Students from Wimbledon High School had the opportunity to showcase their programming skills this month when they took part in Microsoft's 'Hack The Classroom' event, featuring the BBC micro:bit.
Provided with micro:bit devices, sensors and a selection of additional components, students from years 10 and 11 of the all-girls independent school were given free reign to come up with a working device on the theme of road safety, using learning tools developed by Microsoft in association with the BBC micro:bit foundation.
Working in teams, the students came up with a variety of creative ideas, from LED and sensor-driven traffic lights to a children's game where the player earns points for successfully following road safety rules. Incorporating sensors, LEDs and buttons into the design alongside the micro:bit allowed for truly interactive ideas to come to fruition.
Wimbledon High's Director of Technology and E-Learning, Chris Thackray, believes that initiatives like this are essential for preparing students for the future.
"Whatever our girls go on to do, technology is going to be a part of their lives" he explained. "Either we can get involved and help them to become shapers of that future, or we stand back and let technology shape them."
"We’re used to seeing girls be creative in art, drama and music" adds Edith Goakes, Head of Physics for the school. "It was wonderful to see them show their creativity in a different way, through STEAM. These were the beginnings of electrical engineering skills that they were using."
In addition to supporting the students through the event, Microsoft also filmed a video showcasing the event, which you can view below.
Do you have an educational initiative that you'd like to showcase on the STEM Academy? Are you looking for support for a project you'd like to get off the ground? For more information, contact element14's STEM Community Content Specialist John Lucas at JLucas@premierfarnell.com.
