Lesson 1

Lesson Overview

Students get to understand micro:bit works like our human brains where information received from input is processed to produce suitable output.
Students program micro:bit to display various messages and emoticons, either once or repetitively.

6.4.1 Identify features on programming interface.
6.4.2 Explain functions of all components that are used in programming.
6.4.6 Flash code onto hardware and test functionality of the code.

Hmm... How does a crocodile know to find food when it is hungry?

A crocodile's brain receives input (feeling hungry) and produces suitable output (find food).

What is input and output?

Input

Input is information received from the surrounding.

For example, a crocodile receives information from seeing, touching, hearing, feeling, and smelling things.

Output

Output is what happens or what you do because of input.

For example, crocodile finds food (output) when it is hungry (input).

Hmm.. what works like our human brain?

Computer!

For example, when you click on a file on your desktop (input), that file opens up (output).

Microcontroller micro:bit also works like our human brains!

Let us explore how it works.

Video 1: Introduction to micro:bit

Watch and follow the steps in the video to further understand a microcontroller which is named micro:bit.

Materials and components that are needed:

micro:bit + usb cable
Computer
makecode.microbit.org

TIPS for challenge in the video

Transcript

Hello world! I am Alina and for video series
this time, I will show you how to make all these
cute animals with microbit programming.
If you had not heard or seen a microbit, microbit is
a type of micro-controller. But then, what is a micro-controller?
Micro-controller can be seen as a computer, reduced in size.
Although a micro-controller cannot perform hundreds of
applications like a laptop,
micro-controller is able to control and detect
electrical signals through the pins on it. In other words,
microbit can send electron to light up LED,
drive the motor and detect
if you have pressed a button. If you know the way
to program and construct using microbit,
you can create many types of great projects.
Isn't it cool? In these series, we will make an elephant that moves
its trunk, a wolf with a pair of blinking eyes, baby shark
and many more! For this microbit series, we will
program microbit by using block-based programming.
Open your MakeCode application,
simulation window is on the left, programming block drawer is at the center
and the coding zone is on the right for arranging the coding blocks.
Let's try to program microbit to display a message via
its LEDs on this microbit board. First and foremost,
go to basic block drawer. Click and pull out the block
"On start" to the coding zone. After that, click and pull out
the block 'Show string". Connect it to the block "On start"
just now. You can type any messages here to be displayed
onto the microbit board.
You can arrange the block "Forever" anywhere
in the coding zone as long as it is tidy. Click and
pull out the block 'Show icon". Connect it to the block "Forever" just now.
Select the heart shape. Connect microbit
to the computer using a USB cable.
Press download on the software and save the programming file
into your microbit that is connected just now. What
will happen on the microbit board? Why
the message Hello is shown only once? Why is the heart shape
never off? Discuss it with your teacher and friends!
This is the first challenge before you proceed to the next episode:
Display a winking emoji on your microbit board.
Happy trying!