Education 2.0 & 3.0

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.

Via John Evans

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

Via John Evans

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."

Via John Evans

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.

Via John Evans

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

Via John Evans

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.

Via John Evans

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!

Via John Evans

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.

Via John Evans