micro:bit Challenge: Addressing the UN Global Goals

Prerequisites

• The educator should have some knowledge of micro:bit.
• Learners should have had some previous experiences with coding (Scratch or Blockly).
• Educator should review the UN’s Global Goals.

Technology

• micro:bit (1 per learner)
• Computers or a device capable of pairing to micro:bit

Introduction

There are some great lessons from World’s Largest Lesson.

Choose a lesson or two to explain the Global Goals.

Here are some suggestions:

• View “Malala Introducing the World’s Largest Lesson” (6 minutes)
• Read the Comics Uniting Nations: Heroes for Change
• This is a 60-90 minute lesson explaining the goals

The UN’S Global Goals include:

1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all
4. Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure access to water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all
8. Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment, and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources
15. Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote just, peaceful, and inclusive societies
17. Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development

Ask: “How could using technology make the world a better place to live?”

Review the following functions of the micro:bit:

• Programmable LEDs
• Programmable buttons
• Physical connection pins
• Light sensor
• Temperature sensor
• Motion sensors:
  Compass and Accelerometer
• Wireless Communication: Radio
• USB interface

Hold a discussion about which goals the micro:bit and coding technology could address.

Review past winners of micro:bit Global Challenge projects.

Activity

Independently or in collaborative groups, have learners create a ‘paper’ prototype that addresses one of the 17 goals.

If learners are struggling to come up with an idea, the educator can narrow down the goals. Goal suggestions could include:

• Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
• Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation
• Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable
• Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
• Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources

See assessment rubrics.

Coding & Design

Use one of micro:bit’s lesson plans to help bring your prototype to life.

English

• While exploring the Sustainable Development Goals, learners can sketch their ideas. Check out ‘Sustainable Development Goals Sketchnote Project #SDGSketch — Mauro xLontrax Toselli’.
• Who can you think of who is working on one of the UN's aims? Choose a person who is devoted to one of these goals, do some research, and create a short presentation about this person's work to share with the class.

Math

Explore ‘Children and the Sustainable Development Goals - UNICEF DATA’. Click on “Data by Topic & Country” (top left) and explore Gender & Education.

Note: A lot of this data is complex, but it would be good for learners to gain insights into what data is being collected and how it is being used. Learners can view a variety of graphs in these data collections.

Tech & Society (Tech & the Environment)

Class discussion or journal prompt regarding the positive and negative environmental impact of technology:

• Explore ‘Digital Technologies are Part of the Climate Change Problem’ (ICT Works, 2020) & ‘How Green is Your Smartphone?’ (Greenpeace.org)
• Explore positive contributions of technology such as ‘Renewable Energy 101’ (National Geographic)

Data (Data and its uses)

Describe how data is used to make predictions about the world (see Math Extension).

MakeCode Reference Guide
https://makecode.microbit.org/reference

micro:bit Tutorial Series Part 1: Getting Started
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIW_6rxYNBg

micro:bit by BBC - Creative Classroom Tips for Educators
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pR_AapxVudM

World’s Largest Lesson
http://worldslargestlesson.globalgoals.org/introduce-the-global-goals/

Mala Introducing the World’s Largest Lesson video
https://vimeo.com/138852758

Comics Uniting Nations: Heroes for Change:
https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/53587356/heroes-for-change

World’s Largest Lesson: Global Goals
http://cdn.worldslargestlesson.globalgoals.org/2018/06/What-World-Do-You-Want-in-2030-Lesson-Plan.pdf

micro:bit Global Challenge
https://microbit.org/do-your-bit

Sustainable Development Goals Sketchnote Project #SDGSketch — Mauro xLontrax Toselli
https://www.maurotoselli.com/blog/sustainable-development-goals-sketchnote-project-sdgsketch

micro:bit Lesson Plans
https://microbit.org/lessons/

Children and the Sustainable Development Goals - UNICEF DATA
https://data.unicef.org/children-sustainable-development-goals/
https://data.unicef.org/topic/gender/gender-disparities-in-education/

Digital Technologies are Part of the Climate Change Problem (ICT Works, 2020)
https://www.ictworks.org/digital-technologies-climate-change-problem/#.XwdSwyhKjIU

How Green is Your Smartphone? (Greenpeace.org)
https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/how-green-is-your-smartphone/

Renewable Energy 101 | National Geographic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kUE0BZtTRc

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