Yesterday the new BBC micro:bit 2016 was launched. Over a million were given to Year 7 students in the UK for them to take home and keep – just in time for the Easter break! The tiny device can be plugged into a computer and programmed to do all sorts of cool stuff and is designed to teach children about basic coding, which is something that is applied way more than you realise in the real world  (a bit like Linux); coffee machines, cars….. its not just computers you know.

We first came across the new micro:bit at Over the Air 2015 when we instantly wanted one to play around with! The micro:bit is not commercially available as of yet… the BBC are considering selling it in the future which may help it be as popular as the Raspberry Pi.

Having hired apprentices we know that computer studies in schools haven’t really cut it for real world applications – our former apprentices were mainly self taught at home. Some of us at Dogsbody Technology are old enough to remember the first BBC micro in the 1980’s and how it changed our lives. Hopefully the BBC’s attempt at reviving their success will help the next generation of computer geeks.

Dogsbody Technology looks forward to working with and hopefully employing the future generation.