BBC Learning and Tynker have unveiled the Doctor Who: HiFive Inventor Coding Kit, designed to aid children in learning to code, all with the help of the voice of the Thirteenth Doctor!
Created in collaboration by BBC Learning and Tynker, the HiFive Inventor is an Internet of Things-enabled hand-shaped mini-computer. This device is designed to inspire children to learn to code, through teaching them how to control robots, or interface with IoT systems to investigate the world around them.
The HiFive Inventor aims to provide students with coding knowledge which they can combine with their imagination and creativity to help them tackle global opportunities and challenges, such as environmental changes and health and wellness to positively impact the lives of others.
Included in the Doctor Who: HiFive Inventor Coding Kit are two Tynker courses narrated by the Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) made up of twenty guided lessons. As a self-proclaimed inventor, the Doctor will surely make for an excellent teacher as she guides students through learning to control a robot, code and pilot an alien spaceship, building an intergalactic weather station, and programming an exotic musical instrument.
The Thirteenth Doctor narrates one course designed for beginners, (Planet of Adventure) which uses Tynker visual Block Coding, as well as another for more advanced students (The Book of Brilliant Inventions) which uses MicroPython.
The HiFive Inventor itself comes with built in WiFi and Bluetooth technologies. Students will be able to read data from the on-board suite of sensors, as well as program on-device decisions to display results using the LED-matrix display. The HiFive Inventor is powered by a robust SiFive processor, and comes with an illuminated USB cable, battery pack, and edge connectors to allow for expandability to a range of additional sensors and devices.
