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LittleBits @ Bald Face Public School

 

 

Bald Face Public School

Bald Face Public School opened in 1949. It is close to Bald Face Point, bound on three sides by waterways and bays off the Georges River in Sydney's south and has a current enrolment of 270 students. We believe that each child has the right to a safe and secure learning environment where students can "Strive to Excel" at a personal level. We are passionate about learning and providing quality education for the whole child.

LittleBits Electronic Building Blocks

LittleBits are small colour-coded electronic building blocks. Each block is magnetic so they snap together and pull apart easily and they are completely reusable. The colour coding makes identifying the function of each block simple:

  • Blue - power (a single 9v battery supplied in each kit)
  • Pink - input (getting data from surroundings such as temperature, sound and pressure)
  • Green - output (motors, buzzers, lights)
  • Orange - changers (splitters, connecting wires, branches)

Put them together in all kinds of different ways to create working electric circuits. They are ideal for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) projects and Makerspaces.
They come in a variety of different kits:

  • Base
  • Premium
  • Gizmos and gadgets

The above kits are suitable for students aged 8+. The Arduino Coding and Synth Kits are for students aged 14+. The best bit about littleBits is - NO additional software required!

LittleBits in action!

First steps

As with any new tool or resource, you need to get to know it yourself. So my best advice is to take it home over the weekend and have a tinker. Begin with the simple starter ideas and gadgets in the littleBits booklet. There is one in each kit and they are also available in PDF form from the littleBits website. Make a poster of the colour code chart for your classroom wall to help students remember which bit performs which function.

So many littleBits!

Useful links and resources

Yammer Groups - NSW Teachers supporting teachers

Twitter:

Books and other resources:

 

 

Stage Suggestion: 1 through 6

For further information contact the T4L team: T4LNews@det.nsw.edu.au

Student responses

The student response to littleBits is very positive. In particular, the girls in class are engaged in a way that I had rarely seen in previous practical learning sessions. The littleBits encourage a high degree of experimentation, trial and error and risk-taking, as students did not automatically know what would happen when certain pieces were combined in various ways.

When asked about their first experience using littleBits in the classroom these were some of their responses:

- "It was fun! I want to do it again!" - Alexia

- "I thought at first it would be difficult. But it wasn't." - Angelina

- "Every class should use littleBits. You can be so creative with them!" - Olivia

- "At first some of the things we tried didn't really work, so we had to find other ways to solve our problems. Mixing the littleBits with crafty stuff and Lego was lots of fun!" - Mia

Students working with littleBits

Tips & Tricks in the ET4L environment

  1. I would definitely recommend that anyone starting out with littleBits get a mixture of the base and premium kits. That way you get a greater variety of bits at a slightly lower cost. Although you might like to purchase some extra 9 Volt Batteries as each kit only contains one. They do last well, but without one, the bits won't work at all.
  2. One kit between two students is the minimum.
  3. Make sure you have a variety of other craft materials handy. Items such as coloured paper, cardboard rolls, sticky tape, pipe cleaners and paddle pop sticks. They help the students extend their ideas and turn their imaginary creations into reality.
  4. At times the magnetic connections between the bits can be sensitive to movement and any separation stops the circuit. It is a good idea to purchase some littleBits 'shoes' to clip onto each join between bits. There are 12 shoes in a pack.

Linking it to the curriculum

My year 4 class used littleBits to explore the rotation of the Earth and Moon when covering the Earth and Space strand of the new Science K-10 syllabus. They created a working model where the
light was the sun at a fixed point and the Earth spun on its axis while the Moon rotated around the earth. (http://bit.ly/LBScienceProj)

Also in Science, exploring the Products strand, students were asked to create a product for a particular group of people or purpose. A pair of students created a teddy bear whose heart glowed and whose body vibrated. Their target audience was a young child. (http://bit.ly/LBplp)

When exploring how people celebrate various special days in the History unit "Community and Remembrance" students created a Ferris wheel using littleBits combined with Lego and craft
materials. (http://bit.ly/LBFerrisWheel)

LittleBits can also be used in Mathematics. Students create an inch worm with bits and cardboard. They predict, measure and average how far the inchworm moves. They can extend this into
using inchworms with different lengths of cardboard, timing how long they take to travel a particular distance and graphing results. (http://bit.ly/LBMaths)

I like to link my littleBits projects with personal learning journals, thereby combining science, technology, history or mathematics with literacy as well.

LittleBits in the classroom

About the Author

I have been teaching in NSW public schools for 23 years. I am currently a stage 2 teacher at Bald Face Public School.
My interests are literacy with a keen focus on creative and imaginative writing, but I enjoy integrating technology into all Key Learning Areas. My next area of exploration is linking littleBits with MakeyMakey, turning conductive objects into triggers that control a circuit. I would also love to introduce 3D printing to my class and have them create items which they can incorporate into their Makerspace. - Merryn Whitfield

Safety considerations

When using any technology in the classroom please make sure you:

  • Read/comply with all manufacturer’s instructions for safe use
  • Observe and comply with age range recommendations
  • Consult your school's WHS representative
  • Consult the Equipment Safety in Schools (ESIS) register to check for implementation advice.

NSW DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION - INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DIRECTORATE