Introduction: How to Introduce Your Class to the BBC Micro:bit
Students are typically mystified by the unusual form factor of the micro:bit. The micro:bit is a self-contained development kit. There are three buttons, a speaker, radio communication, an accelerometer, a microphone, a thermometer, a compass, a photometer and a 5X5 LED display, built right into the board that you can control with code you create. The different sensors and parts are clearly labelled right on the actual micro:bit, putting understanding literally within grasp. Just talking about these components with your students and discussing what they think they will be able to do with them will be an exciting thing to explore.
They are amazingly affordable -- about $20. So affordable that the BBC distributed over one million micro:bits to students. Maybe even more interesting is that there is a simulator built into the Microsoft MakeCode site that replicates the features of an actual bit. You don't need to have a micro:bit to program the micro:bit. It will even simulate two micro:bits automatically when creating code using the radio tags, so students can see how one micro:bit communicates with another. The ability to simulate a fully working micro:bit is a great feature, especially in a world where you could have (and have had) to figure out how to teach to students online in a moment's notice. There is also a micro:bit simulator built into Tinkercad's functionality. What stands out about their effort is that you can attach circuits to your bit and write code to control it all in the simulator. Battery packs, motors, sensors and more are available to use.
The micro:bit is great for getting students to be confident in their ability to code a solution to a problem. All of the needed inputs and outputs are built right into the board to begin learning. Troubleshooting is a code-focused activity because you know that the problem is with your code and not the fact that your button is attached incorrectly or that some other 'construction-based' reason is preventing success.
Pro Tips
When you first introduce the bit to your class, pass a single one around the room. This will open up a window to wonder. For a generation that has seen so much electronic gear, the unique form factor of the micro:bit captures imaginations.
Given how affordable they are, teachers can give one to every student. Have them put their name on a set that they will use everyday in class. I put a strip of masking tape on the box for them to put their name on. This makes it easy to reuse with your next group.
Slit open the clear round sticker holding the box closed before giving them to your students. Also demonstrate how to open the box. The way the flap works is not obvious to everyone at first. Show them what is inside the box, and stress that it's what they will be responsible for. Practice unpacking and packing the box back up a few times. You really need to put things in their proper place in order to close the box securely. They are easy to grab and go each day when returned closed and secure at the end of class the previous day. When they are dumped in the box half-open at the end of class the components become jumbled, temporarily lost or worse. Depending on how many students put theirs back with the box in a semi-closed state, the untangling of it all can take up a fair amount of classroom instructional time.
STEAM and technology focused teachers will totally enjoy the fact that these seem to be indestructible. The worst thing that happened when using the micro:bit was that one student somehow managed to render the bit non-responsive. This was easily re-flashed and the situation was remedied quickly. This tool seems built with the middle school classroom environment in mind.
Supplies
The basic BBC micro:bit kit should contain all you need to get going besides a laptop. Get version 2 -- the built in microphone and speaker is a big upgrade, in my opinion. It contains:
1 micro:bit development board
1 USB cable to upload programs from your computer to the board.
1 AA battery pack
2 AA batteries
and costs around $20.
Also check the laptops or other devices that you plan to create your micro:bit code on. The computer may not be able to accept the USB cable without an adapter. This is a good thing to know when budgeting for a class set.
Step 1: Introduce the Microsoft MakeCode Website
Have your students open up their laptops and navigate over to the Microsoft MakeCode website. While you can write your own code for the micro:bit in MicroPython, the MakeCode site makes it easy for your students to get up and running almost instantaneously using their block-based coding environment.
https://makecode.microbit.org/
There they will find the simulator along with tutorials, project files and more. Students will enjoy learning about and using variables to create games. The end goal of creating a game is something that resonates with our students. They are very interested in learning how to do this. They also enjoy playing around with the results. There is a real sense of accomplishment when you play a game that you made yourself. Make sure you give students enough time to truly explore and enjoy their creations. The immediate payoff and future dividend is amazing. This is part of why coding on a bit is so much fun. I truly mean it, look!
I haven't had a chance to dive too deeply into it yet, but Tinkercad also has a nice looking micro:bit simulator. See more here:
https://blog.tinkercad.com/explore-microbit-with-t...
MakeCode is also a great resource for technology explainer videos. Who really knows how an LED makes light or what a button does when we press it? We enjoyed these short clips that definitely left students with an understanding about how things in the world around them work. Thank you nerdy explainer guy... thank you for all you do.
Step 2: Get Coding Quickly
A big part of what excites students about the micro:bit is that they can get this very interesting looking device to do all sorts of cool things by uploading code they write to it. When using the MakeCode website, you can get your name to scroll across the 5X5 LED display in no time. This immediacy encourages students to be confident in their ability to dive deeper into coding. They can control so much, so easily.
Step 3: Game Time (a.k.a. Teach Your Students What a Variable Is)
We use variables in all sorts of micro:bit games. I explain that a variable is a bit like an empty cookie jar on your kitchen counter. We know it will have some type of cookie in there but we don't know which one yet. If you complete the Dice and the Rock Paper Scissors game on the MakeCode site with your students, they will have a pretty good understanding of what a variable is, how it works and what they can do with it.
A few projects into our micro:bit unit, we were figuring out how to create something new and I asked how we were going to accomplish some necessary task. One student, with a big smile on his face, said, "The Cookie Jar!" He totally got it. Your code is so much more extensible once you fully understand the concept of a variable.
We used the radio capabilities of the micro:bit to create a game where one micro:bit gave off a radio signal and the others read it and interpreted how far away it was. We used a variable to display signal strength as a graphic. The pictures above show you the students using the signal receivers they programmed to discover the beacon. We hid the beacon in the library shelves, I hid it first. Then each student that located the beacon got to hide it next. This was a day of amazement, amusement and discovery!
They asked if we could play again on a regular basis. It made for a nice surprise one day before a long weekend.
Step 4: Troubleshooting
Helping your students figure out why their code isn't working is something you should do with them, not for them. They can and will do it! In the photo above you can see their minds working the code out. They are in problem solver mode. Gentle hints and encouragement can be used to assist, but only if needed. When students are struggling, allow them to look up information on their laptops, if they need to. This whole 'looking something up' thing is a research skill they can apply throughout their lives.
Step 5: Enjoy the Unexpected
Encourage an environment of enjoyment and experimentation. Make it fun to try things and see what happens. Help students develop a true interest in what they can do. In the video above, the students are discovering something that they think is cool about the technology. Moments like this are invaluable. For an entire year after teaching this class, every time I ran into one of these students in the hallway, he asked about doing more micro:bit.
Step 6: Bonus Round
After creating many nifty projects together, tell the class that you are finished with micro:bit and are moving onto something new. When they moan and literally beg you to let them have a free-choice project, reluctantly give in (haha). MakeCode does a great job at presenting a wide variety of micro:bit ideas and possibilities to explore. There really is something for everyone. The students picked their own projects to investigate and were really into it, as you can see above. A couple of students were excited to get the chance to create step counting devices.
The micro:bit is a tool that teaches students much more than technology skills. The students also learn to take a complex idea and break it down into simple executable steps or tasks in order to accomplish something. Developing this skill brings lifelong rewards. Students also get a chance to further develop that elusive 'grit' that we hope to instill in them as they figure out why something is not working properly. This can be difficult at times, given that troubleshooting can be frustrating. However, the look of satisfaction on a student's face when they overcome some coding obstacle is truly amazing. The sense of accomplishment means so much to them.
If you have read this far, I highly recommend checking out the Micro:bit Educational Foundation (microbit.org)
Happy micro:bitting!
