BBC micro:bit

All of the workshops are centred on a credit card sized computer known as the micro:bit.

Code is not written directly onto the micro:bit. It is written on a normal computer using a free coding  invironment called MakeCode. Once created and tested on the simulator, the code is then downloaded and run on a miro:bit. 

The official MakeCode website is an outstanding resource for finding out more about the micro:bit and how to use it.

Explore the many easy to follow, well written and extremely detailed, animated  tutorials for use by children and teachers to learn micro:bit skills.

These tutorials can be adapted for use in a wide range of STEAM and physical computing projects.

Click this link to access the MakeCode micro:bit website 

The site contains an online block coding environment, the MakeCode editor, with a built in simulator for program testing. 

Children who have already used Scratch will quickly adapt to MakeCode blocks (shown below).

Advanced programmers can flip the editor to Python to write their code using the Python text based coding environment.