CAS Physical Computing Community

Good morning!

We’re thrilled to announce an exciting event in the CAS Physical Computing community next week: the Arduino Alvik.

Arduino Alvik -Wednesday, 14th May, 1:30 - 3:00 pm: This session is perfect for pupils eager to dive into the world of physical computing. We’ll introduce the Arduino platform, guiding your pupils through hands-on activities to explore its capabilities. They’ll learn how to connect sensors and actuators, and create simple projects that bring their ideas to life.

Register for the session here - Ardunio Alvik CAS Physical Computing Session

Today sees the opening of the CAS Physical Computing Competition.

This is a fantastic opportunity for your students to dive into the world of physical computing and tackle real-world environmental problems using the micro:bit.

Key Highlights:

Age Categories: 7-11 and 11-14
Entry Types: Coded and Non-Coded
Objective: Use a micro:bit to collect data and solve an environmental problem

To find out more about the competition, including the resources that we have developed to support teachers, please visit - Physical Computing Competition

The CAS Physical Computing Competition starts at the end of this month. Next week, the supporting web page and the resources will all go live on the CAS website. Until then, if you would like to find out more about the please use the link below to access the recording of the information webinar we hosted last month.

Thanks, Ben

Hello,

A reminder that the information webinar for our upcoming physical computing competition starts at 4 pm today. The competition is suitable for pupils aged 7-14 and involves them planning how to use the micro:bit to solve an problem in their environment (local, national or global). Join us to find out everything you need to know about the competition and the resources that we are developing to support teachers in running and entering the competition.

If you have not already registered for the session, there is still time to do so. Click on the link below to access the booking page.

Are you a computing educator in the UK who loves getting young people hands-on with physical computing or teaching through a project-based learning approach?

As part of my PhD, I am exploring how young people aged 8-14 engage with physical computing projects in both formal classroom settings (Key Stage 2 & 3) and informal extracurricular clubs, and I need your help!

looking for schools, coding clubs, and outreach workshops where students are actively involved in physical computing projects, using tools such as the BBC micro:bit, Crumbles, Raspberry Pi, LEGO Spike or WeDo.

If your students are between 8 and 14 years old, are participating in physical computing projects within lessons, workshops, or coding clubs, and you’re situated in the UK, I’d love to hear from you!

Participation is entirely voluntary and will involve:

• An observation of young people working on their physical computing projects as part of your lesson or workshop.
• Focus groups with small groups of young people to discuss their experiences, challenges, and learning journeys.
• Data collection will take place during May and June 2025.

To register your interest in being involved please complete this short form and I’ll be in touch. Physical computing project based learning in schools and coding clubs

Thank you!

Next week we have a a robotics session running in the CAS primary online community

On Tuesday 18th March, to explore the world of Primary robotics with VEX. In the webinar, we will look at VEX 123 a robot suitable for use from reception to year 6, the free online robot simulator VEX VR and discuss robotics competitions.

https://www.computingatschool.org.uk/events/2025/march/vex-primary-robotics/

Over in the forum, Charlotte has asked: Crumbles- worth purchasing? Following up with: No experience of Crumble capacity V Micro:bit. A bit of research suggests a difference in terms of complexity of programming.
Any thoughts on value for money if purchasing a set V hiring from local hub.

If anyone can offer her advice, it would be greatly appreciated. Use the link below to respond.

Graham asks: I am teaching IoT as a topic to my Year 8 pupils and want a practical example for them to build using a Pico W controlled by a mobile phone app… We have coded the Pico W to control motors on a buggy via a Kitronik robotics board and coded a working control pad app. on a mobile phone. Both work individually, but when we try to connect the two we get errors we cannot explain. I know that this can be done because we based this project on a working example we found on Youtube. My question is - has anyone done this succesfully and if so would you be happy to share your solution with me/this forum?
Post your reply here: Pico W with mobile phone control app

@Abrimi - We’re working on bringing more events in the New Year. More details coming soon!

Are there any events planned for future?

Hello,
We’re starting now! Join us for the CAS Physical Computing Community meeting, Physical Computing KS1.
Get your tea/coffee ready and click the link below to join:

Looking forward to seeing you shortly!

Reminder: Physical Computing for EYFS & KS1 – 3rd December

Don’t miss this engaging session with Primary Computing Specialist Sarah Zaman! Explore affordable physical computing toys that bring computational thinking to life in Early Years and KS1, perfectly aligned with the KS1 Computing Curriculum.

Sign up here! Physical Computing KS1

Create Retro-Style Games on the micro:bit

A new resource has just landed on our site, and it’s perfect for sparking creativity and problem-solving skills with the micro:bit!

This step-by-step guide walks you through creating retro-style games like Space Invaders, Flappy Bird, Mario Kart, and Pacman. The resource includes links to example code and additional materials to help you and your students succeed.

Hi all,

We’re starting inow! Join us for the CAS Physical Computing Community meeting, Physical Computing and Nature.

Get your tea/coffee ready and click the link below to join:

Looking forward to seeing you shortly!

Hi everyone,

Just a gentle reminder that our community meeting, Physical Computing and Nature, is happening today at 4pm.

Michael Jones will introduce exciting ways to apply computer science to carbon capture, including coding a solution to calculate the carbon stored in trees. His award-winning work on sustainability, recognised at COP28, brings together tech and environmental responsibility. You might need a right-angled triangle and a calculator!

There’s still time to join us!

Register here, if you haven’t yet: Physical Computing and Nature

We hope to see you there!

Hi everyone,

We’d like to invite you to our upcoming community meeting, Physical Computing and Nature, on 14 November at 4pm.

Michael Jones will introduce exciting ways to apply computer science to carbon capture, including coding a solution to calculate the carbon stored in trees. His award-winning work on sustainability, recognised at COP28, brings together tech and environmental responsibility. You might need a right-angled triangle and a calculator!

Register here, if you haven’t yet: Physical Computing and Nature

We hope to see you there!

If you haven’t already seen the What is…? series of videos from Arm take a look. There’s a YouTube collection (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsF934iA2BY&list=PLgyFKd2HIZlb9TQfdFx9I1mqex_N4h1ch) that may be a useful resource for older learners. There are some accompanying blogs too on the Arm Newsroom, I particularly like this one discussing XR, AR, VR and MR https://newsroom.arm.com/blog/xr-ar-vr-mr-difference

If you were unable to join us for the LEGO Robotics - What Do I Do With This Kit I’ve Got? session at the CAS Physical Computing community meeting, don’t worry! You can catch up on all the content and a recording of the session here:
Exploring Physical Computing with LEGO: From Spike Prime to Mindstorms - PC TC meeting

What’s available:

• Full session recording
• Key takeaways and discussions
• Brian’s slide deck

Join us today at 4pm. Find any LEGO robotics kits you have in your classroom / cupboards and bring one along to this session where Brian Egles will be talking us through what the kit is (if you don’t know) and giving some ideas of how you can use them and where to find free resources.

If you’re using LEGO robotics kits in your lessons / clubs please come along and share what you’re using them for!

You’ll also get a CPD certificate for attending.

https://www.computingatschool.org.uk/events/2024/october/lego-robotics-what-do-i-do-with-this-kit-ive-got

Exploring Physical Computing in Primary Schools

The “Exploring Physical Computing in Primary Schools” project is a five-year longitudinal study starting in March 2024, funded by the Micro:bit Educational Foundation, BBC, and Nominet. The research, led by Sue Sentance and Jessie Dunk at University of Cambridge, aims to investigate primary-aged children’s creativity with technology, their agency and confidence with computers (especially physical and tangible devices), and their response to physical computing lessons. It also explores teachers’ attitudes towards teaching computing with physical devices.

They are currently looking for teachers from years (3-5) to complete a short micro:bit activity with a group of pupils and complete a short set of questions afterwards. The activity requires pupils to use micro:bits; they are not required to code them.

For more information please see Sue’s Blog post.

Hi everyone! You can now catch up on our recent Physical Computing meeting. We’ve got a summary blog and a recording ready for you to check out.
Creative KS3 Computing with a micro:bit - CAS Physical Computing TC meeting

Catch up on yesterday’s CAS Secondary Community meeting, ‘Strype: Python with a blocks-like interface,’ with our summary blog post and recording.

https://www.computingatschool.org.uk/news-and-blogs/2024/june/strype-python-with-a-blocks-like-interface-in-the-browser-cas-secondary-tc-meeting

If you missed Jo’s session tonight about Spheros, Crumbles & Micro:bits you can read the summary and get the links in this blog post: Let's get physical - how to use Crumbles, Spheros & Microbits - Physical Computing TC meeting

Join Jo Hodge and I on Thursday at 4pm to get ideas on how to use your Crumbles, Spheros and Micro:bits in your classroom
https://www.computingatschool.org.uk/events/2024/may/cas-physical-computing-lets-get-physical

In the forum David asks: I wonder if anyone has experience using the Makecode Arcade device with Microbits? The gamepad isn’t too expensive (well, within my budget!), and I have loads of Microbits. There are lots of tutorials…it looks engaging…but I’ve not seen or heard many teachers using it?

Find information here about the Physical Computing community badges: CAS Physical Computing Community
The criteria have recently been updated so claim yours now

Anthony Bearon asks:
Is anyone using the “Kitronik Autonomous Robotics Platform (Buggy) for Pico 5” at GCSE level? I recently bought 2 class sets and am slowly developing resources for teaching Python. I have Pico W, and have a working prototype of controlling the robots via a web server running on the pico, “just” need to break this down into student-focused worksheets.

My resources are somewhat customised to my school, but I’d be interested to share ideas if anyone else is using these at GCSE level.

You can respond in the forum: Kitronik robot for Pico

For those who missed the meeting this week, here’s a summary of the free resources, how to claim your community badge and how to submit a resource for an Amazon voucher CAS Physical Computing Resources & Badges - TC Meeting

Here’s a blog post to summarise the meeting about the Micro:bit Playground Survey:

Evening everyone, After my very quick run through a few things Arm in today’s meeting if you’d like to know more about our free curriculum linked resources visit K-12 School Resources – Arm®
There are also links there to the (free) teacher professional development course: EdX: Teaching with Physical Computing and the (free) course aimed at KS5 EdX: Introduction to Microprocessors

Afternoon all,
If I was to get some of my wonderful colleagues at Arm to come along to one of our online sessions, present on their work & the work of Arm to you, but also record them for you to use with your learners, what would be of most use? Obviously we’d ensure that the pitch was appropriate

So far I’ve thought of…
What is the semi-conductor industry?
The lifecycle of a micro-processor from design to fabrication
What do you actually do at Arm (the eco-system, IP, an overview of some of our engineering groups and non-engineering roles)
A deep dive into…?

What would you be interested to hear about? What would your learners benefit from?

Thanks

Happy New Year everyone from the Arm School Program. We hope you managed to get some rest and relaxation over the holiday period! It was a bit of a shock to the system being back in the office for me yesterday (let alone the gym!).

I personally spent some time up skilling myself with an Arduino device… had great fun making ‘things’ for my IoT programs. Learnt so much.

I’ll mention more about it in the upcoming meetings but I’m really excited so just can’t help myself…

The Arm School Program is looking to support the design, development and dissemination of teacher resources linked to physical computing, the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and project based learning.

Between now and March 31st we’re running a resource drive to encourage teachers to share their own resources within the CAS Physical Computing Community.

The first ten teachers that author and share a resource that meets the criteria below will receive a token of thanks from the (£15 Amazon voucher), from the Physical Computing Community (maximum one per person).

Arm Physical Computing Resource Drive Criteria
• The resource is an original work, authored by the submitting teacher(s)
• The resource is shared on the CAS Physical Computing Community
• The resource includes an Arm resource drive coversheet (I’ll upload this to the documents area)
• The resource includes all the information another teacher needs to use it in their own classroom (dependent on physical equipment)
• The resource is connected to one (or more) of the Sustainable Development Goals
• The resource relies upon a physical computing device (micro:bit, RaspberryPi or Arduino devices)
• The pedagogical approach is based around the idea of project-based learning, namely that;
It is set in an authentic real world context
It centres on attempting to solve a real world problem
It includes a building element where learners make a physical product

To submit a resource in order to receive the Amazon voucher please email school@arm.com with the subject CAS Resource Drive, include a link to the resource in the thematic community and confirm that the resource satisfies the criteria above.

Respondents’ personal information and data will only be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy Privacy Policy – Arm®

Our next community meeting is on Wednesday at 4pm. At this session we will have special guests the Micro:bit Foundation who will be sharing the micro:bit playground survey

As part of the BBC micro:bit - the next gen campaign, primary school pupils can get involved in a large-scale playground survey during the summer term. Children will use the BBC micro:bit to investigate the size, biodiversity, temperature and pupil activity levels in their school playground. The survey activities will introduce pupils aged 7-11 to machine learning and working with digital data. Join us for a walk through of the exciting resources .

Sorry I won’t be able to make the session today as I’m going the HOD one. Any chance of it being recorded?

I hope to join the physical computing meeting later today if I can but in the meantime if anyone is interested we just announced a new research project relating to the long-term impact of physical computing opportunities.

Sue Sentance, University of Cambridge

We have a bumper CAS Physical Computing meeting at 4pm today with guests Preeti, Fergus and Ed where we will hear about:

• ISIS Neutron and Muon Source and physical computing - lego beamline
• Mission Zero
• First Tech Challenge

We will also explore the new resources for CAS/Arm innovation days and how you can organise and event at your school.

To join the discussion please sign up at:
https://www.computingatschool.org.uk/events/2023/november/cas-physical-computing-working-group-meeting

The next full CAS/Arm meeting includes special guests Kitronik who will be sharing case studies with schools and sharing best practice for physical computing.

We also welcome the UESF who will be sharing initiatives for girls into computing through the use of their various programmes aroud the Arduino as well as some A Level resources in collaboration with the University of Southampton.

We’ll also be providing details about an upcoming CAS/Arm physical computing innovation day and how you can get involved.

Book your place:

Hey Pete, any updates on anyone else who has gained their Engager PC Badge. May be you can remind us how get one?

Another micro:bit event - creating a metal detector and getting pupils active: micro:bit - creating a metal detector and getting active

A new session exploring the Pico:ed - Introducing the Pico:ed - making music

Hi all, delighted to put on this event with some great resources to share - a focus on using radio and data logging with the micro:bit to explore networks & code breaking Cracking codes with the micro:bit

In case you missed the cross-curriculuar and KS4/5 sub-group meetings you can find the slides shared here: Physical Computing (x-curriculuar and KS4/5) sub-group files

A reminder the KS4/5 CAS/Arm physical computing meeting is on this afternoon - details here: Physical Computing at KS4 & KS5 sub-group meeting

Sharing an idea. Physical computing is one excellent opportunity to develop learners’ skills in aspects of mathematics, data science (aka statistics) and computing which underpin engineering, science and technology, and encourage creativity, innovation and problem-solving. What I hope is that sme of us can work on building on this to create a technological education and skills core for the KS2 and KS3 curriculum. This is non-statutory and certainly not an examination syllabus. It is meant as an offering which schools can adopt in order to demonstrate to Ofsted their commitment to making the curriculum broader, more relevant and challenging for all learners 8-14, across the UK. It would be in line with the OECD 2030 Learning Framework, and offere accreditation for coursework using Project Based Learning. Interested? Adrian

Congratulations to Carol Murray for gaining her Engager PC badge. A lovely resource uploaded around the Sphero Sphero Twister and Challenges. Don’t forget to claim your badge from here: CAS - Arm Physical Computing

Hi all, reminder that the KS4/5 Physical Computing meeting is coming up on Tuesday 18th Oct. The booking link is here: Physical Computing at KS4 & KS5 sub-group meeting

I wanted to provide you with some brief updates with regards to the CAS-Arm physical computing opportunities.

Firstly, our next meeting is on the 4th October at 4pm with special guest Dr Mark Basham:
CAS Physical Computing Working Group meeting inc. collecting scientific data. It would be wonderful to see many of you there.

Secondly, at this meeting we will be share details of some new CAS badges that you can earn, showing your commitment to your continued development with physical computing. You can find out more here:

I’m also providing some links to some upcoming code-along events:

micro:bit

Pico

I do hope you have had an enjoyable start to the new term and I look forward to seeing you soon.

Best wishes

Some new code-along opportunities for micro:bit listed in this section. First up it’s: Micro:bit code-along - You've got this!

Delighted to welcome the Rosalind Franklin Institute to our next meeting - book your place here: CAS Physical Computing Working Group meeting

The next Physical Computing working group meeting is the 15th June with special guests the Micro:bit Foundation. Don’t forget to book your place here: CAS Physical Computing Working Group

The Arm School Program (ASP) and the National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE) is hosting a full day STEM Physical Computing competition on July 8th at DCI2 on the Science Park in Cambridge. Teams from schools across the county will compete to build a micro satellite to meet specific objectives. If you are in Cambridgeshire and want to get involved please sign up here: Invitation only - Innovation day for schools in Cambs / N. Northants NCCE hub area | STEM

Hi all, some thoughts after the meeting last week, feel free to share any of your thoughts. Physical Computing – the importance of context & PBL

Just to let you know that the slides from the meeting last week are available here: CAS Physical Computing Working Group launch (bottom of the page)

You can find the slides from the keynote speaker here: Remote Cubed - Contextual approaches for Physical Computing

Just introducing myself. I’m Marc and work for the Raspberry Pi Foundation, so feel free to ask any questions about RPi kit and PC.

To help keep track of posts in this forum and other . Look at installing an app on your phone. Discourse - 'A funny thing happened on the way to the forum'

Hi @MarcScott,

Sorry to hear you’re having problems registering for this event. I’ve added you myself this morning. If this issue persists or you are no longer able to attend then please let me know.

Many thanks,

Felicity

Get in touch with
Robert Leeman

physicalcomputing@computingatschool.org.uk

Does this work for you?

Stuart

Hi, I would be interested in joining the Working Group, but the Join Now! link on the page directs to a “Page Not Found”

For discussion -
Primary ….definitely Primary.

New micro:bit CPD hot off the press!https://microbit.thinkific.com/

The list of ‘initiatives’ is vey much up for debate! Please comment if you want to get involved in one or want to suggest something else the group may wish to focus on:

• Developing engaging PC/PBL resources (single projects to a template)
• Getting started with Physical Computing CPD (attending or delivering at CAS events)
• Report on how PBL is currently used in schools
  • % of schools currently using PC/PBL
  • Training needs in schools K-12
  • Access to hardware
• What makes an engaging context?
• Special needs focussed resources/projects/contexts
• A deep dive into the ASP schema for PC/PBL
• Developing A Level CS PBL projects
• Developing GCSE CS PBL projects
• Creating Culturally Responsive projects
• Online workshops to support teachers
• Case studies on best practice in applying PC/PBL in Computing
• Case study of using Physical Computing to teach GCSE CS/KS3
• CAS PBL Innovation day(example here)
• CAS PBL in a box (for CAS community leaders)
• Ongoing coaching and support in applying PBL in the classroom
• A joint project with CSTA PBL WG

Launch blog for the group: The new CAS Physical Computing Working Group