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BBC creates micro:bit pocket computer for British schoolchildren
The BBC collaborates with 29 partners to send thousands of miniature computers to every grade 7 child in the UK. This is the BBC you're thinking of - the news organization - and this is not the first time they've done such a project. Micro:bit is aimed at educating the public and setting a creative fire under the feet of the UK's youth. To do this, the micro:bit pocket-sized computer is being distributed for free to students, complete with programmable innards, Bluetooth, built-in compass, and motion detection.
One big "WTF" here is web-based IDE programming tools. There's no specifics about loading programs in the article, but there is a USB port on the micro:bit which will presumably be used to transfer programs into the device - so why send the code out to the web to be programmed instead of including a compiler that runs locally? (For this kind of tiny computer, with a minuscule display, I'm sure something that runs even an a relatively underpowered tablet could be written.)
BBC Finalizes Design For Their New Micro
The BBC has revealed the final design of the Micro Bit, a pocket-sized computer set to be given to about one million UK-based children in October. The device - which features a programmable array of red LED lights - includes two buttons and a built-in motion sensor that were not included in a prototype shown off in March.
The BBC's director general Tony Hall said the device should help tackle the fact children were leaving school knowing how to use computers but not how to program them. "We all know there's a critical and growing digital skills gap in this country and that's why it's so important that we come together and do something about it," he said at a launch event in London.
The Micro Bit is being given away to every 11- and 12-year-old child in Year 7 or equivalent at school.
More on the BBC website.
(Score: 2) by VLM on Wednesday July 08 2015, @12:15PM
I would guess the substitute would be self hosted development rather than local.
If you want a reasonable description of the difference in the real world between a microcontroller and a general purpose computer, microcontrollers can't self host their development environment. There have been some weird crossovers over the decades like anything running Forth and Intel used to sell a 8051 series microcontroller preprogrammed with a decent BASIC (8052AH-BASIC is the part number?). That chip, a crystal, and a FTDI usb to ttl converter and you're ready to go. I built one of those around '92 or whatever, all wire wrapped, obviously MAX232 "genuine serial port" not USB interface. Its kinda fun, like a basic stamp without the computer.
However something to think about is a development environment in 2015 isn't really any better than one from 1985, at least for noobs. It wouldn't be much of a challenge to distribute a LUA dev environment on the level of the minecraft computercraft mod using 2015 era microcontroller hardware, because computercraft is not exactly emacs or even eclipse. That only brings up the question of why distribute anything if they got a better dev environment in minecraft. Is it cooler that I can make a LED blink in the real world using C, or control a nuclear reactor in minecraft using Lua as a peripheral of a computercraft computer?
(Score: 2) by theluggage on Wednesday July 08 2015, @02:15PM
That only brings up the question of why distribute anything if they got a better dev environment in minecraft
This has always been my reservation about the idea of using Raspberry Pi, various other 'USB stick' computers and now the "microbit" to teach kids to code: it would be much easier to produce a kids' dev environment that ran on existing PCs/Macs, tablets and phones - in fact they already exist [mit.edu] and have done for a long time [wikipedia.org].
The Pi ends up needing a display, keyboard and USB hub to do anything with. By the time you've put together a decent kit, you're well into the cheap tablet price range. Of course, the Pi has been hugely successful as a robotics controller for more enthusiastic makers, a cheap media centre or network appliance etc. but that isn't exactly hitting the "teach every school kid to code" target.
Is it cooler that I can make a LED blink in the real world using C, or control a nuclear reactor in minecraft using Lua as a peripheral of a computercraft computer?
Kids have grown up with computer games. So maybe it is cooler for them to make something happen in meatspace, even if its only a blinking LED?
Or, if the glass is half empty, maybe it just looks better to adults if kids are messing about with circuit boards, crocodile clips rather than just sitting in front of screens playing Minecraft...?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 08 2015, @04:16PM
So... what we need is a programmable calculator with GPIOs? Like an HP41C with Arduino connectors on the bottom?
(Score: 2, Insightful) by gozar on Wednesday July 08 2015, @10:25PM
The ability to interact with items in the real world is huge. Kids are used to seeing things happen on the screen in response to their actions, they don't get excited about that. But give them the ability to interact and react to things in the real world and all of the sudden they are interested in programming.
A few examples:
(Score: 2) by urza9814 on Friday July 10 2015, @03:09PM
Well...not really. The assumption is that you already have most of these, and in most cases that's going to be true. Hell, the original Pi could connect to any TV made in the past few *decades* through composite video output for example. Of course, if you wanted an entire classroom computer lab full of Pis, then you would need to buy some stuff that might run you $100-$200 each. Which is pretty much the cheapest computer you'll ever find, though I've certainly seen tablets go for less.
But you also seem to assume that a tablet and a Pi are essentially the same device; which is VERY far from the truth. You really can't code on a tablet. If nothing else, you're going to need some accessories (like a keyboard) for the tablet too. And most tablets don't have any legitimate programming environments. You can do a bit of Java on an Android system, but it's painful. How are you gonna teach C on a tablet? What if you want to do some PHP? Maybe a tablet notebook, but you're definitely not getting one of *those* for under $200. And of course there's the GPIO. The Pi isn't just teaching about computers; it's designed to teach electronics fundamentals as well. A tablet doesn't give you any of that.
It's not the best device for every circumstance of course, but it's certainly one of the best devices for its intended uses.