We've now been using micro:bits with our Code Club students for three sessions (6 more to go until the end of term!). We've had 20 kids come this term (ages 9-10).
It's been really successful! The kids love using them and need very little motivation to keep working on projects. I feel there's been a lot less distraction compared to using Scratch and a deeper understanding of how the code works. The two most popular projects we've had so far are Fortune Teller (i.e. magic 8-ball) and Frustration. We've heard a lot of laughs as they ask the fortune teller questions and it's been great to see the kids get an easy introduction to electronics.
A few kids have found the sound blocks and played with them and they've learnt how to connect their headphones using the dragon clip leads.
We've been using a leaderboard which has been useful for two reasons:
- It forces us to keep track of how students are progressing and show us which ones to check on if they're getting distracted or confused.
- Those kids who are competitive use it as motivation to keep doing the projects.
Since the kids are mostly done with the basic projects I've written two more that make use of the micro:bit radio. Next session I'll get those who have the basics covered to work on them.