Author: Louise Foreman

30 Aug, 6 Sept, 13 Sept, 4 – 5. This is BBC Micro:Bit 3 part course

The micro:bit is a pocket-sized computer that introduces you to how software and hardware work together. It has an LED light display, buttons, sensors and many input/output features that, when programmed, let it interact with you and your world.The new micro:bit with sound adds a built-in microphone and speaker, as well as an extra touch input button and a power button.

Wednesday 30th August, 4 – 5pm Workshop 1 – Getting started with the micro:bit

Wednesday 6th September, 4 – 5pm Workshop 2 – Discovering micro:bit Classroom

Wednesday 13th September, 4 – 5pm Workshop 3 – Embedding micro:bit across our curriculum.

Sign up here

18 May, 11 – 11:45 Live Lesson, Soft Robotics and AI with National Robotarium

Join Engineers from the National Robotarium as they take learners through Soft Robotics and Artificial Intelligence.

Soft Robotics focuses on technologies that more closely resemble the physical characteristics of living organisms, such as a tentacle arm gripper, artificial octopus or a worm. Materials used are unlike the usually materials found in robots, they are ‘soft’ such as, silicone, polymers and liquid crystals.

Soft robotics is being used widely throughout the medical field (surgery, prosthetics and pain management) their movement demonstrates their closeness to humans, animals and plants. A Soft Robotics Engineer will be showing examples and discussing how soft robotics is being used throughout many different industries.

Book Your Place Here

15 May 16:00 – 17:00 Esports Scotland: The Journey into Education

Join Esports Scotland to hear about their journey into education and their future plans.

Over the past 18 months Esports Scotland have been working within education in Scotland. Today’s session will talk about our journey into education and our future plans. -Overview of partnership and Esports projects

-Project wins and hurdles partnerships helped overcome

-Esports Scotland and education

-D&A college and Esports progression

Sign up here! 

Monitor and Encourage Sustainable Behaviour, micro:bit, ON DEMAND #CSscot23

This is pre-recorded session for you to watch with your class at your own leisure. The video will be made available from 17th May at 11am within the Curriculum Live Channel.

Encouraging those around you to make better choices in their sustainable behaviour is hard. One important thing to encourage change is to convince them with data. Using the data logging feature on the BBC micro:bit, we will build a manual data logger to allow you to gather data for your local area. You could look at transport on the way to school or the types of litter in your local environment. The choice is yours but remember collecting the data is only the first step. Then you need to think about how you will present and share that data in order to make a difference.

This session is suitable for 2nd – 4th Level learners.

This session is based on the traffic survey project – https://microbit.org/projects/make-it-code-it/traffic-survey-data-logger/

Book your place here to access the On Demand recording for your class!

17 May 11:00, Live Code Along, Inspiring Sustainable Behaviour with micro:bit #CSscot23

Making a difference in the world around us can seem a little daunting but there are lots of easy, individual and local things we can do to help. Using the accelerometer on the BBC micro:bit, we will code a random sustainability activity picker to inspire us all to make a difference and to have fun doing it.

This session is suitable for learners first – 4th level.

This session is based on the activity picker project – https://microbit.org/projects/make-it-code-it/activity-picker/

Book a place for your class here!

16 May 14:00, Technology to Protect our Planet – Live Assembly, Tech She Can #CSscot23

Are your students interested in technology and how it can help us protect our planet? Could they see themselves working in a green career in the future? Join us on Tuesday 16th March at 2pm, when Tech She Can Learning Design and Development Officer (and experienced primary school teacher), Poppy Patel, will deliver a live virtual 30-minute Tech We Can assembly for children aged 8 – 11. Poppy will highlight the role technology plays in helping us to protect our planet and fight climate change – and also show some of the green careers within tech that students could pursue in the future.

Book a place for your class here!

16 May 11:00, Scratch Code Along with Barefoot – Planet Pledge #CSscot23

Live Code Along with Barefoot Computing to create a Planet Pledge using Scratch for first – 4th level learners.

Join Barefoot Computing for this Live Code Along using Scratch https://scratch.mit.edu/. Learners from First to Fourth level will be guided through this sustainability themed session and will create their own Planet Pledge using blocks of code.

It is recommended that learners have an understanding of how to move the blocks within Scratch and their different functions.

Book a place for your class here!

15 May 11:00, MITCH RESNICK creator of Scratch, Live Assembly & Sustainability Challenge #CSscot23

Join Mitch Resnick, LEGO Papert Professor of Learning Research at the MIT Media Lab, as he explores and shares how he develops new technologies to engage educators and learners in creative experiences.

His Lifelong Kindergarten research group developed the Scratch programming software and online community , used by millions of young people around the world. The group has also collaborated with the LEGO Company on the development of new educational ideas and products, including the LEGO robotics kits.

There will be an opportunity to ask Mitch questions at the end of his talk and learners across Scotland will be invited to take part in a national Scratch sustainability challenge. Projects developed will be showcased globally on the Scratch website!

This live assembly will be relevant for learners in the upper first level – senior phase.

Sign your class up here!

School leader holding laptop

Developing Your Digital Strategy (part of Evolving Digital Thinking)

If the dates offered here are unsuitable, get in touch and request another and we’ll see what we can do to accommodate – view EDT sessions with this link.

An in-person workshop designed to help your setting develop and improve its use of digital.

This half-day workshop can be delivered to a cluster of schools or a local authority.

Attendees will:

  • define their aim
  • create a short vision statement
  • plan a strategy to evaluate, develop and measure the improvement of digital skills across their school

This strategy will align with the Digital Schools Award (Scotland) (DSAS) and the newly-created Digital Educator Award (Scotland) (DEAS) and is ideal for schools who have DSAS and want to refresh their approaches or for schools aiming to get the award.

Attendees will leave with solid plans, targets and ongoing support from the Education Scotland digital skill team.

Sign up with this link. https://forms.office.com/e/AFQwY6Ux5N 

iPad showing a cool leader qualities

Cyber first 2025

03 March 11:00 – 11:45, Code Along – Networks and Radio Communication with micro:bit Second Level Learners +

In this live lesson, for second level learners and above, we will send messages between two or more BBC micro:bits (this is possible with the simulator and with actual devices).  To protect our messages, we will use some simple encryption to ensure that our messages cannot be intercepted and read anyone other than who we intend them to be read by.

Book your class onto this live lesson here.