Tech-Backed Code.org Bringing BBC Micro:bit To US K-5 Classrooms 21
theodp writes: On Tuesday, the Micro:bit Educational Foundation, a UK-based education non-profit "on a mission to inspire all children to achieve their best digital future," announced a partnership with US-based and tech giant-backed nonprofit Code.org to offer teachers computing resources to complement use of the handheld BBC micro:bit physical computing device as an extension to the Code.org CS Fundamentals curriculum, which is aimed at introducing Computer Science to children in Kindergarten-5th Grade.
"Physical computing is a great way to engage students in computer science, and I'm excited that Code.org is expanding its offerings in this maker education space," said Code.org CEO Hadi Partovi. "We're delighted to partner with micro:bit to provide physical computing extensions to our existing courses." Micro:bit Educational Foundation CEO Gareth Stockdale added, "Growing a diverse pipeline of tech talent who contribute to the creation of better technology in the world begins in the classroom. We are invested in excellence in computer science education for younger students and are excited by the size of the impact we can create together with Code.org to bring the benefits of physical computing to young learners."
Back in 2015, Microsoft -- a Founding Partner of both the Micro:bit Educational Foundation and Code.org -- partnered with the BBC to provide an estimated 1 million free BBC micro:bits to every 11 or 12 year old in the UK. "The chance to influence the lives of a million children does not come often," Microsoft Research wrote in a 2016 paper explaining the efforts to get the micro:bit into the hands of UK schoolchildren and make it part of the CS curriculum. The paper also cited Code.org and the UK's Computing at School (a Micro:bit Educational Foundation partner that was "born at Microsoft Research Cambridge") as "two significant success at the coding level" of "scaling out an initiative to influence an entire country of students, or even globally."
"Physical computing is a great way to engage students in computer science, and I'm excited that Code.org is expanding its offerings in this maker education space," said Code.org CEO Hadi Partovi. "We're delighted to partner with micro:bit to provide physical computing extensions to our existing courses." Micro:bit Educational Foundation CEO Gareth Stockdale added, "Growing a diverse pipeline of tech talent who contribute to the creation of better technology in the world begins in the classroom. We are invested in excellence in computer science education for younger students and are excited by the size of the impact we can create together with Code.org to bring the benefits of physical computing to young learners."
Back in 2015, Microsoft -- a Founding Partner of both the Micro:bit Educational Foundation and Code.org -- partnered with the BBC to provide an estimated 1 million free BBC micro:bits to every 11 or 12 year old in the UK. "The chance to influence the lives of a million children does not come often," Microsoft Research wrote in a 2016 paper explaining the efforts to get the micro:bit into the hands of UK schoolchildren and make it part of the CS curriculum. The paper also cited Code.org and the UK's Computing at School (a Micro:bit Educational Foundation partner that was "born at Microsoft Research Cambridge") as "two significant success at the coding level" of "scaling out an initiative to influence an entire country of students, or even globally."
Code.org fine teachers for teaching boys. Fuck em. (Score:1)
Fuck those sexist sows.
https://developers.slashdot.or... [slashdot.org]
Re: (Score:2, Flamebait)
Yes, those little boys don't deserve to be taught and obviously have to pay for everything the feminazis blame on men.
It's clearly their fault women pick social sciences not STEM, the little bastards.
They should just ban boys from education entirely, that would be fair.
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Yes, those little boys don't deserve to be taught
They are being taught, in spades, far more than women. You're just another whiney bitch upset that a boob may be entering the classroom. How sad it is for a man to feel threatened by the possibility that women may re-enter the tech world through positive promotion.
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So, you stupid cunt, are poor black boys "being taught, in spades, far more than middle-class white girls" ?
HELL THE FUCK NO.
And, you nasty hater, normal, decent people ARE upset by MANHATE.
That is, hateful moron, kids with vaginas being accepted on courses IN PREFERENCE TO kids with penises.
There is nothing "positive" about DISCRIMINATION BY GENITALIA.
Because SEXISM is wrong.
Your feminazi MANHATE is wrong.
Re: (Score:2)
So some dude (Brad Smith) at code.org... I will say now it's interesting that you choose to lean on a feminine gendered insult, "sows". Anyway, so some dude, almost a decade ago called for something. And a decade on it hasn't come to pass.
But the important thing is you're really angry about it and "feminazis" in particular, given your followup post.
Re: (Score:2)
Thought not.
But of course the only important thing to you hateful sows is that you're virtue signalling.
Hate on, sexist, hate on!
Re: (Score:2)
So nothing to say and no defense of the manhate.
You mean other than it not actually happening?
OMG bad thing that never happened is bad! How dreadful! We must all revel in how bad it might have been if it happened, which it didn't.
But of course the only important thing to you hateful sows is that you're virtue signalling.
Oh I see you have an army of sock puppets.
Hate on, sexist, hate on!
I would say you've now entered the "making shit up" part of the, er, discussion, but you started there so you robbed me of
Re: (Score:2)
> You mean other than it not actually happening?
So the hateful woke cannot discuss the rights and wrongs of anything that has not already happened ?
That explains why they blindly support so many hateful, discriminatory, ridiculous actions.
Hate on, sexist, hate on.
Re: (Score:2)
So the hateful woke cannot discuss the rights and wrongs of anything that has not already happened
You can discuss whatever you wish.
What I find weird is you getting incredibly angry, directed at an entire organization, for something that didn't happen, a decade ago.
Hate on, sexist, hate on.
Here's the funny thing: at the point you have to lie to support your point, a part of your brain must realise your point is actually unsupportable. I mean why lie otherwise? I'm amazed and impressed that you are so able
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I am really not sure if you are so stupid that you actually think that you can get away with not defending the indefensible and still think you won the argument by blathering on, or you are just faking it because you know you lost because you are stupid.
Re: (Score:2)
Here's the funny thing:
Actually the really funny thing is that my sig works perfectly for you even though it's generic. You are virtue signalling so hard by yelling about "woke".
Anyway as you were saying...
I am really not sure if you are so stupid that you actually think that you can get away with not defending the indefensible
wut...
not defending the indefensible makes me stupid?
Hm OK. To prove that you are clever can you defend something indefensible?
and still think you won the argument
You haven't actuall
Re: (Score:2)
No-one should be happy that the hateful woke is winning.
In code.org, in the United Nations, in the US government, everywhere where over-promoted morons benefit from virtue signalling and hateful discrimination in place of decent bahavior and fairness.
But your hatred will consume you.
So hate on, sexist, hate on.
Re: (Score:2)
You are virtue signaling so hard now it's pretty funny.
Also you are so angry that any sense of coherent thought has been lost. I do love your "hateful woke" phrase: it's a bit metal.
Would you mind reminding me what caused the red mist of rage to descend over your keyboard? I honestly can't tell. I mean it doesn't really make sense that something which didn't happen would cause such pants wetting rage.
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Hmmm so you're crapping your pants with anger over an imagined event and you think ib need help. That's very magnanimous of your.
Microbits Are Cool (Score:4, Interesting)
Can't say anything about US teaching/schools etc, but the Microbit is a cool little gadget. One of my kids is quite into hers. Having some LEDs, a sounder and bluetooth means lots of fun for kids making messages, sending messages, making alarm clocks and whatever else. Say nothing of the other sensors onboard which could lead to all kinds of fun projects.
I've got to say also that Scratch is a great lead-in to "real" coding. It's incredibly easy for younger kids to pick up the basics and to write something cool.
Where's the evidence? (Score:1)
BTW, how's the USA doing for literacy, numeracy, & science development in their education systems? What are their priorities?
Re: (Score:2)
Is this really big tech? Big tech these days seems to be all about hiding behind a browser to program or "code", at extremely high levels, and producing high level web and phone apps. This however is something you can hold and interact with. Right now it's difficult I feel to get new hires interested in embedded systems, working with devices, programming at a low level, etc.
The mile high view of computing I think is boring, it's far removed from a child's inquisitive nature of figuring out how stuff wor
1_000_000 (Score:3)
provide an estimated 1 million free BBC micro:bits to every 11 or 12 year old in the UK
Why do they need so many of them ?
777 (Score:1)