This project (2018-1-SE01-KA201-039098) has been funded with support from the European Commission.
This web site reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.
This web site reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

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Database of Innovative Learning Objects



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TITLE
Micro:bit
WEBSITE OF THE PRODUCT
NAME OF AUTHOR(S)
Microsoft
NAME OF PRODUCER
Microsoft
TYPE OF PRODUCT
Online course, Downloadable material
SUBJECT TAUGHT
Math, Chemistry, Natural Science, Biology, Physics, Technology
LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE
Medium
TARGET GROUP AGE
14 – 16 years old
TUTORIAL SUPPORT
Yes
DESCRIPTION
The BBC micro:bit is a pocket-sized computer that introduces you to how software and hardware work together. It has an LED light display, buttons, sensors, a speaker and microphone and many input/output features that you can program and physically interact with.
Ref: https://support.microbit.org/support/home
INNOVATIVE LEARNING OBJECT
There are a number of programming environments for the micro:bit one of which is the Microsoft MakeCode Environment (https://makecode.microbit.org/).

The micro:bit can be easily programmed by students from as young as 7and can be used to introduce technology as well as concepts in mathematics and the science topics of biology, physics and chemistry. The difficulty level of the projects can be tailored to suit both the age of the students and the topic being covered.

The teacher can choose to create their own resources using the editor at (https://makecode.microbit.org/) or they can use a wide variety of predefined resources provided on the Makecode link. These resources cover various tutorials, games and projects across a wide range of subject domains including Science, Technology and Mathematics.

There are a series of videos outlining science projects utilising the micro:bit. These include data collection, temperature, soil moisture and EMG sensors, a population trait counter, the egg drop project, a battery tester and rocket acceleration and can be found at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMMBk9hE-SepXDy_290SeRmEpGA2u1pwW.
There are step by step instructions for projects covering Science and Maths topics. These include a
step counter (https://makecode.microbit.org/projects/step-counter),
level (https://makecode.microbit.org/projects/level),
compass https://makecode.microbit.org/projects/compass,
infection https://makecode.microbit.org/projects/infection,
timing gates https://makecode.microbit.org/projects/timing-gates,
soil moisture https://makecode.microbit.org/projects/soil-moisture,
plant watering https://makecode.microbit.org/projects/plant-watering and states of matter https://makecode.microbit.org/projects/states-of-matter among other projects.

To use these materials the teacher would need some previous experience of programming or be willing to upskill in the area of coding. For those new to coding there are many resources available such as a 14 week introduction to Computer Science https://makecode.microbit.org/courses/csintro and a series of lessons categorised by difficulty level from beginner through intermediate and advanced. These materials can be found at https://makecode.microbit.org/lessons.
In addition to the materials outlined here there are many other resources tailored to the microbit such as those at the official microbit website https://microbit.org/. These include lessons at https://microbit.org/lessons/ and projects at https://microbit.org/projects/. Many of these resources have a science focus.
EXPERT'S COMMENT
Points of strength
The microbit provides an opportunity for the teacher to bring science topics to life through the use of sensors etc. The ability to collect data and analyse this data will help the student to engage with the concepts in a fun way. The integration of technology in this manner will expose the students to additional concepts that they may not previously have used in this way.

Points of weakness
If the teacher does not have previous experience of coding the use of these resources may be more difficult especially when troubleshooting any problems that the students encounter when completing the projects.

Scientific reliability
Depending on the topic selected reliability is dependant on how the activities are implemented and the findings recorded.

Pedagogical value
The microbit was specifically designed for use in the classroom so pedagogy underpins both the design of the mini computer and the resources that have been created and shared