Micro:greens! Place-Based Learning With Micro:bit

Purpose & objective

The goal of this presentation is for educators to get their hands on the Micro:bit and learn all the various ways that it can be integrated into their curriculum. In particular, this session focuses on land-based learning, guiding teachers on how they can connect with the environment around their schools to make ecology curriculum more immersive for their students. Educators will leave having reflected on how the technology and the natural resources that they have access to can be combined in the classroom.

Outline

1) Introduction: Connecting technology to the natural world (15 minutes)
1a) Who we are
1b) What is land-based learning?
2) Introduction to the Micro:bit and its sensors (10 minutes)
3) Activity: Tracking plant growth with Micro:bit (15 minutes)
3a) Coding the Micro:bit
3b) Experiment with the Micro:bit’s temperature and light sensors
3c) How can we take this activity further?
4) Reflection: How can you bring land-based learning into your classroom? (10 minutes)
5) Resources (5 minutes)
6) Questions (5 minutes)

Supporting research

Micro:bit resources:
- Makecode: https://makecode.microbit.org/
- Classroom: https://classroom.microbit.org/
- Lessons: https://microbit.org/teach/lessons/
- Do Your Bit: https://microbit.org/teach/do-your-bit/
- Research: https://microbit.org/impact/research/

Supporting research:
- https://etfofnmi.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Book_Land-Acknowledgement.pdf
- https://www.edcan.ca/articles/land-based-learning/
- https://en.ccunesco.ca/idealab/indigenous-land-based-education
- https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/76954/1/Cole_Lisa_201706_MT_MTRP.pdf
- https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2593968.2610449
- https://microbit.org/teach/lessons/helping-plants-grow/
- https://microbit.org/projects/make-it-code-it/environment-data-logger/