BBC Micro Research Articles

Activities with BBC micro:bit as a Foundation for Statistical Reasoning of Lower-Secondary Students

Computational thinking is considered a set of skills necessary for living and working in today’s society. It has recently become part of mathematics curricula in several European countries. In this study, we offer a glimpse into the informal classroom where statistical reasoning and computational thinking are developed simultaneously. The student–teacher discussion was analysed and categorised. The dialogue dealt with both statistical and computational thinking. Implying from the nature of the activity, sources of errors and variation in data were discussed and ways to overcome the errors were discussed. The discussions related to computational thinking mainly addressed the work with BBC micro:bit, whether with the manipulation and hardware of the coding. A variable was used from both perspectives, as a mathematical concept and as an entity used to store the information. We identified the notion of a variable as the intersection between statistics and computational thinking.

Teaching computational thinking with a tangible development platform: An exploratory field study at school with Kniwwelino

Computational Thinking (CT) is an emerging topic in school curricula. Different tools exist to support the learning of CT, namely visual programming languages and tangible development platforms (TDP), which are widely used in extra-curricular activities. To date, few tools have been developed that consider both teachers’ needs and the school context. We designed the Kniwwelino Classroom Kit (KCK) in order to support the teaching of CT in classrooms. This paper presents the results of a pilot study, in which the KCK was used in three primary and three secondary schools in Luxembourg. The KCK is based on Kniwwelino, a creative environment designed for children from 8 years old to learn about programming and electronics. The study explored the suitability of the KCK for teaching CT in primary and secondary schools, focusing on three research questions: (1) how the KCK supports teachers’ pedagogical practices, (2) how the KCK fulfils the pedagogical objectives set by teachers, and (3) the user experience of the KCK (for teachers and pupils). To assess how the KCK meets the three above-mentioned objectives, we used a mixed method approach, combining semi-guided interviews, logbooks, and several questionnaires. We learned that the KCK is versatile enough to adapt to different environments, objectives, and pedagogical approaches, which responds to the first two research questions, and thus offers a great deal of freedom to teachers. The fun and tangible approach of the KCK introduces programming and enables pupils to develop both CT and soft skills such as communication and collaboration. Teachers’ feedback on their user experience was positive, particularly concerning stimulation, novelty, and attractiveness. KCK was evaluated as interesting, valuable, and good, but it was noted that some improvements needed to be made to make it easier, more predictable, and faster. The pupils also rated their user experience positively, with values that were generally on a par with previous studies reported in the state of the art regarding the use of Scratch and BBC Micro:bit in school-based experiments for learning CT. Drawing from these learnings, we list several recommendations for the development of other similar TDP tools to support the teaching of CT in a classroom setting. These recommendations concern the material, programming interface, connection, educational material, and the creation of a community.

Prototyping and Integration of Educational Low-Cost Mobile Robot Platform

This paper describes the process of designing and prototyping a low-cost robotic platform based on existing equipment and projects that enable extracurricular STEM activities in Croatia and beyond. A robotic platform with a differential drive configuration was chosen for education from an early age due to its simplicity and a wide range of cheap and compatible components from which it can be made. From the aspect of integration into extracurricular or curricular activities, the BBC micro:bit ecosystem was considered, enabling block-based visual programming. Components with printable parts make up the assembly of the educational robot. The main steps in designing and creating a robot prototype are presented, which consist of the modelling, 3D printing of robot parts, and assembly into a functional system. After several stages of testing, an interactive workshop was held with 7th-grade primary school pupils. Further work is planned to create educational material for extracurricular STEM workshops.

Iskustvo sa korišćenjem BBC micro: bit u nastavi

Micro: bit is a new learning device that makes it easy to learn programming and electronics. This device enables the development of logical thinking, problem solving skills and digital literacy in students in general. Using the micro: bit enables relatively easy programming in different programming environments on different computers and mobile phones. Additional functionalities of the micro: bit are achieved by extending it with special elements. The research was conducted in a primary school in the Republic of Serbia. The pupils were divided into a control and an experimental group, with the students in the experimental group using the micro: bit device. The results of the work show that the use of the micro: bit in class has a positive effect on the students' performance in the subject "Technique and Technology" for the lesson "Managing processes and things remotely using information and communication technologies". In addition, the students' thoughts about the use of the micro: bit in class were revealed.

Cultural Viewpoint Metaphors Resignification to Teach Programming

Abstract Technologies permeate contemporary society, and the ability to use computer science concepts in problem-solving is essential to everyone. This paper presents an epistemic tool of semiotic engineering whose meaning is resignified to the context of teaching programming to initial learners. Aiming to help these students absorb programming concepts, we structured a gradual form of presentation using the interaction with a new system as a journey through a new culture, based on the Cultural Viewpoint Metaphors theory. After that, we applied this resignification in an introductory programming workshop using visual programming and the BBC Micro:bit embedded device. Results from the workshop revealed that this gradual introduction could help novices in the programming concepts learning process, showing the potential of this approach in teaching programming.

The past future bike - Bicycle with additional pneumatic mechanism

The Past Future Bike is a bicycle with an additional pneumatic mechanism. It is developed according to the characteristics of sustainable economic development in the cities of the future, among which the environmental, social and transport factors are forming. The project aims to use an innovative „fuel“ that is economically and environmentally friendly and to promote safe cycling in urban areas. The inspiration for the development comes from urban transport over the past century and the active development of air used in the transport industry. The prototype is made of a retro bicycle “Ukraine”, which was repaired and tested. The mechanism uses a double-acting pneumatic cylinder, a bottle of compressed air, and an additional mechanism of gears and chains, which coverts reciprocating into rotating motion. The power of the developed pneumatic bicycle is estimated at 0.96 horsepower. The cost of refilling the bottle with compressed air is minimal, and BGN 0,014 are needed for a 1-kilometer distance. The personalization of The Past Future Bike is achieved through its technological and physical additions, including ARM-based system BBC Micro:bit, spy camera, alarm, solar battery, phone stand, reed ampoule-based mileage, and safety supplements.

Experience with Using BBC Micro:Bit and Perceived Professional Efficacy of Informatics Teachers

Our study is focused on the perceived professional efficacy of informatics in-service teachers with the experience of using micro-controller BBC micro:bit. In Slovakia, teaching using hardware is not typical. In addition, many teachers do not teach programming. BBC micro:bit is designed to be a tool for computer science (CS) teachers that should make a significant contribution to the innovation of CS teaching and enable CS teachers to implement CS lessons. The following research questions were asked. Q1: Is there a difference in the perceived efficacy to use teaching strategies based on experience with the micro:bit? Q2: Is there a relationship between the perceived efficacy of using teaching strategies and experience using the micro:bit? The research sample comprised N = 388 CS teachers employed in Slovak schools from the available selection. The research sample included CS teachers who participated in the project called ENTER. All participants have a grant, weekly online practices, supporting materials, and also consultant for implementation of a new teaching strategy. This study’s findings indicate that the use of a microcontroller such as the micro:bit has a positive impact on self-efficacy for instructional strategies, but not for classroom management.

Learning about materiality through tinkering with Micro:bits

This paper discusses two pilot projects in Art and design education at the teacher training at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences. In the second round of drafts for the new curriculum of Art and design digital knowledge is described as stretching from using simple digital resources to master and shape your own digital products. It is no longer limited to two-dimensional visual modelling as previously drafted. This is in our view a new approach in a subject where making, tinkering and designing allows for explorations in both 2D and 3D. Given that we want to encourage the use of the digital together with the use of physical materials, the pilot case studies demonstrate the importance of bringing coding and the material aspects of tinkering, making, and creating into play. The BBC Micro:bit was used to make coding and mechanical control part of projects made with traditional material. Further research and development should be undertaken to bring such practices into classrooms in primary and lower secondary schools.

Designing and coding with BBC micro:bit to solve a real-world task – a challenging movement between contexts

Designing programmed technological solutions (PTS) with programming materials has become a way to contextualise educational content related to PTS and programming. However, studies show that pupils have difficulties conceptualising central phenomena involved in the process, which affects their ability to design PTS. In order to understand these difficulties, this study investigates pupils’ ways of experiencing the process of solving a real-world task with a programming material. The study takes its point of departure from a previous study that identified two central phenomena, the dual nature (structure and function) of PTS and the BBC micro:bit material, when pupils, aged 10 and 14, were designing a burglar alarm with the BBC micro:bit. The data was revisited with the aim of analysing pupils’ sequential discernment of critical aspects of the phenomena (i.e. aspects necessary to discern in order to understand phenomena), and how this affects how the design process unfolds. The results show that the movement from the real-world context toward the BBC micro:bit context is challenging. Pupils need to be able to connect conditions in the real-world context both to aspects of the dual nature of their PTS, and to aspects of the BBC micro:bit material that represent the dual nature. This suggests the importance of appreciating the BBC micro:bit context and the real-world context in relation to the dual nature of PTS, and of addressing the sequential stages of the process in which aspects of phenomena and their interrelations are emphasised, to help pupils see the PTS in the changing contexts.

Project-based learning oriented STEAM: the case of micro–bit paper-cutting lamp

The main purpose of the living technology curriculum is to cultivate students' interest in learning science and technology, and further to utilize their experience of learning instructions and develop their ability to integrate interdisciplinary knowledge and skills. In recent years, as countries have begun to emphasize the concept of interdisciplinary integration in the school education, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, STEM) focuses on cultivating interdisciplinary talents. With this, STEAM highlights the role of ART because other dimensions of STEM are expected to be effectively integrated through the cultivation of aesthetics; the purpose of this study is to design a STEAM curriculum for elementary school children and to explore the impact of STEAM education on the creativity. The content of this course is based on the PBL (Project-Based Learning) with the teaching activities combining with “Chinese Paper-cutting” and “BBC micro: bit”. The teaching process is used the strategy of creative thinking instruction. The research method adopts a one-group pretest–posttest design based on a purposive sampling of 21 students from one class in an elementary school. The research tools included the records of learning feedback and the creativity assessment. The empirical findings show that the project-based learning incorporating STEAM activity has a positive significant influence on students’ development of creative recognition. Since the empirical results are constricted by the short-term STEAM course, the STEAM course with the art-oriented still benefits the STEAM education and Learning effectiveness of elementary school students. The implication of interdisciplinary interactive Lamp of Paper Carving with Micro:Bit is expected to contribute to further development of STEAM course. Since the curriculum is only last for few weeks, it is too short to affect the emotional facet of creativity. Future researches are suggested to extend the teaching period and evaluate the long-term influence of PBL STEAM on students' learning attitude.

The Data Sensor Hub (DaSH): A Physical Computing System to Support Middle School Inquiry Science Instruction.

This article describes a sensor-based physical computing system, called the Data Sensor Hub (DaSH), which enables students to process, analyze, and display data streams collected using a variety of sensors. The system is built around the portable and affordable BBC micro:bit microcontroller (expanded with the gator:bit), which students program using a visual, cloud-based programming environment intended for novices. Students connect a variety of sensors (measuring temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide, sound, acceleration, magnetism, etc.) and write programs to analyze and visualize the collected sensor data streams. The article also describes two instructional units intended for middle grade science classes that use this sensor-based system. These inquiry-oriented units engage students in designing the system to collect data from the world around them to investigate scientific phenomena of interest. The units are designed to help students develop the ability to meaningfully integrate computing as they engage in place-based learning activities while using tools that more closely approximate the practices of contemporary scientists as well as other STEM workers. Finally, the article articulates how the DaSH and units have elicited different kinds of teacher practices using student drawn modeling activities, facilitating debugging practices, and developing place-based science practices.

Microsoft MakeCode for BBC micro:bit and the potential to develop problem-solving competency with the support of information and communication technology for secondary students

In the General education program 2018, information technology competency is one of the seven specific competencies that need to be formed and developed for learners. The ability to solve problems with the support of information and communication technology (NLc) is one of the five components of information technology competency. Researching a programming environment to develop NLc is essential. We have used theoretical and experimental pedagogical research methods to examine the potential of using Microsoft MakeCode for BBC micro:bit to contribute to developing NLc component of the information technology competency for secondary students. The results showed that Microsoft MakeCode for BBC micro: bit conforms to the programming language selection criteria outlined in the Infomatics educational program 2018. The use of this environment in teaching programming creates favorable conditions to develop the competency of the NLc for students.

Education with BBC micro:bit

Teaching Computer Science in all level of education is not easy, because most students are scared of the programming. Therefore, most of the teachers in Slovak schools prefer to teach special software for a spreadsheet editor, presentation programs, etc. This contribution deals with our experience of using an educational board BBC micro:bit in the educational process. We will explain some of our prepared tasks for teaching programming concepts, which we used for teaching with BBC micro:bit in primary, secondary schools, and university. In the article, we will also focus on various types of extensions, which could be used together with micro:bit. We will explain the results of our research and look at whether using BBC micro:bit can increase the student's motivation for learning programming.

An exploratory study of technological knowledge when pupils are designing a programmed technological solution using BBC Micro:bit

Technology educators often provide activities where pupils design programmed technological solutions (PTS) with various programming materials for developing pupils’ technological knowledge related to PTS and digital technology. However, few studies have investigated how pupils experience these activities. To fill this gap in knowledge, this phenomenographic study explores how pupils experience designing a PTS using BBC Micro:bit and identifies the technological knowledge these pupils need, in terms of critical aspects (i.e., aspects necessary to discern), to successfully solve a real world task—the design and coding of a burglar alarm. The data were gathered from sketches, interviews, and video-recordings of pupils aged 10 and 14. This study shows that the pupils struggled with two intertwined phenomena during the activity: the dual nature of the PTS (i.e., the structure and function) and the BBC Micro:bit material. The findings indicated that the pupils needed to understand what components to use based on their function and how to organise these components so they interacted with a code that used feedback control. That is, the pupils needed to code a conditional statement by combining blocks in the BBC Micro:bit editor. To produce working code, the pupils needed to know what the blocks represent, where to find the blocks in the editor, and how to interpret the shapes of the blocks. The results have implications for teaching technological knowledge, suggesting an importance of addressing these phenomena and critical aspects with respect to developing pupils’ conceptual and procedural knowledge related to designing PTS with BBC Micro:bit.

O uso do Micro:bit e sua aplicabilidade em uma escola pública da região Norte

Metodologias com abordagens diferenciadas que auxiliem o ensino e a aprendizagem em sala de aula têm sido muito estudadas, como a utilização da robótica educacional, laboratórios virtuais e dispositivos físicos que são ferramentas educacionais que atualmente estão se destacando quando se trata de novas propostas metodológicas para o ensino de Ciências e Matemática. Este trabalho investigou a utilização de um recurso para fins educativos por meio da plataforma BBC Micro:bit, como forma de engajar, motivar e promover o letramento computacional e científico dos estudantes dentro de uma cultura maker. A Aprendizagem Baseada em Projeto (PBL) e a interdisciplinaridade de forma integrada pelas disciplinas de Ciências, Tecnologias, Engenharia, Artes e Matemática (STEAM), por meio da metodologia STEAM, foram utilizadas nesta pesquisa. Foi elaborada uma oficina com o uso do Micro:bit, aplicada aos estudantes do primeiro ano do curso técnico em Informática, modalidade ensino médio regular da EETEPA Dr. Celso Malcher. Observou-se a partir dos resultados analisados o Micro:bit pode ser utilizado como ferramenta metodológica para ensinar os conteúdos vistos em sala de aula, principalmente quando utiliza-se a PBL e a metodologia STEAM de forma integrada.

Geek life: Write a program in a single tweet: What can you code in 280 characters?

WANT TO GIVE YOUR CODING chops a public workout? Then prove what you can do with the BBC Micro Bot. Billed as the world's first "8-bit cloud," and launched in February, the BBC Micro Bot is a Twitter account that waits for people to tweet at it. Then the bot takes the tweet, runs it through an emulator of the classic 1980s BBC Microcomputer running BASIC, and posts a video of 3 seconds of the output. It might sound like that couldn't amount to much, but folks have been using it to demonstrate amazing feats of programming, including most notably Eben Upton, creator of the Raspberry Pi.

Motivational Tools for Learning Programming in Primary Schools

Studying pedagogical sciences for Computer Science subject nowadays does not meet with great interest of students in Slovakia. Education of young generation in this area is strongly affected by small number of well qualified teachers as well as lack of high-quality teaching materials resulting to deplorable knowledge of the pupils. The very same situation is also with preparation of future teachers. They have only limited possibilities of direct contact with pupils during their studies, what leads to weak experience of the future teachers and low motivation of the children for Computer Science subject. This contribution gives a positive example of extracurricular educative activity for pupils from lower-secondary schools, where students of Teaching of Computer Science program and Applied Informatics program were involved as lecturers or tutors. In this activity we used various motivational tools for teaching programming and Computer Science as well. The contribution describes our experience with these tools for programming, which we used in our extracurricular activity – so called “Informatics club” and also in the two primary schools and three secondary schools in the region of Banská Bystrica. Motivational devices, which were used are: education board bbc micro:bit with accessories (IoT set, gamepad, micro:bit cars), didactic devices – robots (Airblock, mBot Ranger, Phiro Pro) and board game Scottie Go!.

Physical Computing: A Key Element of Modern Computer Science Education

A recent growth area in computer science education is physical computing, which involves combining software and hardware to build interactive physical systems that sense and respond to the real world. This article provides an overview of physical computing and its value in the classroom, using the BBC micro:bit as an example.

BIPES: Block Based Integrated Platform for Embedded Systems

This article proposes the BIPES, a <bold xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">B</b> lock based <bold xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">I</b> ntegrated <bold xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">P</b> latform for <bold xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">E</b> mbedded <bold xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">S</b> ystems, including its architecture, design and validation results. BIPES is an open source software and service that is freely available through the website <uri xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">http://www.bipes.net.br</uri> and has been conceived from our experience of several years developing embedded systems and Internet of Things (IoT) applications, and teaching. It allows anyone to quickly and reliably design, program, build, deploy and monitor embedded systems, IoT devices and applications using blocks or Python based programming. It is fully based on web environment, so absolutely no software installation is needed on the client developer machine. In this way, a tablet, a netbook, a Chromebook or any other device can be used to program and test several types of devices. Mainly, it relies on MicroPython or CircuitPython, WebREPL, WebSockets, Web Serial API, HTML, JavaScript and Google Blockly to allow no-code programming (blocks) to be translated into Python code and then deployed to the target board. Moreover, it does not require server side processing, so it can be deployed as a Progressive Web Application (PWA), allowing it to be used even when the computer is offline. It is compatible with several low cost boards such as: mBed, BBC micro:bit, ESP8266, ESP32 and Raspberry Pi using only a web browser and without the need to install any software on the device where the user develops the programming.

Learning about materiality through tinkering with Micro:bits

This paper discusses two pilot projects in Art and design education at the teacher training at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences. In the second round of drafts for the new curriculum of Art and design digital knowledge is described as stretching from using simple digital resources to master and shape your own digital products. It is no longer limited to two dimensional visual modelling as previously drafted. This is in our view a new approach in a subject where making, tinkering and designing allows for explorations in both 2D and 3D. Given that we want to encourage the use of the digital together with the use of physical materials, the pilot case studies demonstrate the importance of bringing coding and the material aspects of tinkering, making, and creating into play. The BBC Micro:bit was used to make coding and mechanical control part of projects made with traditional material. Further research and development should be undertaken to bring such practices into classrooms in primary and lower secondary schools.