Micro:bit = Macro:awesome!

Thanks to the the generosity of some wonderful people and Donors Choose, the lab now has a set of BBC Micro:bits. These tiny, programmable boards were first tried by our 5th graders during the first cycle of magnet classes. They only had a week on account of the late start to school. This cycle, the 4th graders are getting a more in depth experience with the Micro:bit.

I wrote about the Micro:bit in a previous post so I won't go on about it here. Suffice it to say that it is a marvelously user friendly board for students. It provides them with the opportunity to learn about a variety of inputs and outputs using a block-based programming language with which they are already familiar.

The unit started off with a scavenger hunt of sorts designed to help students become familiar with the most commonly used blocks in the palette. The Micro:bit is capable of some highly sophisticated programming and I wanted to steer students away from the more advanced block until they were familiar with the basics. So far, the classes I have seen so far have done a great job working through the tasks and connecting the work to their previous programming experience. Once the teams complete the scavenger hunt, I provide them with a guide to making a "rock, paper, scissors" game where the Micro:bit shows your choice rather than using the traditional hand gestures.

The next part of the unit incorporated the Micro:bit into a design and making challenge, the "micro:pet". Students worked in teams to design and build a pet with the Micro:bit playing some part in bringing the pet to life. At this point, only half of the 4th grade classes have completed this, but so far the results have been amazing. We have had all manner of creatures, both real and imagined, and some incredibly clever programming to go along with them. The wide variety of inputs available on the Micro:bit means students can create a number of behaviors for their pets.

The final part of the unit is for student teams to create a program with as many different inputs and outputs as possible. This is the point when I have given them more or less free reign to explore the palette of blocks and make use of whatever they can make work. Needless to say, most groups have gravitated towards the "Music" menu and there has been a lot of bleepy noise at the end of week two. Good times!

It has been great to the see the excitement students have for the Micro:bit. Personally, know all that is possible with it, I am excited for all the projects to come!

We Need More LEDs!

We have had a busy start to the new year for the 4th and 5th graders in the STEM lab. Between half weeks, holidays, early dismissals, rain delays, and 5th graders going to camp; we have had to make some adjustments. However, we have persevered and filled our time with flashing lights and 3D design.

This unit has a two part focus, electric circuits and 3 dimensional design and printing. My goals for the electricity portion were to give the students more hands-on practice building circuits and to teach them to use bread boards and LEDs as a lead in to the physical computing unit coming up in the 4th nine weeks. As for the 3D design/printing, these classes have spent the year so far engineering and building with their hands in the physical world and I wanted them to have some exposure to designing objects in the digital realm.

We began our work on circuits by reviewing what students already knew about the topic. The students are all well versed in the vocabulary of electrical circuits, conductor, insulator, open and closed circuits, switches, and so on. We discussed the various components that we would be using and how they fit into the students' existing knowledge. New terms included resistor and breadboard. Most had heard of an LED but were not familiar with what it stands for, light emitting diode. We examined the breadboard and sketched out how the different sets of holes are connected. Then I talked the students step by step through setting up a complete circuit. The best part of this unit so far has been the loud "oohs" and "aahs" that have accompanied the moment that first LED begins to glow. From there students build circuits using the remaining LEDs and resistors. In the next lesson, students are introduced to adding a button that turns their lights on when it is pressed. This exercise provides a great teachable moment in debugging circuits because there is always a group or two that wires the button in such a way that it turns the lights off by creating a short circuit when it is pressed. Once the students master the button, I have them add a buzzer. (Truth be told, these buzzers are much louder than I thought they would be when I ordered them.) The final challenge is then to connect all 5 LEDs and the buzzer to the button. Because of the small size of the breadboards we are using, the students must figure out how to use both halves of it in order to connect all of the components.

The materials for this part of the unit were provided by the generous individuals who supported my Donors Choose grant earlier this year. I cannot thank them enough.

The other half of this unit centers on the principles of 3D design and 3D printing. Students use a series of lessons provided by Project Ignite to learn hoe to use the tools in Tinkercad. This elementary computer assisted design program allows students create 3 dimensional objects digitally. These can then be printed on the classroom 3D printer. Students must complete the lessons and demonstrate mastery of the vocabulary and tools before being allowed to design and print an original object. One issue that keeps cropping up is that students get distracted designing some truly amazing things mid lesson and lose track of what they are supposed to be doing. (I suppose they are staying true to the spirit of tinkering.) A number of students have been able to print so far, and many more have completed the lessons and will be able to design and print during the next rotation. Moving forward, this year and into next, I will have students design and print objects not for their own sake, but as parts of other projects.