News Official BBC micro: bit app launches
Samsung has launched the official BBC micro:bit app for Android to connect the micro:bit to smartphones and tablets, allowing young people to code their micro:bit on the go whether they are in the playground, on the school bus or at home with the whole family.
The BBC micro:bit, which will be delivered free to all year 7 or equivalent students this year, is a small programmable hardware device that aims to transform a new generation from passive users of technology to creators and innovators in today’s digital world.
By connecting the BBC micro:bit to smartphones and tablets, which young people are already very comfortable with, the app will introduce them to “connected technology” and the Internet of Things. This is important as coding becomes an integral skill in today’s job market, where code is not only at the heart of technology but also at the heart of products, for example, household appliances in the connected home.
Teachers have already begun to receive their devices which come with teaching resources, off-timetable STEM activity days and hands-on projects that complement the science, maths, design & technology (D&T) and computing curriculums.
The BBC micro:bit is part of the BBC’s wider Make it Digital initiative, and has been made possible by a partnership between the BBC and over 30 partners. The project aims to improve digital literacy in the UK in light of alarming statistics, such as 1.4 million digital professionals will be needed in the next 5 years, and to inspire a new generation of digital pioneers.
The Samsung micro:bit app is free to download from Google Play:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.samsung.microbit Free micro:bit resources for teachers, parents and young people can be found here:
http://www.samsung.com/uk/microbit
Award-winning student apps launched on the market
On Thursday 4 February, seven teams of young students from across the UK come together to celebrate the launch of their award-winning apps on Google Play.
The launch followed the students’ completion of the Apps for Good course. During the course students learn digital and entrepreneurial skills by designing their very own problem solving app. The apps launched at the event were named winners of the national Apps for Good Awards in June and tackled a range of issues such as providing advice for young carers,
helping students master the periodic table, teaching young people about politics and more. After being selected as winners, the teams worked with professional development agencies to bring their apps to life. Alongside sponsors Samsung, TalkTalk, Thomson Reuters, Essence, SAP, Barclaycard and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the students showcased their products to guests and visitors in a room that was buzzing with excitement. 15 year-old Konrad from Wick High School said: “It’s been great working with a professional agency on our app, as we were treated as adults with a serious idea” and Rebecca from The Boswells School added: “The whole process was amazing, and I even got to do some of the graphic work for our educational game, My World of Atoms.”
The evening also celebrated Apps for Good’s fifth year in schools, reaching over 50,000 students in more than 1,000 schools. The event concluded with talks from co-CEO Debbie Forster and Apps for Good elected chairman, Charles Leadbeater, among others.
Guests also heard from Apps for Good Fellows & Trustee, Mohima Ahmed, who was recently named one of Elle Magazine’s 30 Under 30 to Watch for her work with the organisation, who said: “This is not just a course where you get a certificate at the end and go on your way. The fellowship that Apps for Good has created gives you so many more opportunities with everything they have to offer, the expertise, the contacts and networking.”
www.appsforgood.org
Schoolboy’s unique idea after best friend’s death inspires national road safety fundraising campaign
A fundraiser, set up by an 11 year-old after his best friend was killed while cycling, has been so successful it’s now being used across the UK by Brake, the road safety charity, to raise cash to prevent more tragedies and provide support to bereaved relatives.
Daniel Climance was just 11 when he was killed while out on a family bike ride with his dad and brother in Purton, in Wiltshire last June. Daniel’s best friend Callum Smart and his mum Claire, decided they wanted to do something positive to keep Daniel’s memory alive and so, to raise money for Brake, they launched a “virtual run” fundraising event entitled “Doing it for Dan”. Within weeks, hundreds of people had signed up across the world, all promising to run “for Dan”. Throughout 2015, 1,000 people
March 2016
ran a combined distance of 5,000 miles, raising over £20,000 for Brake’s life-saving work.
Brake, a national road safety charity dedicated to preventing road deaths and injuries and supporting those bereaved or injured in road crashes, has been so impressed with the “Doing it for Dan - Virtual Run” idea, that the community fundraising team have decided, with permission from Daniel’s family, to adopt the idea as part of their 2016 fundraising initiative.
Brake is now encouraging people to sign up to take part in their own Virtual Runs that will be taking place this May.
www.brake.org.uk/virtualrun www.education-today.co.uk 5
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