Tokyo Tech Fund supports micro:bit workshop for youngsters

Tokyo Tech utilizes a portion of the generous contributions made to the Tokyo Tech Fund to organize events for the wider community. One area of focus is science education support, which aims to develop intellectual creativity among elementary, middle, and high school students with the help of resources available at the Institute.

In line with this policy, faculty, staff and students organize approximately 20 activities supported by the fund every year. In late 2018, a programming workshop was held for elementary school students and their guardians.

Hands-on micro:bit class for elementary school children and guardians

On December 9, eight 4th graders and their guardians gathered at Tokyo Tech High School of Science and Technology for a programming workshop using micro:bit, an open source hardware ARM-based embedded system designed by the British Broadcasting Corporation for use in computer education.

At the start of the workshop, each child-guardian pair where provided with two micro:bit modules which they could freely experiment with. Throughout the session, teams worked together on simple code, displaying letters on their microcomputers, using temperature and acceleration sensors, and executing wireless communication between child and guardian.

Japan plans to implement programming as part of elementary school education starting in FY2020, and the micro:bit workshops are a part of efforts by Tokyo Tech High School of Science and Technology to prepare both children and their guardians for this change. The goal is to have younger and older generations work together and as a result develop a deeper understanding of modern integrated learning.

• Tokyo Institute of Technology Fund
• Tokyo Tech High School of Science and Technology
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