One million 11-year-olds in the UK are getting a great gift from the BBC in September: a computer. According to BBC News on March 12, the devices, called Micro Bits, are actually more like mini-computers, since they’re more comparable to other single-board computers than anything else.
The Micro Bits will be given to students who are starting secondary school in the fall. The purpose of handing out these devices is to help bridge the digital skills gap in the UK. As noted by BBC News, over the next five years, it’s projected the UK will need 1.4 million digital professionals . Currently, they aren’t projected to meet that demand.
Along with giving out the computers, BBC is launching coding-based programs and activities, including a drama that is based off the game “Grand Theft Auto.”
The goal is to teach the kids to learn or to code. Along with Microsoft, Google, TeenTech and various other organizations, BBC is hoping to head off the shortage of tech-savvy individuals by getting them started young. The organization launched a similar program in the 1980s when it distributed Micro computers .
The computers will be compatible with three programming languages:C++, Python and Touch Develop. With the device, children will be able to create basic games and can create text via LED lights. The tiny devices, which are currently still being developed, will have a bluetooth link giving it the ability to hook up to other devices.
But BBC isn’t trying to break into the tech market. According to the device’s developer, Garth Stockdale, “The BBC’s role is to bring focus to the issue, and then we will withdraw from the market.” Once the first million Micro Bits are distributed, that’s the end of that.
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