info above for 20 Jan event.

Mathematical Puzzles and Paradoxes
Tuesday 30 January 2024, 1pm
In person (London) or online, £0, free
“Many puzzles have a long history, such as water pouring puzzles, where you need to measure (for example) one pint of water equipped only with an eight-pint and a five-pint jug. The mathematics behind the solution has many useful applications.

Meanwhile, paradoxes such as: “some men shave themselves; those that do not shave themselves are shaved by the barber: who shaves the barber?” lead us to deep questions about set theory.

We will discuss several examples and the related mathematics.”

February 2024

TechTalk: Ed Smith – Imagine That!
Thursday 1st February 2024, 7-8pm
Online, £5
Centre for Computing History
Ed Smith – the story of an African American developer and the MP1000
In this virtual talk, join Ed Smith as he tells the story of how he successfully lifted himself up from the gangs, drugs and crime of his environment to become a pioneering technologist.

Sex and the Internet
Tuesday 13 February 2024, 6pm
In person (London) or online, £0, free
“The relationship between intimacy and technology is dynamic and transformative. Adult entertainment providers were early adopters of the Internet and directly influenced its development. Meanwhile, digital communication has changed our consumption of pornography, how we date, and how we seek pleasure.

There is increasing concern that Internet-mediated sex is having a negative impact on humans. What’s the evidence for that? And what does the future hold?”

Family fun day: AI and problem solving
Saturday 17 February 2024, 11am – 4pm
In-person (London), £16/10
Royal Institution
“Based on the 2023 CHRISTMAS LECTURES, this Family Fun Day will showcase some of our favourite science demonstrations and experiments from the shows, as well as those that continue to amaze us.

Discover how scientists use innovation, invention and creativity to help solve a whole host of problems! Whether it be with the help of Artificial Intelligence or not, we’ll have a packed day of demonstrations and activities for you to try.

From a Rubik’s cube solving robot, how to make an object disappear to pongy paints that confuse the senses, you’re sure to have a fun day out. Get hands on with a whole host of exciting activities, experiments and demonstrations exploring every corner of the world of science. Who knows what future problems you might end up solving?”

The Postdigital Classroom
Tuesday 20th February 2024, 12-1pm
Online and in-person (Edinburgh), £0, free
Centre for Research in Digital Education
“As digital technologies and practices become more deeply woven into the fabric of our everyday and educational surroundings, there is a need to continually revisit traditional assumptions around how and where learning happens. We invite you to join us in responding to this challenge, as we gather for an event that will explore the notion of a ‘postdigital classroom’. Through a series of lightning presentations, we will examine the presence and influence of digital resources within a range of learning spaces. You will be encouraged to respond to these presentations, for instance by sharing insights from your own areas of study, practice or research.”