Written by Microsoft Learning Consultant, Liz Wilson

We need to empower the young people of today to create the world of tomorrow.

We all know how essential it is to build digital skills in our students to prepare them for their futures. The Microsoft Digital Skills programme is designed to support us in doing so through the Maker Champion resources. These are designed to excite, enthuse and enable 7 – 14 year olds to engage in problem solving and coding activities using either the micro:bit or Minecraft: Education Edition.

The Maker Champion activities are broken down into 3 clear sections, reflecting the focus of each project: Maker of change, Maker of fun and Maker of tomorrow. Within each section, there is a choice of either a micro:bit or Minecraft focused activity. Projects include designing a doorbell for someone who is deaf; exploring ruins in a Minecraft world & creating a plant watering system.

Each activity comes with all the digital resources that you need. There is a Sway that guides students & teachers through the activity with a variety of text, pictures and videos, as well as providing some coding hints for students and support for teachers. The projects are designed to be accessible to all, with the physical resources required being already found around school or cheap to buy if needed.

So if you are looking for that inspirational project to bring coding to life in your classroom, look no further! Explore the resources today and turn your students into Maker Champions.

Looking to build your understanding of coding? Complete the ‘Physical computing for the non-computer science educator’ course on the Microsoft Educator Community and earn a new badge.