Tuesday, January 19, 2016

The BBC Microbit and other UK Edtech News #bett

Every Classroom Matters episode 205

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis

Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter

The BBC Microbit is making its way into the hands of 1 million UK students. With BETT kicking up this week in the UK, learn the UK edtech news from teacher Mark Martin. From tools that he’s excited about, to the new Computer Science curriculum in the UK, Mark shares his views on edtech. Listen now.

Mark Martin BBC microbit UK edtech

Essential Questions: The BBC Microbit and other UK Edtech News

  • What are they teaching in the new UK Computer Science curriculum?
  • What are some education technologies UK educators are discussing?
  • Thoughts on the shift from an exam culture to a creation culture.
  • The BBC Microbit and what it will mean to kids in the UK.
With the new UK Computer Science curriculum expecting that all students five years old and up will learn computational thinking, the UK is counting on coding. If you’re not sure, the recent investment of London in a gaming festival, should show you just how serious the country is about the innovation that comes from kids who code. (They want to make the city the “world’s game development capital.”)

But the transition to Computer Science is not without its struggles for many teachers. One has to wonder with this investment in coding and kids, if the UK is setting off for another great age of exploration. Coding is important. I wonder how long it will take every school to wake up and realize this. Computer code is the language of innovation, creation, and exploration. (It also prints money when it is successful.)

Educator Resources from this Episode

Students have to buy into the teacher before they buy into the learning. Mark Martin

Technical skills will get you the interview but soft skills will get you the job. Mark Martin

You gotta relate before you create because you can’t build learning on hate. Vicki Davis

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UK edtech & teaching

The post The BBC Microbit and other UK Edtech News #bett appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher helping educators be excellent every day. Meow!

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