This time last year, the first batch of BBC micro:bit devices was being delivered to one million high school students across the UK. Twelve months later, the initiative continues to go from strength to strength. Already available across Europe, the device was officially launched in the USA and Canada at the ISTE Conference in San Antonio last month, with roll out in the Asia Pacific region coming in August. The device has also been incorporated into hundreds of exciting projects around the world, and is available for use with a wide range of programming languages and platforms.
To mark the first anniversary of the project, the BBC commissioned some audience research into how the micro:bit has been received by students and teachers so far. The results were highly encouraging, with 90% of respondents agreeing that BBC micro:bit helped to show them that anyone can code, and 88% claiming that the BBC micro:bit helped them to see that coding was not as difficult as they had previously thought.
Similarly, 45% said they would definitely consider ICT/Computer Science as a study option in the future, up from 36% before they used BBC micro:bit. This spike was even more significant for girls, with a 70% increase from 23% before using the BBC micro:bit to 39% afterwards.
Among teachers who responded to the survey, 75% say they have used or are intending to use the BBC micro:bit by the end of the summer term. 85% agreed that the BBC micro:bit made ICT/Computer Science more enjoyable for their students and 80% found that it helped students to see that coding wasn't as difficult as they imagined. More than half of the respondents said that the BBC micro:bit had helped them to feel more confident in their abilities to teach ICT and computer science.
As a key manufacturing partner, Farnell element14 has helped to design, manufacture and supply one million micro:bit devices, plus one million battery holders, one million USB's and two million batteries. We've packed the devices into over 50,000 boxes and shipped them to one million year 7 students across the UK. Now we're supporting the micro:bit foundation in rolling out the device across the global market. Jonathan Smith, element14's Global Strategic Alliance Business Manager, welcomed the new data...
"We knew that the micro:bit was a special project when we first started working with the BBC" he explains. "These statistics just show how special it is. The micro:bit devices, the coding platforms, the teaching resources and the wider eco-system are all there to encourage children to take the next step forward in STEM education, and we can now show what a real difference our hard work has made to teachers and children around the UK."
"We're also proud to be the exclusive manufacturing and distribution partner for the micro:bit Education Foundation, and we have launched the micro:bit in Europe, USA, Canada, Singapore and Hong Kong already, with many more countries following over the next few months. In countries as diverse as Iceland, Croatia, Singapore and Lithuania, the micro:bit has already been chosen for large scale STEM engagement, and we expect more to follow shortly. The micro:bit is truly changing the face of STEM education around the world - and we're very proud to be playing our part."
The BBC has also released a special video filmed at Eastlea Community School in London, based on the premise of micro:bit-controlled robots replacing teachers...
Image and video: bbc.co.uk