The BBC has announced ambitious plans to give every year seven child in the country a free micro:bit computer. The micro:bit sees the BBC following in the wake of the Raspberry Pi, providing a cheap, low-powered board that aims to introduce children to coding.
The micro:bit initiative has echoes of the BBC Micro, the Beeb-sponsored computer of the early 1980s which became one of the first computers in many school classrooms. Whilst the government subsidised the cost of the BBC Micro back in the 1980s, this time around the BBC and its partners plan to give away up to a million of the devices, enough for every 11 or 12 year old (year seven pupil) in the UK.
"Channelling the spirit of the Micro for the digital age, the BBC micro:bit will inspire a new generation in a defining moment for digital creativity here in the UK," claims the BBC's Director General, Tony Hall. "All you need is your curiosity, creativity and imagination – we’ll provide the tools. This has the power to be transformative for the UK. The BBC is one of the few organisations in the world that could convene something on this scale, with such an unprecedented partnership at its core."
The micro:bit may be 18 times more powerful than the BBC Micro of the 1980s, but it's by no means a powerhouse by modern standards: its specification even pales in comparison to the £30 Raspberry Pi 2. It has a 32-bit ARM Cortex M0 CPU, no display output, and no expandable storage. Indeed, it's more of a controller than a standalone computer, and could even be a companion device for the popular Pi.
The 4cm x 5cm board includes a matrix of 25 red LEDs, two programmable buttons, a motion detector, a magnetometer (or digital compass), as well as Bluetooth and five I/O rings for connecting to other devices and sensors. BBC demonstrations show the device being used as a controller for tablets, to keep score during games, and as a volume control for music equipment. The BBC will launch dedicated software for the micro:bit that will allow children to program the device using a PC, mobile or tablet.
The bbc:micro will support Microsoft's Touch Develop language, JavaScript, Python, C++ and Blocks. Programs are sent to a central server where they are compiled for the micro:bit, before being downloaded and flashed onto the device via Bluetooth.
The BBC says it will distribute the micro:bit to pupils in schools in October, giving teachers time to "build this into lesson plans for the rest of the academic year". The big question is whether teachers will have the skills to teach pupils how to use the device, which the BBC appears to be unofficially shoe-horning into the year seven curriculum.
Keen to ensure it's not seen to be stepping on commercial toes, the BBC says it will open source the technical spec of the device, allowing companies to manufacture and sell the device themselves. The partnership will also create a non-profit company to "oversee and drive the micro:bit legacy".
Partners on the project include Microsoft, British chip design firm ARM, Samsung and Barclays.
