iPads, MakerEd and More in Education

Recently I gave a talk about the BBC micro:bit and needed to come up a good demonstration without being too technical: something that was short, memorable and showed off the full range of what it could do. Finally, I hit on the idea of a magic trick.

I always attempt to help students find joy in learning and upon arriving to the classroom with a trolley full of pumpkins, there was no doubt a lot of joy in the air. 

Despite their excitement to do so I did not want to repeat the same lesson as the kids have experienced in years prior, I wanted to include mathematics in a new way. When I said this to my classrooms they immediately said “oh great are we going to count the seeds, are we going to create fractions somehow”, as fractions are our current learning topic. My response of course was “I challenge you to code the pumpkins to life”. Unfortunately, my kids have not yet fully realized that coding and computational thinking is an important part of mathematical thinking

For the last 2 weeks I’ve been running a little Microbit project with my year 5 kids. It’s the first time they’ve used the Microbit and they’ve been really enjoying it, so I thought I’d give this project a little share! I sent out a few tweets too which were pretty popular, thought a full blog post might be a good idea!

In pairs, I had the pupils creating little paper robot heads s a way of bringing their coding to life. I spent a little bit of time creating an accurate template for them that fits the Microbit exactly, and drew a robot head that fits around it. The two holes where the microbit buttons go make perfect looking eyes, and the screen in the middle. Pro tip! If you leave the paper over the LEDs it makes a great diffuser for when you want to picture your kids work! However, remove it if the code you’re playing with uses the light sensor as it will block the light from getting to the light sensors in the LEDs.

I’m sure that if you’ve seen my blog before you’ve seen that I have a bit of an obsession with cardboard. We seem to have a constant stream of Amazon or Wish parcels arriving at our house (nothing to do with me I’m sure), and with them comes lovely lovely cardboard! It never gets thrown as either the 7yo or myself save it for a weekend build. Some times this can be completely low tech, others we hack it up a bit! For this project we used a Microbit.

Today, we’re excited to announce the release of micro:mag Issue 4! We’ve got an amazing Issue packed full of amazing articles by our awesome community. Here is a quick look at what we’ve got to offer. Enjoy Issue 4!

The all new micro:mag Issue Two is here! We’ve got an improved design and a glorious 96 pages of content for you to enjoy, here’s a sneak peek of what we have to offer this issue, enjoy!

You can also download a FREE copy of Issue #1!

Do you love Scratch, the visual programming language? Do you love micro:bits? Then you need these Scratch activity cards. They provide an easy way for you to explore coding in the beta version of Scratch 3.0.

You’ve got hold of a BBC micro:bit, but maybe the compact embedded computer is just sitting there gathering dust. It’s time to clean it up and use it again!

A great selection of accessories have been released for this device, letting you extend functionality in ways you would never have imagined.

Here are some of the best micro:bit add-ons that let you do something new with the device. Note that none of these kits ship with the micro:bit itself, which is available separately.

We love the MaKey MaKey.

Nothing will ever take the place of this quirky, fun, and downright joyous piece of maker technology. With that being said, a MaKey MaKey is not an inexpensive piece of equipment – especially if you’re buying a set for a makerspace, library, or classroom.

That’s why we were thrilled to discover that you can replicate the fun of a MaKey MaKey using a much more affordable micro:bit.

It's time we gave the micro:bit an in-depth look, and showcase what exactly this impressive little device is capable of doing for you.

micro:mag Issue #6 out now!

Good news! Your free copy of micro:mag Issue Six is now available to download! We hope you like it!

Build a low-cost DIY micro:bit robot

This issue’s cover feature is “Build your own DIY Low Cost Robot”. One of the most common projects people build with the micro:bit is a robot. The micro:bit makes this super simple both on the hardware and software side of things. The majority go out and purchase a prebuilt robot that makes it super easy to get started with robotics and the micro:bit. However, most of the time, this can set you back £40+. For this special issue, we set Creative Technologist and regular micro:mag contributor Les Pounder the challenge of building the ultimate low-cost micro:bit powered robot that anyone can build, with just a few parts.

Plus!
4tronix’s new motor drive board, Girls into coding, Robot Showdown, Running workshops in fields, 3D printed Servo Magic 8 Ball. And many more!

Free Download: http://go.micromag.cc/issue6

"Students often enjoy playing trivia style games for consolidating and solidifying understanding of course content. The micro:bit, which is prevalent in the global education community and is now available in many schools, can add a physical dimension to trivia games, and can provide students with an opportunity to program digital learning tools that they can use within their classrooms.

Christian Landy, a newly qualified teacher and recently hired Occasional Teacher in the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB), has shared his trivia game idea, as well as the code for students and their teacher to upload onto micro:bits. The code, which Christian has created using the block editor in MakeCode.com, programs micro:bits to become a buzzer system for a trivia game, complete with a game master and contestants."

 

Duration: 2 weeks (4-6 hours)

"Learn about the BBC micro:bit while creating your own virtual pet!

Learn how to program a BBC micro:bit using Blockly. No experience required. Learn the basics of programming in Blockly with our full BBC micro:bit simulator."

micro:bit is a tiny circuit board designed to help kids learn to code and create with technology. It has many features including an LED display, buttons, and a motion sensor. You can connect it to Scratch and build creative projects that combine the magic of the digital and physical worlds.

Physical computing guides for the BBC micro:bit

Once in a blue moon, a technology comes along that meets the needs of learners, classrooms, and is sufficiently powerful to create opportunities beyond the limits of our imagination. The BBC micro:bit may just be that rarest of edtech unicorn.

micro:mag is a new magazine put together by members of the micro:bit community.

From the micro:mag site:

A dedicated magazine for the micro:bit is finally here. A team of community members got together to help bring you micro:mag. micro:mag is a magazine made by the community, for the community. All content in our magazine is 100% community written. micro:mag is a chance to get your project showcased to the wider community. If you’d like your project to be featured, please get in touch.

The first issue was recently released and includes micro:bit related news, stories and projects. If you’re interested in micro:bit, have a micro:bit project you’d like to show off, or would like to contribute content, check out micro:mag for more information!

At Hackster we know that learning new technologies and tools for use in the classroom can be time consuming and daunting for many teachers. To help with this, we have partnered with the Micro:bit Foundation to create three short, informative video lessons that will give you the confidence to use the micro:bit in your classroom, without wasting time with extraneous details.

This course is targeted to middle school grades 6-8 (ages 11-14 years). It is also written for teachers who may not have a Computer Science background, or who may be teaching an “Intro to Computer Science” course for the first time.

This course takes approximately 14 weeks to complete, spending about 1 week on each of the first 11 lessons, and 3 weeks for students to complete the final project at the end. Of course, teachers should feel free to customize the curriculum to meet individual school or district resources and timeframe.