Microbit - and the KIKS_Microbit WIKIspace - gives us a great opportunity for KIKS: Kids Inspiring Kids in STEAM. Students have already developed a number of projects to answer the challenge: How would you get your schoolmates to LOVE STEAM?
This steered one of our educators (Phil) to develop with us a KIKS microbit wikispaces to support students, easily enhance and track contributions to existing projects, and also develop future KIKS projects in flexible ways:
Robotic cars
Videoconferences and inter-school collaborations
KIKS-Microbit Schools are already taking part in video conferences and projects together and we are starting to see the results on this wikispace:-) which only started mid-January. Video conferences and wikispace present two opportunities to:
Say hello and get to know each other
Present finished projects or early ideas
Evaluate each other's work and receive constructive feedback and ideas
Work together to enhance existing projects and/or develop new ones
You can see the first collaboration here: KITRONIC+BUGGYand the second below
International teams (NEW)
In addition, we're looking to set up an international team(s) of up to 10 students - 2 or 3 per country to collaborate on a new project....OR...taking an existing one and enhancing it. You can start from existing projects or indeed anything you like!)
Merging sound and images
3D Automated Cat Toy
You can all do the same activity and come up with perhaps different solutions...use Arduino or RPi...or develop a portfolio of activities...as long as you answer the challenge:
We had a great introductory video between Westbridge Adademy and Sydan-Laukaa school. The Finnish students presented their excellent Shadow Theatre in English:
A Rube Goldberg machine is "a contraption, invention, device, or apparatus that is deliberately over-engineered to perform a simple task in a complicated fashion" Wikipedia.
The idea is to develop a chain reaction using micro:bits to control various parts, such as gates, bridges - there are huge possibilites.
Why is this idea so cool??? A Westbridge student (who did not wish to appear on video), when asked his opinion on the micro:bit stated:
Quite good...actually really good Super simple I'm more interested in physical things (than software) and this allows you to control things
So the project is much more than micro:bits and allows students a wider choice of activities to develop their skills.
We left the conference with Mike thinking: So how do we do a Chain Reaction from UK to Finland?!
Conservation of Energy
KITRONIC+BUGGY
Merging Sound and Image
Automated Cat Toys!
wooh-WARRH” Star Trek sound!
This steered one of our educators (Phil) to develop with us a KIKS microbit wikispaces to support students, easily enhance and track contributions to existing projects, and also develop future KIKS projects in flexible ways:
Videoconferences and inter-school collaborations
KIKS-Microbit Schools are already taking part in video conferences and projects together and we are starting to see the results on this wikispace:-) which only started mid-January. Video conferences and wikispace present two opportunities to:You can see the first collaboration here: KITRONIC+BUGGYand the second below
International teams (NEW)
In addition, we're looking to set up an international team(s) of up to 10 students - 2 or 3 per country to collaborate on a new project....OR...taking an existing one and enhancing it. You can start from existing projects or indeed anything you like!)You can all do the same activity and come up with perhaps different solutions...use Arduino or RPi...or develop a portfolio of activities...as long as you answer the challenge:
How would you get your schoolmates to LOVE STEAM?
See KIKS_Microbit or contact Tony or Phil
Westbridge and Sydan-Laukaa school SKYPE
We had a great introductory video between Westbridge Adademy and Sydan-Laukaa school. The Finnish students presented their excellent Shadow Theatre in English:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaeuVnhBWZY&feature=youtu.be
Teacher Mike from Westbridge presented a number of things they are working on, including ideas for a Rube Goldberg machine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=863z_eHGIJw
A Rube Goldberg machine is "a contraption, invention, device, or apparatus that is deliberately over-engineered to perform a simple task in a complicated fashion" Wikipedia.
The idea is to develop a chain reaction using micro:bits to control various parts, such as gates, bridges - there are huge possibilites.
Why is this idea so cool??? A Westbridge student (who did not wish to appear on video), when asked his opinion on the micro:bit stated:
Quite good...actually really good
Super simple
I'm more interested in physical things (than software) and this allows you to control things
So the project is much more than micro:bits and allows students a wider choice of activities to develop their skills.
We left the conference with Mike thinking: So how do we do a Chain Reaction from UK to Finland?!