micro:bit

What is a Micro:bit?

The Micro:bit, sometimes called the BBC Micro:bit as it was designed by this organisation, is a pocket sized micro-controller that can be used across a plethora of differing subjects.

Schools and other educational institutions across the world are embracing the 'maker movement' and trying to make their curricula and courses more innovative. Due to the relatively cheap cost of this hardware (around £20 GBP / $26 USD) it is an ideal piece of hardware to use as an embedded computer within maker-inspired projects.

This product is a must for all schools: it is easy to use, has a vast amount of free resources available and is a very versatile piece of kit!

What can you do with a Micro:bit?

Short answer: what can't you do with a Micro:bit!

Here are a couple of ideas to get your creative juices following, a lot more inspiration can be found via the official Micro:bit website: https://microbit.org/

Programming

You can code a Micro:bit using a variety of differing programming languages and free online editors are available via https://microbit.org/code/

Blocks (scratch based snippets of code)

and

JavaScript

Python

Projects / Maker Activities

Due to the small size of this micro-controller, and the wealth of free resources available for the platform, the Micro:bit is an ideal piece of kit to use within maker projects.

The board can easily be programmed and left in a custom made project. My personal favourite is to use the Micro:bit in association with 3D printing.

Visit the following websites to gain some ideas of how to use Micro:bits in association with 3D printing...

My collection of free files on Thingiverse:

https://www.thingiverse.com/AT32/collections/microbit

A free collection of STL files on My mini factory:

https://www.myminifactory.com/category/bbc-micro-bit

Getting Started

Official Guide

https://microbit.org/guide/

This guide is starting point for anyone interested in using Micro:bits in their classrooms.

How can I get my hands on this kit?

A large variety of resellers are listed on the official Micro:bit website at https://microbit.org/resellers/

Also listed on this page is an accessories guide that outlines all of the add on packs currently available for the Micro:bit platform - there are loads!

Here is a quick video scrolling through the large PDF accessory guide to give you a flavour for the vast amount of additional packs that are available for the Micro:bit: