micro:bit Blog

What I love about the micro:bit design

rancell

I have to be honest, when I first read about the micro:bit when it was announced, I wasn't overly impressed. With the large number of single board computers out there it felt a bit under powered. The display was 5x5 LEDs. It didn't support WiFi (it d...
- 25 Oct 2018
Teaching kids with micro:bit - the plan

rancell

I run a Code Club for kids at my local primary school. I've received 10 micro:bits in the mail and the plan is to spend the next term (nine one hour sessions) teaching the kids using the micro:bits. Sounds like we need a plan... Step 1: Pick...
- 23 Oct 2018
Setting up to teach kids to program with micro:bit

rancell

Together with three other volunteers I run a Code Club for teaching New Zealand year 5 and 6 students (9-10 years old) to code. We have up to 23 students coming this term once a week after school. Luckily I was chosen to be one of the winners of the ...
- 23 Oct 2018
Struggling to learn--GEMS

lrjones

AM preparing for the all-day GEMS camp where we will use and give away the microbits. Am terribly frustrated by software--can't find the block for IF-DO--and you can't do much without that! Tried to make them work on tablets, but not having much...
- 20 Oct 2018
Introducing Micro:bit to the Girl's Home. Panama

heathmacnelson

Our girls did great, and were very enthusiastic about the micro:bit. The house parents, as well are very keen for them to learn. These are the lower grade students. The University Students will also be learning. We will have a...
- 19 Oct 2018
[PROJECT] BBC Micro:bit – Water on the Floor - Sensor Alarm

Catwell

Even being bathing in technology, my sink still leaks, and I don’t know until it’s flooded in the cupboard. It’s almost ridiculous to NOT know when your basement is flooded. Tubs, washing machines, even the refrigerator could leak at any time. ...
- 18 Oct 2018
micro:bit @Årstadalsskolan

petersvedman

Hello again! Last Friday we had a grand unboxing of the micro:bit club pack that I was awarded in the giveaway. This is a video of that exciting event www.youtube.com/watch More to come as we start working on our clock projects. /...
- 9 Oct 2018
micro:bit project @Årstadalsskolan, Stockholm

petersvedman

Hello! I am one of the lucky winners of a micro:bit club pack in the Great micro:bit education giveaway. I am very happy to be selected and I am really looking forward to working on this project for the next ten weeks. We will be working with ma...
- 5 Oct 2018
[PROJECT] BBC Micro:bit – Make an Adventure Video Game!!!

Catwell

Legend World Adventure Quest, Championship Edition Super Turbo “If you only ever play one video game in your entire life, this is it!” – Game Xtremist Chronicle“To be in the presence of true game genius is a gift few will experience. Play this g...
- 29 Sep 2018
MicroBit Brained Robots

korn

I made a few Microbit Robots for the local library coding class.This one was printed from scratch. we started with just rf remote control but I plan to add line following sensors. These two used commercially available chassis.They all use a homemade ...
- 25 Sep 2018
[PROJECT] BBC Micro:bit – Fitness Tracker aka Step Counter

Catwell

Among the BBC Micro:bit’s onboard sensors is an accelerometer. This can be used for a myriad of applications, but I will use it for the simplest of motion detection – a step-counter! The idea is simple, it detects enough motion and considers it...
- 18 Sep 2018
[PROJECT] BBC Micro:bit – Metal Detector!

Catwell

The BBC Micro:bit is small, different than other boards. But this board is packed with features. One, in particular, I use in this project is the onboard compass, aka a magnetometer. I wanted to use it as a metal detector! The earth has a magnet...
- 6 Sep 2018
Improving the micro:bit LED display

dougw

The BBC micro:bit has a 5x5 array of surface mount LEDs that allow it to display one character at a time or rudimentary graphics.I find the LEDs to be a bit too far apart to easily read the characters displayed - the dots(pixels) don't look connected...
- 27 Aug 2018
[PROJECT] BBC Micro:bit – Someone Behind You Sensor - PART 2 - LED Indication

Catwell

This is Part 2 of the Micro:bit version of the someone behind you sensor. For those who did part 1, this one adds an addressable LEDs to indicate when the PIR motion sensor is triggered. It also has a secondary nightlight mode that turns on the...
- 19 Aug 2018
[PROJECT] BBC Micro:bit – Someone Behind You Sensor - PART 1 - Motion Detection

Catwell

The Someone Behind You Sensor idea (for Arduino) is one of the most useful but simple projects I ever made. I thought it would be worthwhile to port it over to the BBC Micro:bit. The original idea was to have some LEDs placed on a desk, where the use...
- 2 Aug 2018
How micro:bit is Inspiring the Next Generation of Digital Ambassadors

jlucas

micro:bit - Inspiring the Next Generation micro:bit | STEM Academy As micro:bit continues to spread across the globe, more and more young people are being inspired to explore their creativity through coding and robotics. Canada-based STEM ...
- 18 Jun 2018
Grand Digital Computer Race proves advanced mathematics is child's play with micro:bit

jlucas

A nine-year old student successfully wrote a program to calculate a centuries-old mathematical sequence in a matter of seconds on the BBC micro:bit, beating out eight decades of advanced computer technology with simple modern coding skills. The Grand...
- 27 Feb 2018
element14 and micro:bit help Chicago students to become "TechGirlz"

jlucas

Newark element14 recently teamed up with TechGirlz - a nonprofit organisation dedicated to reducing the gender gap in technology industries - to provide middle school students in Chicago with a hands-on introduction to basic coding.Hosted at two Micr...
- 24 Oct 2017
Wimbledon High School Students "Hack the Classroom" with micro:bit

jlucas

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, sen...
- 18 Oct 2017
Over 100,000 micro:bits deployed in Singapore's Digital Maker Programme.

jlucas

Singapore has become the latest country to join the micro:bit revolution, with the country's Ministry of Education supporting a national campaign to roll out more than 100,000 of the devices in a bid to nurture a new generation of digital makers....
- 10 Oct 2017
Weekend Halloween Project: Illuminated Candy Bucket Featuring BBC Microbit

CharlesGantt

Many of you who have been following me over the years knows that Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year, and that I always build a project or two for Element14. This year I decided to mix things up a little bit and build two separate proj...
- 2 Oct 2017
Why Icelandic educators are embracing the BBC micro:bit

jlucas

From Sweden's world-leading startup ecosystem to Finland's vibrant telecommunications industry, the countries of the Nordic region of Europe have earned a strong reputation for consistently standing at the forefront of innovation and ne...
- 19 Sep 2017
BBC micro:bit now available in Japan

jlucas

The BBC micro:bit continues to spread around the world with its official Japanese launch this week at the Tokyo Maker Faire. Representatives from the BBC micro:bit foundation and Farnell element14 were in attendance at the event, which brings togethe...
- 4 Aug 2017
Celebrating 12 months of BBC micro:bit!

jlucas

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,...
- 7 Jul 2017
BBC micro:bit US Launch at ISTE Conference, San Antonio - Part Two

jlucas

Over a hectic four days, members of the element14 team have been present at the ISTE Conference in San Antonio, where the BBC micro:bit was officially launched in the USA and Canada. The event was packed with a constant stream of interested and ...
- 29 Jun 2017