Lesson video

Hello, my name is Mr. Hogan.

I'm so excited to be learning with you today.

You have made a great choice to learn all about physical computing with me.

We are going to have such a great time learning together.

I'll be helping you with our learning during these lessons.

I'm so pleased that you have decided to complete your learning with me today.

We are going to do brilliantly.

Welcome to today's lesson from the unit Physical Computing Using the Micro:bit.

This lesson is called Creating Programmes on a Physical Computing Device, and you'll be learning to describe the hardware of a physical computing device and also write a simple programme for it.

I'm so excited for this lesson.

The keywords for today.

Hardware component, a physical part of a computer or device that helps perform its function, such as wires, buttons, or an LED display.

Input, this is data that is sent to a programme to be processed.

And the last key word for today's lesson is output.

This is information produced by a computer system as a result of processing data.

So today's lesson is split into two cycles.

First of all, we're going to identify hardware of a physical computing device, and then we're gonna move on to write and run a programme on the micro:bit.

So let's start the lesson with identifying hardware on a physical computing device.

Computers are useful devices because you can use different programmes to perform different tasks.

You may have a personal computer that you use in school, you may have a smartphone, and you may have a tablet, but they all do different tasks at different times, and they solve different problems. The BBC micro:bit is a tiny computer that can run a single programme at a time for a very specific purpose.

You may have one around you.

I have one here.

You can write programmes for the micro:bit on your computer, and then transfer them to the micro:bit using a USB cable, so you can actually carry this around with you, and it doesn't have to be attached to the computer at all.

Let's have a quick check.

Which of the following statements is true about a micro:bit? A, it can run multiple programmes at the same time, B, programmes for the micro:bit can only be written directly on the device itself, or C, the micro:bit is a small, programmable computer that can run one programme at a time.

Have a little think about the answer, and remember you can pause or rewind the video at any time.

Okay, so let's have the answer.

So which of the following statements is true about the micro:bit? It's C, the micro:bit is a small, programmable computer that can run one programme at a time.

Lucas is saying the micro:bit looks like it has lots of hardware components on it.

Izzy replies, "Yes, each of the components are used "for different reasons." Yeah, so there's lots of different things that you can see on the micro:bit, and it's better to put this on a slide and go through these individually, but you may have a micro:bit near you, so start to explore, as we go through the slides, what your components are on the micro:bit.

There's buttons for input.

These detect when they are pressed to make things happen.

There's an LED display for output.

These show pictures, words, or numbers.

There's also these general-purpose input and output pins for both input and output purposes.

These connect headphones, sense touch, and add other electronics, so that they can be used by the micro:bit.

The LEDs also act as light sensors.

This measures how much light is falling on the micro:bit.

Let's have a quick check.

On the front of the micro:bit, what is used to display pictures, words, and numbers? Is it A, LED display, B, GPIO pins, C, light sensor? Remember, you can pause the video at any time or rewind it.

Let's take some time to think about the answer.

Okay, so let's have a look.

On the front of the micro:bit, what is used to display pictures, words, and numbers? It's A, the LED display.

Now, let's have a look at the back of the micro:bit.

There's lots of different hardware components on this physical computing device.

So there's a radio for communication.

This is for input and output.

This communicates with other micro:bits and other devices without a cable.

There's also a compass.

This is used for input.

It finds the magnetic north or measures the strength of magnetic fields.

There's also a temperature sensor used for input.

This measures how warm the surroundings are.

There's also an accelerometer for input.

This detects gestures and measures movement of the micro:bit.

So as you move it around and tilt it one way or the other, or have it face up or face down, it can measure this as an input.

Let's have a quick check.

Which one of these micro:bit hardware components could be used to find which direction is north? Is it A, radio, B, compass, C, accelerometer, or D, temperature sensor? Have a think, and remember you can rewind the video at any time or pause it to have a think about the answer.

Okay, let's have a look at the answer.

Which one of these micro:bit hardware components could be used to find which direction is north? The answer is B, compass.

It measures where the magnetic north is.

Hardware components can be useful for lots of different tasks.

Let's see what Aisha and Alex are saying.

Wireless headphones use radio waves to connect to a phone or computer, so we can listen to music without wires.

So you may have some wireless headphones that connects to your own phones or computer that you use.

A fitness tracker uses an accelerometer to count your steps and track activity levels.

So you may have a device that tracks activity levels and measures how many steps you take in a day that uses an accelerometer.

Lucas is saying ovens and fridges use temperature sensors to keep the temperature just right for cooking or keeping your food cold.

Izzy is also saying a mobile phone has a compass inside it that helps people find their way when they're using maps or navigation apps.

So these sensors are all around us in everyday life.

Aisha is adding phones use a light sensor to adjust the screen brightness automatically.

It makes the screen brighter in sunlight and dimmer in the dark to save battery.

Alex is saying similar hardware components are built into the micro:bit, so we can use them in our programmes.

Yes, Alex is right.

We're gonna be using all these hardware components throughout this unit.

Let's have a quick practise.

So here's two questions that I want you to answer.

Task A1, what is a micro:bit, and 2, how do you transfer a programme onto a micro:bit? Remember to take your time in answering.

You can rewind the video at any time or pause to have a think.

And there's a third question.

Complete the table by naming more sensors and give an example of how that hardware could be used.

So we started this table off for you.

We've got the sensor, light sensor.

The example of use for this is create a nightlight that turns on the LEDs when it gets dark.

So the next sensor we've put in there for you is temperature sensor.

Can you complete the rest of the table? Remember to have a think and pause the video, or rewind it to complete that table.

Shall we have a look at the answers? Question number one, what is a micro:bit? So the micro:bit is a tiny computer that can run a single programme at a time.

Question two, how do you get a programme onto the micro:bit? Well, you write the programme on the computer, and then you transfer it to the micro:bit using a USB cable.

Hopefully, you've got those right, but don't worry if you haven't.

We can always progress through the lesson and learn from the correct answers.

Three, complete the table by naming more hardware and giving an example of how that hardware could be used.

So this is quite a difficult question to answer, quite challenging.

Hopefully, you've got most of the table complete, but don't worry if you haven't.

So the first hardware was the light sensor that we completed for you.

Then, we gave you a temperature sensor, and the example of use could be to create a thermometer that displays the temperature on the LED display.

Yeah, it can actually put the temperature, the number of degrees of the temperature around the micro:bit onto the LED display.

Then, we put compass.

An example of use as a compass is that you can actually get an arrow on the LED display that will always point to north.

So if you move the micro:bit around, that arrow will move and always point north, and then we put accelerometer.

This can show an arrow on the LED display that points upwards when the micro:bit is held level.

If it's tilted, the arrow will point in the direction of the tilt.

So instead of the compass arrow pointing north, we could have the micro:bit tilting left and right, and the arrow on the display will point either left or right.

And then we've got radio.

So you can use this to code two micro:bits to send messages to each other wirelessly.

Yeah, so you can programme one micro:bit to send a secret message to another micro:bit, and the other micro:bit will receive it and display it on the LED display.

So hopefully, you got most of them, but don't worry if you didn't.

It's quite a challenging question, and hopefully, you'll learn from this and progress through the lesson.

But well done for getting this far.

Let's move on to the second part of the lesson.

We're going to write and run a programme on the micro:bit.

It is gonna be really good and exciting for us to do this for the first time.

We're gonna write a programme on the computer, then hopefully, if you have one available, transfer it to your micro:bit, or hopefully run it on the emulator, which is like a simulation of the micro:bit on your screen.

Lucas is saying, "I want to start to programme the micro:bit "and use some of its hardware on it." Izzy is saying, "You'll need to write a programme "using the micro:bit makecode environment." So let's have a look at that.

So micro:bit programmes are made using the makecode programming environment.

You can go to this by going to oak.

link/makecode.

If you want to, you can create your own account, so that you can save your programmes and come back to them later.

So if you do go to that link, you'll see this screen.

Different parts of the screen do different things.

So in the middle of the screen, we've got a section where we choose blocks to use in our programme.

To the right, we use the blocks in this area, in the programming area.

We join them together like a bit of a jigsaw to actually create our programmes.

Then, on the left, we've got this emulator that I mentioned.

This is where we can test the programme by running it and see the micro:bit simulate what it will do in real life if you had a real one.

Let's do a bit of a check.

Where do you drag and drop the blocks to build your micro:bit programme? Is it A, programming blocks, B, programming area, C, image of the micro:bit, D, on start block.

Have a bit of a think.

Can you remember? If not, don't worry.

You can rewind the video at any time, or you can pause it to have a think.

Should we have a look at the answer? It's the programming area.

So yeah, it's the area on the right where we drag the blocks over, and we put them together a bit like a jigsaw to create our programmes.

The micro:bit blocks are grouped together in categories.

So the part in the middle of the micro:bit programming environment, there's all these different blocks that we can use, and common blocks are used to get started.

These are called basic blocks.

They're in the Basic section.

So for example here, we've got an on start block.

To clear unwanted blocks from a programme, you need to move them to the programming blocks area.

That's not always clear.

There's no trash can or anything like that.

You've just got to drag the blocks from the programming area back to the blocks area, and they will be deleted.

So blocks should be joined together to create programmes, like this one.

So this uses the A and B buttons to complete different outputs.

So we can see there's a forever block, so this will always happen when the programme is run, and we've got if button A is pressed, display wrong on the LED display.

So the word wrong will be displayed, and then show a cross to indicate it's wrong.

If button B is pressed, then we're gonna show the word correct, and a tick icon will appear to show that it's correct.

Take some time looking at these blocks, and hopefully you can work out the programme, and think about what happens if button A is pressed and when button B is pressed.

It's two different outcomes.

Once you've understood these blocks in this programme, take some time to drag your blocks on your makecode environment from the blocks area onto the programme area, and recreate this programme in that area.

Once you've done that, you can test it on the emulator by pressing button A and button B on the micro:bit on the screen.

So Aisha is asking how to make the programme run on her micro:bit.

So in order to get the programme onto the micro:bit, it should be connected by a USB cable.

So you may have your micro:bit with you, but if you haven't, don't worry.

Okay, but this is the time that we are going to go through and connect the micro:bit to the computer.

If you haven't got a physical micro:bit with you, don't worry, because you can use the emulator on the micro:bit makecode environment.

So you should be able to see in makecode, there is a Download button.

Click on that button, and then you may have to follow prompts to pair your micro:bit, depending on if your micro:bit has been connected to your computer before or if it hasn't.

Once the micro:bit is connected, select Download.

The micro:bit yellow LED should start to quickly flash, and that LED is on the back of the micro:bit, somewhere around here.

Then, you can test your programme by physically pressing buttons A or B.

Shall we have a quick check? How do you remove all the blocks from the programming area? Is it A, shake the micro:bit, B, click on the Clear button, C, drag the blocks back to the blocks area, or D, turn the micro:bit off and on again? Remember, you could pause the video at any time or rewind it if you want to go back and take a look at the slides previously to this.

Should we take a look at the answer? How do you remove all the blocks from the programming area? So the answer is C, drag the blocks back to the blocks area, and you'll be doing this lots probably, making lots of mistakes, so you'll need to know there's no trash can or anything like that to delete your blocks.

You drag them back to the blocks area.

So well done for getting this far.

We've done lots of different things in this lesson, and hopefully we've got a programme working on the micro:bit, either physically with one in your hand, or using the emulator on screen using the micro:bit environment.

So really well done.

Lucas is asking, "This computer is tiny.

"I can wear it, hide it, embed it, and make stuff with it." Izzy's saying, "It is similar to Scratch, "as it uses programming blocks." So why would you want to programme on the micro:bit? Aisha's saying, "My programmes can use sensor data "from the environment." She's right, you can use all those sensors we talked about in the first part of the lesson.

Alex is saying, "More ways for the user to interact "with my programme than just a mouse and keyboard." Yeah, so you may have used a computer before to write programmes using things like Scratch or other block-based environments, but you probably just used your mouse or keyboard to interact with it.

But with the micro:bit, you can use lots of different ways to interact with your programmes and the micro:bit itself.

Let's have a quick check.

How do you attach the micro:bit to a computer? Is it A, by using a USB cable, B, connecting it to the Wi-Fi, C, use the buttons, or D, by looking at it? Have a think, and remember you can pause or rewind the video at any time.

Should we have a look at the answer? How do you attach the micro:bit to a computer? So the answer is A, by using a USB cable.

So well done again if you got this question correct, but don't worry if you didn't, and don't worry if you haven't got a micro:bit, a physical micro:bit with you, 'cause you can do exactly the same thing on the emulator.

Let's move on to Task B now.

Lucas understands how to use the programming area to create code and to test it.

Izzy is explaining how to run a programme on the micro:bit that makes LEDs appear when a button is pressed.

So one, give three other ways you can programme the inputs and outputs on a micro:bit.

So can you think of three other ways you can programme the inputs and outputs on a micro:bit? Maybe think of things you've done in the past in programming or using Scratch.

If something happens, or something is sensed, then you can programme the micro:bit to output in different ways.

Have a think about it.

You've done really well to get this far in the lesson.

You can pause the video at any time, or you can rewind it to different sections, even back to the first part of the lesson to see what sensors the micro:bit's got on it maybe.

Question 2, use this programme structure to create a simple programme that displays the word Happy, followed by a smiley face icon when button A is pressed.

When button B is pressed, the word Sad should be displayed, followed by an unhappy face.

So you can use the blocks that are already in your programming area and move them around, or you can delete specific blocks by dragging them back into the block area and replacing them with different blocks.

Have a little think about how you do it.

See if you can actually do it on the makecode programming environment.

Take your time.

Remember you can rewind the video and pause it as well.

Three, extend this programme, so that it can perform more actions based on different inputs.

So for example, display a message when the micro:bit is shaken, or display a shocked face when both A and B buttons are pressed, or turn off the LEDs when the logo is upright.

So can you extend this programme by adding more blocks into it? So don't create a new programme.

Use that programme structure that you had in the previous question and add to it to see if you can do, perform more actions based on the different inputs.

If you can't use anything else, use these examples.

Have a think about how you're gonna do this, and actually complete this task on the micro:bit makecode environment.

Remember, you can pause the video at any time or rewind it to help you.

Okay, let's have a look at the answers to these practise questions, and look at some feedback.

So one, give three other ways you can programme the inputs and outputs on the micro:bit.

So well done on answering this question, and you may have had to rewind the video.

It is fine.

We're not expecting you to remember everything from this lesson.

So we could say when button A is pressed, a welcome message appears on the LEDs.

We could say when button B is pressed, a smiley face icon appears on the LEDs.

Or when both buttons are pressed, a heart icon appears on the LEDs.

There's no one correct answer for this question.

It could be a variety of inputs and outputs used.

So well done.

Hopefully, you got this question correct.

Question two.

So we gave you this programme structure, and we asked about those bits covered up.

Yeah, there's parts of blocks that were covered up, so that you can't see what they were, and hopefully, you recognised that and added things.

So we asked you to display the word Happy, followed by a smiley icon when the button A is pressed.

That was given to you.

But then we said when button B is pressed, the word Sad should display, followed by an unhappy face.

So hopefully, you recognised that you had to add things into those blocks.

Well done.

Hopefully, after this, you did number three, which is very much working to extend this programme.

So you could have done a variety of things onto your programme.

You've all got different solutions for it, so well done.

That's the end of the lesson.

You did so well to go through everything we have.

We've done lots of different things.

You've obviously learned about the micro:bit, the different types of sensors and hardware on the micro:bit, and you've also programmed a micro:bit, probably maybe for the first time.

So really well done throughout this lesson.

So to summarise, hardware components can be programmed on the micro:bit to carry out different actions.

The micro:bit has buttons that can be used for input, and an LED display for output.

The micro:bit makecode website allows you to test your block-based code before downloading it to the physical device, to the micro:bit.

You can write programmes for the micro:bit and transfer them to the device using a USB cable.

That's if you have the physical micro:bit with you.

So well done on this lesson.

I've enjoyed it so much, and hopefully you've learned a lot about the components on the micro:bit, and actually programmed it to do things, which is fantastic.

Well done.