On 26 September 2026, Newark School Malta organised the STEM-IT presentation as part of the AI in Education event at Future Focus in Floriana, Malta. The four-hour educational session brought together 33 participants interested in Artificial Intelligence, digital technologies and innovative approaches to learning.
The event explored the opportunities and challenges of using AI and digital technologies in education, with a strong focus on keeping pedagogy, human interaction and critical thinking at the centre of the learning process. STEM-IT was presented as an example of how immersive technologies can act as learning support tools while teachers remain facilitators and guides.
Participants had the opportunity to explore five STEM-IT resources through practical and interactive activities. The session started with Energy Lab VR, where participants spent around 30 minutes exploring virtual experiments and experiencing learning by doing. They then explored the STEM-IT VR Museum – Climate Change Exhibition through an interactive presentation.
The programme continued with Mission Mars: Can We Survive?, allowing participants to explore a virtual Mars base and interact with its 3D environment. ARTutor – Acids, Bases and Salts was also demonstrated, with participants using QR codes to access the Middle School and High School courses on their own smartphones or tablets and explore the augmented reality content.
Finally, the SCP STEM-IT 3D Model Viewer was presented through interactive models of the Cardiovascular System and Earth and Environmental Science. Participants were able to explore the models themselves and discuss their possible educational applications.
The hands-on activities helped participants move beyond a theoretical presentation and directly experience different forms of digital learning. The resources demonstrated how virtual experiments, immersive environments, augmented reality and interactive 3D models can make learning more visual, engaging and exploratory.
The event also addressed the responsible use of digital technologies, including privacy and data protection, unreliable information, academic integrity, cybersecurity, critical thinking and the importance of human interaction. A key message was that AI and digital tools should support learning rather than replace students’ own thinking, teachers or meaningful human interaction.
The Malta event therefore provided participants with practical experience of STEM-IT resources while encouraging a critical and responsible approach to educational technology. By combining theory, demonstrations and hands-on activities, the event highlighted the potential of immersive technologies to create new and engaging learning opportunities while keeping pedagogy and human involvement at the centre.