Getting acquainted

micro-bit getting started

So I’m sitting at my desk faced with a micro:bit. I have to confess I have been putting off this day for a long time. Working as a graphic designer for the last few years I have been able to dance around the periphery of the products we design and sell, making them look pretty exciting, but never actually having a clue really what they do let alone how they work!

Its time however that I fully embrace the techy world in which I work and grabbing a loose micro:bit off my colleague’s desk honestly seems like one of the best places to start. It apparently is so user friendly, my 3 year old daughter has had a go, so I really ought to be able to get my head around this! I thought it would be fun to document my journey from total novice to potentially fully fledged technical pro in this blog.

Right, armed with a fresh cup of tea, can I actually get it to switch on?!

It turns out to be less intimidating than I thought and greets me with a ‘hello’. This is promising. It’s friendly.

It starts flashing with an A followed by an arrow. I hadn’t realised but the two buttons either side of the display are labelled A and B and I’m guessing it wants me press ‘A’. I duly submit and I get rewarded with a nice pattern. Arty, I like that! Same goes for button B.  Then it commands me to shake it! OK let’s live on the edge.  Amazing, the motion sensors reflect the movement as I shake it. This is actually beginning to impress me. Straight after that it’s a game ‘chase the dot’. Reminds me a little of the game snake on my old nokia. I feel a bit like this micro:bit is trying to win me over with a medley of its tricks! I seem to have pleased it, I get a congratulatory ‘Great!’ before I am instructed to ‘Now get coding’.

I think we have bonded.

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