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Tech in the Wild: STEELS with BBC micro:bit

PETE&C | February 11, 2025

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Join Us On Mentimeter

Go to menti.com

Code: 1430 1930

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Stacie Isenberg

Curriculum Specialist | STEM PoC | Career Readiness

sisenberg@iu28.org

Kelsey Derringer

Amanda Jeane Strode

CEO & Co-founder

kelsey@codejoy.org

Director of Learning

amandajeane@codejoy.org

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The STEELS came with some big shifts.

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Shifts in the anatomy of the standards…

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What are students DOING?

What should students KNOW?

How are students THINKING?

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What are students DOING?

What should students KNOW?

How are students THINKING?

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Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI)

3.1 Life Science

Structure and Function

Growth and Development of Organisms

Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms

Information Processing

Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems

Cycles of Matter and Energy

Transfer in Ecosystems

Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience

Social Interactions and Group Behavior

Inheritance of Traits

Variation of Traits

Evidence of Common Ancestry and Diversity

Natural Selection

Adaptation

Biodiversity and Humans

3.2 Physical Science

Structure and Properties of Matter

Chemical Reactions

Nuclear Processes

Forces and Motion

Types of Interactions

Definitions of Energy

Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer

Relationship Between Energy and Forces

Energy in Chemical Processes and Everyday Life

Wave Properties

Electromagnetic Radiation

Information Technologies and Instrumentation

3.3 Earth and Space Science

The Universe and Its Stars

Earth and the Solar System

The History of Planet Earth

Earth Materials and Systems

Plate Tectonics and Large-Scale Interactions

The Role of Water in Earth’s Surface Processes

Weather and Climate

Biogeology

Natural Resources

Natural Hazards

Human Impact on Earth System

3.4 Environmental Literacy and Sustainability

Agricultural and Environmental Systems and Resources

Agricultural Systems

Environment and Society

Watersheds and Wetlands

Environmental Literacy Skills

Investigating Environmental Issues

Environmental Experiences

Evaluating Solutions

Sustainability and Stewardship

Environmental Sustainability

Environmental Stewardship

Environmental Justice

3.5 Technology and Engineering

Applying, Maintaining, and Assessing Technological Products and Systems

Impacts of Technology

Influence of Society on Technological Development

Design in Technology and Engineering Education

Integration of Knowledge, Technologies, and Practices

Nature and Characteristics of Technology and Engineering

Core Concepts of Technology and Engineering

History of Technology

KNOW

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Asking questions and defining problems.

Developing and using models.

Planning and carrying out investigations.

Analyzing and interpreting data.

Using mathematics and computational thinking.

Constructing explanations and designing solutions.

Engaging in argument from evidence.

Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information.

Science & Engineering Practices (SEP)

DO

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Patterns

Cause and Effect

Structure and Function

Systems and System Models

Stability and Change

Scale, Proportion, and Quantity

Energy and Matter

Crosscutting Concepts (CCC)

Systems Thinking

Creativity and Innovation

Making and Doing

Critical Thinking

Optimism

Collaboration

Communication

Ethics

Technology & Engineering Practices (T&EP)

*T&E standards have Technology & Engineering Practices (TEP) instead of CCCs.

THINK

THINK

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Multidimensional Learning

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3.4.3-5.C Environmental Literacy and Sustainability

Students who demonstrate understanding can examine ways you influence your local environment and community by collecting and displaying data.

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Shifts in the way we approach instruction…

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Practices not practice

A focus on practices (in the plural) avoids the mistaken impression that there is one distinctive approach common to all science—a single “scientific method.”

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2012. A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

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So what does that have to do with the micro:bit?

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What is a micro:bit?

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A perfect tool for the practices

  • Built-in sensors
    • Data collection
    • Real-world interactions
  • Simple programming
    • Block-based
    • 3rd-12th grades
  • Engineering design
    • Physical making
    • Problem-solving

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Demo - Sensor Circus

Use the micro:bit to compare light, temp, and sound readings around the room.

Light: 0-255

Temp: °C

Sound: 0-255

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MULTIDIMENSIONAL PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION:

3.4.3-5.C Environmental Literacy and Sustainability

Students who demonstrate understanding can examine ways you influence your local environment and community by collecting and displaying data.

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  1. Asking questions and defining problems.
  2. Developing and using models.
  3. Planning and carrying out investigations.
  4. Analyzing and interpreting data.
  5. Using mathematics and computational thinking.
  6. Constructing explanations and designing solutions.
  7. Engaging in argument from evidence.
  8. Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information.

What are students DOING?

Science & Engineering Practices

  1. Patterns
  2. Cause and Effect
  3. Structure and Function
  4. Systems and System Models
  5. Stability and Change
  6. Scale, Proportion, and Quantity
  7. Energy and Matter

How are students THINKING?

Crosscutting Concepts - CCC

Systems Thinking

Creativity and Innovation

Making and Doing

Critical Thinking

Optimism

Collaboration

Communication

Ethics

How are students THINKING?

Technology & Engineering Practices

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Performance Expectation

Do

Know

Think

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3.4.3-5.C Environmental Literacy and Sustainability

Students who demonstrate understanding can examine ways you influence your local environment and community by collecting and displaying data.

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10 min

Trash Counter Activity

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directions

  1. Use the micro:bit to count something in the room
    1. A button counts up
    2. B button counts down
    3. A+B resets to 0
  2. Answer Questions in Mentimeter
    • Go to menti.com
    • Code: 1430 1930

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WRAP UP

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Performance Expectation

Do

Know

Think

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STEELS isn’t just for science class

3.4.3-5.C Environmental Literacy and Sustainability

Students who demonstrate understanding can examine ways you influence your local environment and community by collecting and displaying data.

Local Connection

Explore local flora and fauna, invasive species, runoff sources.

Math Perspective

How big IS the Pacific Garbage Patch?

(Map it out)

Community Interview

What was it like here when you were a kid? How has it changed?

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Going Further -

micro:bit ecosystem

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Q&A

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Resources

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PETE&C SUMMITS SURVEY

Please complete this survey as part of your experience in the STEELS Summit