Unit 4B - (Option B) Creating Apps with Devices (micro:bit)

This unit emphasizes the interactions between inputs and outputs on the micro:bit and an app screen. On their micro:bit, students learn to control inputs like buttons and outputs like the LED Screen. Students also interact with inputs and outputs in App Lab, such as buttons and text inputs and dropdowns. By the end of the chapter, students will be able to create an app that controls a device, similar to many "smart" hardware they may experience in their day-to-day lives.

Goals:

• Design and build a physical computing device that integrates physical inputs and outputs with digital apps.
• Create app prototypes that use a physical device to control a digital app.

• What inputs and outputs are available on a physical device?
• What inputs and outputs are available on an app?
• How can we create apps that use a physical device to control a digital app?

In this chapter, students focus on how their physical device can interact with the outside world. They learn how to use sensors and the accelerometer to react to the physical environment. They learn to attach external LEDs and buttons that extend the types of devices they can make. Throughout the unit, students use physical materials like paper or cardboard to extend the functionality of their devices. By the end of the unit, students will have created an interactive art project and developed a prototype for a physical device that solves a problem.

Goals:

• Design and build a physical computing device that integrates sensors with digital apps.
• Create app prototypes that use a physical device to solve real-world problems.
• Use physical computing to solve problems in fun and innovative ways.

• How can a physical device use sensors to react to a physical environment?
• How can simple hardware be used to develop innovative new products?