I’ve introduced 3 year 7 classes to the BBC micro:bit this week – here are some thoughts.
- Organise your kit. I strongly recommend individually numbering each micro:bit, especially if you are keeping them in school in term time, and logging which pupil has each device. This will save arguments if they are lost or damaged and they’ll get their code on the micro:bit next lesson.
- Allow plenty of time for packing away. The supplied boxes seem to prove a challenge for many Year 7s, though mine were getting better by the end of the week. Get a bigger box? Also, keeping track of the USB leads is going to be a challenge. I can see these getting lost.
- The Technology Will Save Us demo supplied on each device is a great opening lesson. I used it to familiarise the pupils with the handling requirements, they didn’t even need to log in, just turn their computers on to provide USB power.
- They want to take them home. But the micro:bits are so late arriving we will only get 3 full lessons out of them – some sets will only get TWO! Part of me wants to hold on to them and let them next term (in Year 8) get proper use out of them and take them home at Christmas. What is anyone else doing? Did the BBC want them to be used for only 2 lessons in class?
- I have had a lot of failures with demo units – so far, as far as I know, only 1 died this week. It was mine. I was demonstrating it in front of the class and it utterly died, about 5 minutes after I plugged it in. I was handling it carefully – indeed that’s what I was demonstrating. I must be cursed!
Thank you, I am really struggling to get a grip of this lovely little device