bitlink

In this module you will learn about a microcontroller called the micro:bit, including how to program it and how to connect it to a wider variety of devices (such as sensors and motors).

We will explore how you can get started with teaching your students about the “Internet of Things” or “IoT” in a fun, engaging and relevant way.

The "Internet of Things" is a concept that teaches students how technology and data collection can be used in everyday life to create solutions to problems we encounter.

Getting Started

1. Try the activities from the video.
   
   In the video, James demonstrates several simple activities that you can do just using the online simulator. Give these a try and experiment with what the website has to offer!
   
   https://makecode.microbit.org/
   
   
   
2. Follow a tutorial.
   
   Visit the MakeCode website or YouTube channel and follow a tutorial of your choosing.
   - https://makecode.microbit.org/tutorials
   - https://makecode.microbit.org/tutorials-v2
   - https://www.youtube.com/@MicrosoftMakeCode/playlists
   
   You can also visit the Bitlink website and follow one of our lessons which are student-ready.
   
   - https://bitlink.com.au/lessons/meet-microbit/iot_102/
   - https://bitlink.com.au/lessons/meet-microbit/iot_104/
   - https://bitlink.com.au/lessons/meet-microbit/iot_105/
   
   This will give you an insight into some different ways in which you can teach this content to your class.
   
   
   
3. Check out some Teacher Resources.
   
   There are many great online resources for the BBC micro:bit that you can search for, however their own website is also a great place to start!
   
   microbit.org
   
   Lesson plans:
   - https://microbit.org/teach/lessons/
   
   Global Projects:
   - https://microbit.org/teach/do-your-bit/
   - https://microbit.org/projects/make-it-code-it/
   
   Professional Development:
   - https://microbit.org/teach/professional-development/
   
   Teaching Tools:
   - https://microbit.org/teach/teaching-tools/
   
   ***
   
   bitlink.com.au
   
   Also you can register here for a free teacher account on our website:
   https://bitlink.com.au/users/register/
   
   Once registered and logged in, you will be able to access our own Teacher Resources, which are imbedded within each of our 20 micro:bit Lessons.
   https://bitlink.com.au/lessons/
   
   These resources include: Learning Intentions/Success Criteria,
   Slide Decks, Lesson-specific videos (Makers Treehouse), Guiding/Reflection Questions, Solution Code and Curriculum Links.
   
   
   
4. Get Creative.
   
   Play with the micro:bit simulator yourself and use it to create something of your own design. Be playful, and if you can’t figure out how to do exactly what you want to do, try doing something different instead (or apply some Google skills to the problem).
   
   You can also experiment with the Javascript or Python functionality of the MakeCode website. You can drag blocks into the workspace, swap to one of the other modes and experiment with how the blocks translate into text-code and vice versa. You might even research or create your own activity that primarily uses text-code, rather than block-based coding.
   
   See if you can use this technology to teach something that is ordinarily complex, but in a simple way (it could even be a cross-curricula one?). Or see if you can use this technology to enrich a lesson or concept that you typically find difficult or uninteresting to teach.
   
   
   
5. Sketch out a lesson that uses a micro:bit.
   
   Look at the V9 Australian Curriculum for Digital Technologies + Design and Technologies and select a grade of your choice.
   
   Sketch out an activity or lesson that would use the micro:bit to teach one aspect of that curriculum area.
   For example; an activity about cyber security that uses the radio functionality of the micro:bit.
   
   Alternatively, you could plan an activity for a different subject area that also utilises micro:bits and addresses some of the learnings from one of these Technologies areas.
   
   ***
   
   If a blank slate is a bit intimidating, try finding an existing micro:bit project or tutorial and then think about how you could adapt that lesson to fit your intended curriculum outcome.
   
   Or alternatively, you could find an existing project idea for a different curriculum area, and debate how you could meaningfully incorporate the micro:bit platform into that project.