Gareth Stockdale, CEO of the Micro:bit Educational Foundation, explains: "We launched the micro:bit to help children shape the world around them by using computational thinking and technology to unlock their creative potential and improve their life choices in the 21st century. We are delighted to partner with OKdo and Electrocomponentes because they have the ability to help us reach new markets, inspire new generations, and support our goals for the Micro:bit Educational Foundation.".
This new revision of the pocket-sized BBC micro:bit, the first significant update since its launch in 2016, now incorporates a speaker and microphone. With its enhanced audio and voice capabilities, children can expand their creative skills while continuing to benefit from all the features and functions of the original micro:bit. Hands-on learning, both inside and outside the classroom, is essential for children to develop a passion for new technologies from the very beginning of their educational development. To support this, the micro:bit hardware is now powerful enough to run machine learning systems, and the Foundation will support this with new resources in the future, again significantly expanding the range of learning opportunities possible with this cost-effective, accessible, and compact computer.
Lindsley Ruth, CEO of Electrocomponentes, commented: “We are delighted to partner with the Micro:bit Education Foundation and support the launch of the Micro:bit BBC version 2. Since its launch in 2016, the micro:bit has helped more than 25 million children learn computer science and digital creativity skills, and we are very happy to contribute to expanding the reach of the micro:bit and putting it in the hands of every child, whether through OKdo or through our global distribution networks at RS Components and Allied Electronics in North America. Our involvement with the Micro:bit Education Foundation is at the heart of our own ambitions to provide technology solutions that can change the world.”
OKdo was founded in 2019 with a simple mission: to inspire and empower people to use technology to make their lives better. The company is committed to working with the world’s leading educational technology organizations to get kids coding and inspire a future generation of inventors, entrepreneurs, and engineers.
Richard Curtin, Senior Vice President of Technology at OKdo, explains: “We are thrilled about this new partnership with the Micro:bit Educational Foundation, which shares our passion for putting technology in everyone’s hands and inspiring children around the world to create their best digital future. They are absolute pioneers, and we are very proud to add them to our growing ecosystem of the world’s best technology businesses.”.
The new version of the micro:bit will be available from mid-November and can be purchased through OKdo, as well as through its sister companies - RS Components worldwide.
About the Micro:bit Educational Foundation
The Micro:bit Educational Foundation is a UK-based non-profit organization. Established in September 2016 to ensure a legacy for the original BBC "Make It Digital" project, which provided one million micro:bits to children in UK schools, the Foundation became fully operational on October 18, 2016, with the mission of supporting exceptional educational programs worldwide.
About OKdo
OKdo is a global technology company of Electrocomponents plc (LSE:ECM) poised to excel in the single-board computer (SBC) and IoT segments. Offering a unique combination of hardware, software, development support, manufacturing services, and community projects, it is the world's first company focused exclusively on meeting the rapidly evolving needs of SBC and IoT customers, from manufacturers and entrepreneurs to industrial designers, educators, and resellers.
