BBC Learning has teamed up with online learning platform Tynker to create the HiFive Inventor Coding Kit: A Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled Internet of Things platform for kids.
Alongside the hardware, the online courses are voiced by Jodie Whittaker, the Thirteenth Doctor from the popular BBC series Doctor Who.
HiFive: The Internet of Things for Kids
Designed to make learning about the Internet of Things (IoT) fun, the HiFive kit’s narrated courses feature hardware projects controlled with block code for beginners and younger children. Later tutorials move through to the basics of coding using MicroPython. Each lesson is wrapped in an original storyline where the learner must use the HiFive kit to help the Doctor advance.
The HiFive mini-computer has several onboard sensors, along with a front panel LED matrix and two buttons. On the bottom is an edge connector for attaching further peripherals, including a speaker included in the kit. A battery pack, alligator clips, and an LED illuminated USB cable also come with the kit.
The First RISC-V Educational Development Platform?
The choice to use a RISC-V CPU is notable, as it is the first large scale consumer device to use its open-source instruction set. The chip, provided by RISC-V CPU designers SiFive, is clocked at 150MHz, and onboard connectivity is supplied via an ESP32 chipset.
While the hardware specs are impressive, the big draw here is the educational content hosted on Tynker. Already known for its high-quality children’s tutorial content, the Doctor Who educational story aspect is unique.
Alongside the Doctor Who stories, the HiFive kit promises “Thousands of activities and challenges.” Given the combination of robust hardware and the flexibility visual coding brings, it seems likely there will be even more content to come in the future.
The BBC Doctor Who HiFive Inventor Coding Kit is aimed at kids aged 7 and up and available for preorder for $75 from Amazon.
Another Piece of Embedded Hardware for Kids
The HiFive Inventor Coding Kit comes hot on the heels of the recently Kickstarted CodeBug Connect IoT board for kids. Many of these kits will end up as Christmas presents, so it’s no surprise to see them appear now.
What is significant is that both of the above boards, along with the BBC Micro:Bit, which also recently received an upgrade, are making every effort to bring current technology to kids in a way they can understand and interact with.
The HiFive kits cost more than most other kits like this, but from its intriguing RISC-V core to the lessons narrated by the much loved Time Lord, it seems likely we’ll be seeing a lot of them in the coming year.