Running Head: USING MICRO:BITS FOR A TELE 1

Using micro:bits for a technology-enhanced learning experience

ETEC 533 66A Technology in the Mathematics and Science Classroom

University of British Columbia

Elizabeth Kim
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Using micro:bits for a TELE

Table of Contents

Problem Area 3

Design of a Learning Experience 5

Pedagogical Goals of TELE 6

Digital Technology 7

Artefact 8

References 9
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Using micro:bits for a TELE

Problem Area

The integration of digital tools and educational technology in the classroom has been rapidly

increasing in the 21st century. There is a plethora of digital technologies that provide different

social and cognitive affordances for teaching and learning. In particular, tools that provide

opportunities to learn coding is a necessity in education today. Coding is essentially the language

of computers that students are almost expected to be proficient in many aspects of their social,

professional and personal lives. As learning to code is a need for students, it is also a challenge

relevant to K-12 math and science educators as they are a part of the learning experience of these

individual students. From what I have seen in the school system, some students are already

beginning to learn to code on their own and excelling through their own ventures. Specifically,

this can be seen in participating in local science fairs. There appears to be an increased interest in

computer-based and coding projects rather than traditional experiments. However, there remains

the majority of the student population that requires the scaffolding and guidance from teachers to

learn the language of computers. The digital technology and artefact explored in this project will

aid both students and teachers in learning to code.

In designing a technology-enhanced learning experience (TELE), it is important to have a

clear rationale for implementing the technology and the affordances offered by the technology.

Jonassen (2000) defines technology as being a medium for meaningful learning. The author

believes that student learning occurs when it is done in a meaningful way for the individual and

that this can be fostered by computers and teachers. He goes on to further argue that students do

not actually learn from the computer itself but from the engagement of activities that they

provide. Jonassen (2000) is ultimately suggesting that technology is a merely a tool for learning
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Using micro:bits for a TELE
and emphasizing the importance in thinking about its cognitive affordances. This is essential to

understand in designing a TELE, as enhancing learning through technology should be done so in

an authentic way rather than using technology for the sake of using technology.

Kozma (2003) adds to this definition of technology in a similar way. The author believes

that learning environments need to be designed with a purpose, again taking into consideration

the affordances of technology. An ideal pedagogical design of a TELE not only needs to consider

the specific affordances of technology but also needs to have a clear rationale. Some questions

that are necessary to ask are, is the TELE being designed specifically to increase efficiency of

tasks? Is the TELE being used to create learning opportunities that would otherwise not be

possible without it? The combination of Jonassen (2000) and Kozma’s (2003) definitions of

technology provide two main criteria in designing this TELE: a clear rationale for implementing

the technology and the affordances offered by the technology.

The rationale for designing this TELE is clear. There is a need for teaching K-12 students

how to code, which can “enhance the competency and computational skills of students to adhere

better learning outcomes in higher education” (Wong, Cheung, Ching, & Huen, 2015). Coding

skills can potentially even increase employability in the future. However, the readiness and

competencies of teachers and schools to prepare a coding curriculum is lacking (Wong et al.,

2015). This brings to light the affordances that must be offered by the technological tool required

in education today. The technology must be able to provide educators with the resources and

support they need and students with a meaningful learning experience. There are many tools that

can be used to accomplish this today, such as Scratch, Khan Academy, and Hour of Code just to

name a few. In this project, a relatively new tool named micro:bit will be explored as a medium

for creating a technology-enhanced learning experience.

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Using micro:bits for a TELE

Design of a Learning Experience

Micro:bits are small programmable computers that can be integrated into the math or

science classroom to enhance learning in not only coding but also physics, engineering and

electrical circuitry. It does not require any additional special software and can be coded and used

from any web browser in Blocks, Javascript, Python and more (Micro:bit, 2016). As this learning

experience is designed for students who require scaffolding and support in getting started with

coding, we will focus on using simple Blocks and the T-GEM pedagogical framework for

teaching and learning. Khan (2007) outlines a cyclical instructional approach to teaching and

learning, composed of the stages generating (G), evaluating (E), and modifying (M). These three

phases make up the GEM pedagogical theory, where students’ conceptual understanding and

development of inquiry skills are fostered. Many aspects of the new BC K-12 science and math

curriculum are composed of relationships between variables that are best learned through the

GEM model. This framework can be enhanced with technology, using digital tools to tackle

conceptually difficult topics. This technology-enhanced GEM (T-GEM) framework offers

specific affordances for teaching science that would otherwise not be possible (Khan, 2010).

Khan (2010) explains that “T-GEM and its heuristics is an effective and viable pedagogy for

teaching science with technology.” The main idea here is not how technology impacts learning

but rather how teaching and learning is enhanced pedagogically when technology is used. In

using micro:bits to create a TELE, the teacher will be able to motivate, guide, provide a hands-on

experience and assess for student learning.

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Using micro:bits for a TELE

Pedagogical Goals of TELE

The pedagogical goals in creating a TELE through micro:bits are as follows:

1. Provide meaningful opportunities for students to enhance learning in coding and

computer programming through a simple digital tool.

2. Provide resources for teachers based on the T-GEM pedagogical framework of teaching

and learning.

3. Encourage inquiry-based thinking and learning in the classroom through technology.

In using the T-GEM framework, teachers provide strategies that enhance student

processes for learning. The teacher first provides background content information. In this case,

this would be providing necessary background information on micro:bits before getting started.

The teacher then demonstrates how to start using the micro:bit and students generate a

relationship between variables. The main relationship that is explored in the lesson would be the

input coding and output functions in computer programming. The students then have a chance to

explore this relationship, using simple coding language to program functions for the micro:bit.

The students are then asked to design new functions and play around with what works and what

doesn’t work. They will be able to further strengthen their understanding between the

relationship between coding and output functions from creating their own stories. Lastly, the

students are given a new scenario to work with and they work through the situation based on the

knowledge that they have acquired. In the case of using micro:bits, a new function can be given

to students to try to code.

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Using micro:bits for a TELE

Digital Technology

The digital technology explored in this project to create a technology-enhanced learning

experience was the micro:bit. This small piece of technology, also called the BBC micro:bit, was

launched quite recently in 2016 and the foundation has been distributing it worldwide for

educational purposes since. They are funded by many different organizations, including those

that are support science education, technology-based, and even post-secondary institutes. The

hardware itself is small enough to fit in a wallet but it is full of functions; accelerometer,

magnetometer sensor, and Bluetooth connectivity to name a few. These functions can be coded

through an online code editor through Blocks, JavaScript, Python, C++ and many other

programming languages. It is also relatively inexpensive, which relieves the burden on

educational institutes in implementing new technological tools. It is a convenient and useful tool

in learning coding and provides a multitude of social and cognitive affordances in education.

First and foremost, it is very easy to learn to use. Its simplistic design ensures that there is

no confusion when locating buttons and connecting to a power source or device. Often computer

programming is thought to be a complicated process that requires special knowledge, but the

micro:bit breaks through those barriers and provides a foundation for beginners to stand on. At

the same time, it also has numerous different functions that can be coded, providing both

beginners and advanced coders an opportunity to learn something new. For any learner, there is

room for creativity in coding the micro:bit. There are set coding templates to start with, but the

user can add to and edit it as they wish. There are even accessories that can enhance the use of

the micro:bit, such as CO2 sensors in collecting data for science labs or experiments. As

previously mentioned, it is small, affordable and easily transportable. In implementing new

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Using micro:bits for a TELE
technology, cost is one of the biggest factors to consider. With the micro:bit, the cost remains

relatively low and can even be shared amongst institutes.

Artefact

The micro:bit website contains a considerable amount resources for both teaching and

learning using its technology. However, for someone that is new to computer programming,

whether it is a teacher or student, there is a substantial amount of confusing and potentially

discouraging jargon. The artefact created in this project is a website that would be useful to the

educational community (link: https://jselizabethkim.weebly.com/). It contains resources for

teaching and learning to code through micro:bits without the complicated technical language.

This website, hosted by Weebly, would be open to any teacher wishing to begin integrating

computational thinking in the classroom or any student wishing to begin inquiring about coding

on their own. The website contains activities, tutorial videos and photos to explore coding using

micro:bits. The public domain is accessible to anyone with a device and internet. There is also a

section in the website with media showcasing micro:bit lessons in action with my actual students

in a classroom setting. Feedback about the page is welcome and the author information is

provided in the “Contact” section.

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Using micro:bits for a TELE
References

Jonassen, D. H. (2000). Toward a design theory of problem solving. Educational technology

research and development, 48(4), 63-85.

Khan, S. (2007). Model‐based inquiries in chemistry. Science Education, 91(6), 877-905.

Khan, S. (2010). New pedagogies for teaching with computer simulations. Journal of Science

Education and Technology, 20(3), 215-232.

Kozma, R. B. (2003). Technology and classroom practices: An international study. Journal of

research on technology in education, 36(1), 1-14.

Micro:bit. (2016). About the Foundation. Retreived from https://microbit.org/about/

Wong, G. K. W., Cheung, H. Y., Ching, E. C. C., & Huen, J. M. H. (2015). School perceptions

of coding education in K-12: A large scale quantitative study to inform innovative

practices. Paper presented at the 5-10. doi:10.1109/TALE.2015.7386007