How A Card-sized Computer Is Changing Scottish Classrooms

“You can’t turn it into a full computer linked to a screen,” says Lorna Gibson from the Micro:bit Education Foundation. “But it is packed with sensors which means you can use it to measure and test things like movement and temperature.”

“The newest versions also have data-logging, so it’s not even just about giving you an output right away. You can also add further instructions to have it track that data for you and let you look at it over time when you connect the battery pack, and it retains that data even if the battery dies.

“You might have to think about some waterproofing if it’s going to be outside, but you can leave it somewhere for a long period and then still be able to collect the data it has gathered.”

The device is deceptively simple, perhaps even a little amateur-looking at first glance – but it’s clearly by design, giving the look of a toy to be played with rather than a piece of technology to be intimidated by.

The front holds two small buttons and an array of 25 tiny LED lights, while on the rear users find the processor, speaker, USB connection and battery socket. At the bottom are five ‘pins’ that can be used to link the Micro:bit to other objects, allowing it to gather data in different ways. Other tools, such as a pressure sensor, compass and radio antenna are also visible.

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Users build the code they need using something like Microsoft MakeCode, which applies a ‘drag and drop’ approach to allow programmes to be constructed without the need for any existing knowledge or experience. The final version can then be tested to ensure it will work – a big plus for hard-pressed teachers who don’t want to have to troubleshoot in front of 30-plus nine-year-olds – before it is downloaded onto a Micro:bit, at which point it transforms the device into whatever is needed.

It is this ease of use, have-a-go feel and, crucially, range of potential applications that have made the Micro:bit so appealing to educators.

One such enthusiast is Callum Croughan, a primary school teacher currently working to support digital learning across his council area.

“I have a lot of fun with them and learners always love them,” he says.

For Callum, a big strength of the device is the way in which it can be turned into a genuine tool for students to both gather and share information, but they can also play a role is supporting children’s wellbeing.

“We created daily check in devices. The children would have their Micro:bit on their desk and they could click, touch or shake to show an emoji on a screen which reflects how they are feeling that day. I can then go round and visibly see if students have something they need to talk about or that they need support with.

“I did this early on to try to build a good relationship and, importantly, trust with my class. At first they weren’t keen to talk but after a few weeks it became a great way for me to understand my class better.”

The basic idea isn’t revolutionary – a similar approach is used in other schools where pupils are given red, amber and green ‘traffic lights’, allowing them to signal how they feel that day or how they are coping with a particular task – but by incorporating the Micro:bit into these structures, and allowing children to actually create the tools they need, pupils’ overall engagement can be improved, and their knowledge, skills and confidence can be expanded.

Harriet Brownlie, a primary school teacher and digital education support officer, is another advocate. She sees the Micro:bit as a “way to make connections between software, programming, coding and hardware” in a hands-on way.

“I’ve used it for things like measuring temperature or randomly generating sums for learners to complete. Pupils love creating things like the ‘rock, paper, scissors’ game where they programme and then play against the Micro:bit!”

“It’s a good way to begin a discussion about what code actually is.”

Laura Di Pasquale has taught in primary schools for nearly a decade, having come to the profession after working in psychology.

“As part of a national roll-out of micro:bits I attended some courses where the focus was based on trying to integrate computing science into the primary classroom and curriculum. I have some experience in using other simple coding software such as Scratch Jr and Spheros and the Micro:bits are similar.”

Di Pasquale’s use of the devices to support her pupils’ wellbeing was recently recognised by the Scottish Teachers Advancing Computing Science (STACS) online conference.

“In my class we turned our Micro:bits into a ‘calm down device’ which would display a forever looped image which would grow and then disappear in time with a natural breath. Pupils would breathe in and out in time to the image displayed. I had these in my calm box for 6 months and they were used every day. Once the device was coded all you had to do was plug in the battery and the image would start to appear.”

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There are weird and utterly wonderful examples from all over Scotland, and they’re not restricted to the primary schools that were the initial target for the devices.

Pupils have created classroom door bells and visitor counters, digital dice, accelerometers, simple musical instruments and even little robots. The radio function can be used to send and receive messages, allowing young people to build their own basic social network amongst their peers. They can even serve as muscle sensors and wearable pedometers.

In one classroom, the Micro:bit was turned into a sound detector in order to help a pupil sensitive to excessive noise. Each group in the class built one and then kept it on the table, with the device  displaying a sad face image if it detected that the noise had exceeded a certain level.

The devices can also support students’ learning and engagement as part of long-term, interdisciplinary projects. A Micro:bit could be used to find the best spot in a classroom for growing plants by tracking light levels and temperature, and by connecting the device to a couple of household nails using crocodile clips, young people can create a moisture sensor that helps inform them when the plants should be watered.

Bigger, real-world problems can also be tackled: young people can track temperature changes as they learn about climate change and the environment, or create a car counter as part of a project to improve the safety of their school environment. In one particular S2 class, pupils were asked to help improve a bicycle helmet by allowing it to ‘indicate’ left or right with a tilt of the head.

All of this variety can help teachers and pupils to make clearer and stronger connections between classroom learning, social issues and global challenges, while also opening up opportunities to support pupils’ own interests and their wellbeing.

And with PISA poised to start testing ‘computational’ thinking in its influential international school tests, it’s clear that these sorts of skills are only going to become more important.

“Kids can identify the data they need, build the tool to gather it, process the data and then make decisions,” Lorna Gibson tells me. “And then they can maybe present it all as part of a project? So they’ll be collaborating, problem solving, being creative and resilient and all sorts of things – we’re even using computing to get kids up and active and outside.”

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Every primary school in the UK is eligible to receive a set of 30 Micro:bit computers for free. Visit microbit.org/thenextgen-registration for more information

Devices can also be purchased from a range of retailers