Microbit

This week we talked about unplugged CS activities and microbits. I loved working with the microbits (once I got them working with my computer), and designed a lesson and tutorial for a sample survey project. I look forward to creating more projects using the microbit in the future!

Technology: Microbits

Link to Proficiency: Science Experiments 02 Population Trait Counter, https://katherine-taylor.github.io/sample_survey_tutorial/

Targeted Learners/Content area: Middle school math (6-8)

CS Standard: 

7.1 The student will construct programs to accomplish a task as a means of creative expression or scientific exploration using a block based or text based programming language, both independently and collaboratively, 

b. creating clearly named variables that represent different data types, including numeric and non-numeric data, and perform operations on their values

Lesson context: This lesson would take place during a probability and statistics unit, where students would need to collect their own data. Students would use their microbits as data collection tools for collecting data to analyze using mathematical tools. Students would be required to create a program that collects data on specific topics and outputs the data in some format. This would likely occur prior to a summative assessment where students need to use the data they and their classmates collected. 

Goal of technology use: The goal of the technology is to have students learn how computers store information, and use algorithms to collect data. The students will also have to learn how to write algorithms with embedded mathematics, such as adding two categories to get a total value. The technology also allows students to collect survey data in a more efficient manner, and draw connections to previous lessons on survey storage such as the Census virtual field trip.

Brief description of how technology will be used with students: Students will be given an overview of the microbit, makecode, and instructions on the assignment. Then, the students would construct their program, using a tutorial created from the youtube video linked above. Students would need to modify their program in one or more ways from the tutorial. Then students would collect data from their fellow students, and record their final data for use in further data analyses.