Database of Innovative Learning Objects

littleBits (electronic building blocks)

How different sensors function.
littleBits are electronic building blocks that can be bought as modular electronics kits and they are used for prototyping and learning, both in professional settings as well as educational settings. The electronic building

Sphero

First edition in 2011

Web Site/Portal, Physical Objects

Math, Natural Science

Basic

14 – 16 years old

Yes

LittleBits are electronic building blocks that can be bought as modular electronics kits and they are used for prototyping and learning, both in professional settings as well as educational settings. The electronic building blocks snap together with small magnets. The company's initial goal was to democratize hardware the way software and printing have been democratized. LittleBits where first designed and developed to teach kids the basics of electronics but have now reached a broader target group.
The LittleBits products are designed for in-home or classroom use.
The website contains tutorials on how to work with the electronic building blocks and electronics kits as well as guidelines of hand-on, guided activities and how to explore the LittleBits in classroom activities.
The LittleBits offer a great amount of possibilities on how to work with electronics and it has a broad scope of developing teaching activities on building and prototyping electronic designs and products. The easy to access dimension of the tools by the small magnets that makes the modules of inputs and outputs snap together makes it much more accessible than regular circuit boards. One way to use the tool is to use in math education for creating engaged lessons or to use it in physics and chemistry to create acetometers etc.
Points of strength: easy to access and short execution between creation and action points, can be used in several subject areas, can be combined with for example Arduino, sustainable, engage students
Pedagogical value: easy to access, can be used in several subject areas

Use for discussion about physical principles. How do different sensors work and in which circumstances can they be used?
With the LittleBits, different circuits are built with different type of sensors in order to compare their physical properties, differences and similarities.
New types of sensors can be created using the circuits of LittleBits.
LittleBits includes various types of sensors based on different physical principles: pressure sensors, optical sensors, sound triggers, bend sensors etc. Their properties can be demonstrated and explored by constructing, for example, a traffic light setup in which the students can test how well vehicles and pedestrians are detected by different sensors.

Easy to connect building blocks into circuits is an advantage where the student can focus on physical properties rather than details of their connection. However, the material requires a budget.

Littlebits is an excellent resource for Junior Cycle students (12-15 years of age) who are learning coding, technology or other STEAM subjects. It is a very good methodology for teaching and learning. There are many different lesson plans for topics including music, crafts, science, technology and coding. The use of the little bits products are great for introducing students to coding and encouraging them to make their own projects. It can be used as part of group work as well as for individual work in the classroom and at home for online learning. It can also be used for teaching students with special educational needs as extra scaffolding is available in the lesson plans and units of learning to help them with their learning. An excellent problem solving approach is available to students when using the little bits and this would link well with many different subjects on the Junior Cycle curriculum including Home Economics, Art and materials technology wood and metal. This problem solving approach centres on evaluation of learning and making changes based on their evaluation. Afterwards, students present their learning and how the process was carried out as well as the final product. There are also many support documents available on the website which are customisable, so teachers can customise them for the students in their classes. There are also guides for teachers as well as pre-made assessment material and rubrics. There are videos throughout the website which explain how the little bits are used. They are colour coded and each colour denotes a specific function for each of the different bits. The resources are also grouped into the different year groups in school which means there are many resources available for all students and teachers.