The side hustle that supports your growth as a teacher:
Get FREE STEAM-Based PD That Earns You Extra Income
Get paid to spark joy and learning inside the classroom with hands-on learning opportunities!
I really enjoyed this course! It was very informative and supports my philosophy of what education should be. I want to thank you also for the thought-provoking exercises…..WOW! I cannot wait to put my plan into action and share it with my colleagues 🙂
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
—R. Metz
What if there was a way to get more out of professional development?
Having worked with over 2000 educators across the U.S., we discovered that:
👉Teachers often feel pressured to take PD on their own time
👉Hustling became the norm to supplement their income
👉Teachers have a thousand and one other things on their list to cram into their typical workday
To support educators, we’ve developed a (now FULLY tested) program to help them hit a few goals in one go…
Introducing:
BitSpace’s “Get PD, Get Paid” Program for Teachers
Offer one of our STEAM-based courses as an after school enrichment program, and get paid to put what you’ve learned into practice!
You can start with a small group of self-selected students (Grades 3 to 8) and eventually leverage those skills in your everyday classroom.
Here’s How It Works
STEP 1
Enroll Students
Offer one of our courses as a paid enrichment program at your school.
We’ll provide you with done-for-you (DFY) marketing materials to set you up for online registrations.
STEP 2
Learn the Course
After enrolling at least 8 students to the program, you’ll get FREE access to our $250-worth PD course.
This comes with a free materials kit so you can follow along as you learn.
STEP 3
Teach It!
Now it’s time to apply what you’ve learned! You’ll find lesson plans in your PD that will help you deliver the program in the most engaging way!
**Students will also be receiving their own kits through the school.
Teachers Are LOVING This Program
Can I tell you that I have taught a ton of after school classes in my career and this Bitspace Wearables class is a dream come true – seriously. I am Team Bitspace all the way!
— K. Redmond
I’m really impressed with what I’ve seen. Just the type of compliment to my existing skills – and the safety and training information I will definitely use when I teach this course in the spring.
— Kim, Maker Space Teacher, Massachusetts
Our Best-Selling STEAM Courses
Option 1: Electric Wearables
(Grade Levels: 3 to 8)
*Can be delivered remotely or in person
This fun after-school program teaches kids to combine fabric with electronics to create their very own “smart” wearables.
Think light-up stuffies and sneakers or facemasks with blinking LEDs — If they can dream it, they can build it!
Option 2: Make It! Robots
(Grade Levels: 6 to 8)
*Can be delivered remotely or in person
Each chapter presents a new aspect of using Arduino hardware and software.
Add design prompts and material constraints into the mix, and students build strong coding and engineering skills!
And, when all is said and done, they get to make some really cool robots.
Option 3: RGB Lightboxes
(Grade Levels: 4 to 8)
*Can be delivered remotely or in person
Combining electronics, graphic design, and laser-cutting, students build a unique and expressive creation. It’s the perfect introduction to simple circuits with a real and fun purpose behind concepts of basic circuitry.
Students will learn about LED’s, breadboards, potentiometers and more, all the while creating a custom and unique lightbox.
Option 4: Make It! Play It
(Grade Levels: 4 to 8)
*Can be delivered remotely or in person
**Own tools needed
Our Make It, Play It! class allows for true iteration as students create a series of physical rough drafts and build on techniques to gain an understanding of the scope of what they can create.
Each week students learn new skills and tools that they immediately apply.
Option 5: Make It! Race It
(Grade Levels: 3 to 8)
*Can be delivered remotely or in person
**Own tools needed
Feats of strength, speed and beauty abound in our Make It, Race It course.
Students have the opportunity to design, build and test their very own racing vehicle in this hands-on learning project that introduces students to design thinking, and woodshop tools and techniques.
Here’s Everything You’ll Get if You Join This Program
An extra source of income (Get paid $750 for running this 10-hr program to 10 students!)
3 Professional Development Hours per program
FREE access to a $250-worth video training
Ready-made DAILY lesson plans for 8 to 10 sessions
Supplies kit delivered to you and your students (up to 12 student kits)
Marketing materials (in digital format) to help you promote the program
(Optional) Student Registration. This includes a customized landing page that leads to a direct checkout for enrolling students. You’ll be able to see — in real time — all incoming registrations.
PLUS this $250-worth BONUS:
6 months worth of BitSpace’s curriculum
Get PLENTY of ideas for applying design thinking and making into your lessons.
Looking for a quick activity to solidify a math lesson and want it to include something tangible? We have that.
Looking for a multi-week project with real-world connections? We’ve got you covered!
Meet Sam, Our Director of Learning
In the course of setting up this after-school program, you’ll be in touch with Samantha Gleisten, a classroom teacher herself, who started a makerspace program at her school, and is now heading up the Innovation Studio Program for K-8 at RPMS in Chicago.
At BitSpace, Sam supports teachers through training and Professional Development in the field of maker education.
She’s an Unsung Heroes awardee, recognized by Voya for her work on implementing a problem solving curriculum in the classroom.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. In fact, if you need help pitching this idea to your school, we’d love to help! Feel free to schedule a call with us so we can talk about how we can do this for you.
If your school already said yes — great! We can talk about our next steps!
If you have the time and inclination to do this AND you’re willing to offer this as an after-school program for your students, then you’re in!
You’ll get paid $75/hr if you register 10 students for the class. This course runs for 10 hours total.
Yes — to maximize your income (@$75/hr), we highly recommend that you register at least 10 students for the program up to a maximum of 12.
We require a minimum of 6 students to be able to run the program, but the pay will also be lower.
We advise that you register students FIRST before taking the course yourself (Get in touch and we’ll help you market the program!).
If you’ve taken the course but didn’t run the program, you will be asked to pay $250 for the PD course (This price already includes PD credits).
We do all the heavy lifting for you! Is there someone at your school who runs after-school programs? Connect us to them and we will get everything going. No school-based enrichment office?
No problem! We’ll create a flyer just for you (digital) to send out to students and then we’ll register all students on our platform.
Once you’ve finished the online course and submit evidence of learning, we’ll give you the paperwork they need. Professional Development hours are granted by the Illinois State Board of Education via the IL Digital Educators Alliance. There are reciprocal agreements in place with most states.