@inproceedings{hartley2024meet,
author = {Hartley, Kobi and Rubegni, Elisa and Underwood, Lorraine and Finney, Joe and Ball, Thomas and Hodges, Steve and Anderson, Eric and de Halleux, Peli and Devine, James and Moskal, Michal},
title = {Meet MicroCode: a Live and Portable Programming Tool for the BBC micro:bit},
organization = {ACM},
booktitle = {23rd annual ACM Interaction Design and Children (IDC) Conference},
year = {2024},
month = {June},
abstract = {Physical computing has emerged as an effective approach to introducing computing and coding to students. One of the most popular enabling tools is the BBC micro:bit, well-known for its positive impact on teaching programming and driving engagement in the classroom. We extend these benefits by developing a new approach to coding with micro:bit: MicroCode. Unlike other experiences, MicroCode couples the micro:bit with a low-cost handheld accessory to enable live and portable programming via an on-device visual programming language; no separate host computer is needed. We present the design of MicroCode and the findings of a study in which we investigated teachers’ perspectives and children’s experiences. We interviewed five primary school teachers and evaluated MicroCode with 60 children aged 10-11. Our findings show that MicroCode raised children’s engagement and stimulated the development of a strong sense of agency, while teachers felt empowered to adopt situated and cross-curricular learning approaches.},
publisher = {ACM},
url = {http://approjects.co.za/?big=en-us/research/publication/meet-microcode-idc2024/},
}