Cheap but powerful, the tiny micro:bit computer thrills at Oracle Code 4 Kids paid Oracle
, a $20, business-card-size microcomputer that can power robots, games, musical instruments, and more.
Students from Discovery ChalleNGe Academy, an alternative high school education partnership by the San Joaquin County Office of Education and the California National Guard, try programming at Oracle Code 4 Kids.As it happens, the low-key vibe from instructor Ties van de Ven, a Java developer and coach at the Dutch company, is perfect for the job. “Most kids can figure out micro:bit on their own,” he says.
The devices can be coded via web browser using any number of languages, including, for example, Blocks, Javascript, Python, or Scratch, as well as standalone editors written by enthusiasts. So, how complicated would it be to program a similar game in a professional programming language? “A lot more complicated,” van de Ven says. “This uses Bluetooth, and Bluetooth protocol is really difficult—but micro:bit made it so easy. The accelerometer is very intuitive.
Jeremy Love, the educator responsible for bringing the Discovery ChalleNGe Academy students to the event, agrees. As coordinator for the, Stockton’s first not-for-profit coding school, he’s familiar with micro:bit and uses it in classroom and lab programs. Love’s focus is on cultivating science and technology talent in rural Northern California towns such as Lodi, whose grape harvest makes it “the Zinfandel capital of the world.
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