© Micro:bit Educational Foundation 2017
Get Creative, Get
Connected, Get Coding!
Hal Speed
Maker Faire New York Education Forum
Head of North America
Micro:bit Educational Foundation
22 September 2017
@HalSpeed @microbit_edu
slideshare.net/hal_speed

© Micro:bit Educational Foundation 20172
Micro:bit Designed as a Learning Tool for
Students

© Micro:bit Educational Foundation 20173
2015
 BBC Make It Digital
 29 partners
 1 million micro:bit devices
 11-12 year olds
 Across the U.K.

© Micro:bit Educational Foundation 20174
90% of students said it helped
show that anyone can code
Source: BBC

© Micro:bit Educational Foundation 20175
70% increase in the number of
girls that said they would
definitely choose computing
Source: BBC

© Micro:bit Educational Foundation 20176
“Creating Cool Stuff”
 Sue Sentence, et al. King’s College London
 Reinforces Bloom’s Taxonomy
 Creating at the pinnacle
 Physical computing in school:
 Motivation
 Tangibility
 Collaboration
 Creativity
6
Source:
https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/files/65615345/creating_cool_stuff_POSTPRINT_to_share.pdf

© Micro:bit Educational Foundation 20177
To empower children, parents and
teachers around the globe to learn
and innovate using the micro:bit
2016 Micro:bit Educational
Foundation Formed

© Micro:bit Educational Foundation 20178
micro:bit now in the U.S.
2017

© Micro:bit Educational Foundation 20179
Sample of Lessons

© Micro:bit Educational Foundation 201710
STEM Lessons
https://makecode.microbit.org/projects

© Micro:bit Educational Foundation 201711
Third-Party Curricula
Microsoft MakeCode Intro to CS
https://aka.ms/intro2cs
PLTW Gateway:
Computer Science for
Innovators and Makers
https://www.pltw.org/our-
programs/pltw-gateway-
curriculum#curriculum-4
8. Coordinate Grid System
9. Booleans
10.Music and Arrays
11.Bits, Bytes, and Binary
12.Radio
13.Arrays
14.Independent Final
Project
1. Making
2. Algorithms
3. Variables
4. Conditionals
5. Iteration
6. Review/Mini-Project
7. Coordinate Grid
System

© Micro:bit Educational Foundation 201712
 Many applications in and
out of school
 Science
 ICT
 Art
 Music
 Engineering
 Design & Technology
 Computing
 STEM clubs
Not just about coding!
“Play, Share, Code,
Wear!”

© Micro:bit Educational Foundation 201713
Microsoft MakeCode – Blocks and
JavaScript

© Micro:bit Educational Foundation 201714

© Micro:bit Educational Foundation 201715
Python

© Micro:bit Educational Foundation 201716
Scratch Extension – scratchx.org

© Micro:bit Educational Foundation 201717
 PC/Mac
 Chromebooks
 Smart phones
 Tablets
 Connect through USB
 Connect through Bluetooth
 iOS and Android apps
available
Multiple ways of
programing

© Micro:bit Educational Foundation 201718
http://microbit.org/assets/documents/microbit-accessories.pdf

© Micro:bit Educational Foundation 201719 http://microbit.org/assets/documents/microbit-accessories.pdf

© Micro:bit Educational Foundation 201720
Package Options
~$14.99 ~$16.50 ~$142.00
1x micro:bit 1x micro:bit
1x battery pack w/batteries
1x USB cable
10x micro:bit
10x battery pack w/batteries
10x USB cable

© Micro:bit Educational Foundation 201721
U.S. Resellers
http://microbit.org/resellers/

© Micro:bit Educational Foundation 201722
Available via DonorsChoose.org
 AKJ Education is an approved DonorsChoose.org vendor and
micro:bit reseller
 Teachers enter projects and request classroom materials
 Individuals and companies can donate money towards the
purchase of those materials

© Micro:bit Educational Foundation 201723
Make with micro:bit
https://makezine.com/2017/09/20/learn-basics-javascript-

© Micro:bit Educational Foundation 201724
“The micro:bit is a standout for education.
First, it uses block-style programming
language…Second, it has enough lights,
buttons, and sensors built in to give a
student programmer plenty to play with”
Sam Brown, Make: Magazine
Make: 2017 Board Guide STANDOUTS
https://makezine.com/2017/05/30/extraordinary-dev-boards/

© Micro:bit Educational Foundation 201725
What if robots replaced teachers?
https://youtu.be/rjCkiNRM-FI

© Micro:bit Educational Foundation 201726
In the future, every child will be an
inventor
Vision