Farnell celebrates the manufacture of 5 million micro:bit as Micro:bit Educational Foundation announce new board
New updated micro:bit will ship from November 2020
Farnell, an Avnet Company and the exclusive manufacturing partner of the Micro:bit Educational Foundation, is celebrating the manufacture of 5 million BBC micro:bit devices since its launch in 2016. The micro:bit has been adopted by multiple educational organisations around the world to support STEM learning through formal programmes, helping the Foundation reach an estimated 25 million children in more than 60 countries who have learnt digital creativity and computing skills. The micro:bit has been adopted by educational organisations around the world to support Science, Technology, Education and Mathematics (STEM) learning programmes.
Today, the Micro:bit Educational Foundation, announced a new micro:bit offering greater memory capacity, a faster processor and, for the first time, “out of the box” sound and touch functionality. More information is available from micro:bit.org. The new micro:bit will be available to order from Farnell in November.
Farnell has worked with multiple educational organisations and governments to support strategic rollouts of STEM learning solutions into the classroom, and stocks a broad range of education devices that can be supplied in class, school and multiple-school quantities. Farnell can also offer support with provision and bundling of equipment for bespoke large-scale programmes similar to the Super:bit programme in Norway.
Lee Turner, Global Head of Semiconductors and SBC at Farnell said: “Farnell is proud to be the Micro:bit Educational Foundation’s exclusive manufacturer and we are delighted to join our partners in celebrating the manufacture of 5 million micro:bit and their announcement of an updated micro:bit today.”
Farnell also provides a range of resources to assist educators and parents supporting children with STEM. The element14 Community’s STEM Academy provides a wealth of content and support for those looking to get started with the micro:bit. This dedicated online hub is designed for people who want to explore learning concepts and classroom-based design projects within the electronics and digital space. The element14 Community’s ‘The Learning Circuit’ series features a number of instructional videos which take viewers through different ways to learn and explore with micro:bit. These short videos teach users how to apply micro:bit to their designs and offer instruction and advice on bringing projects to life. The Micro:bit Educational Foundation also offer a range of resources on micro:bit.org.
To find out more about the BBC micro:bit visit farnell.com/bbc-microbit or join the conversation on the element14 Community.
About us
Farnell Global is a fast and reliable distributor of products and technology for electronic and industrial system design, maintenance and repair. From research and design through prototype to production, Farnell helps its customers access the products and services they need 24/7. With more than 80 years of experience, 47 localised websites, and a dedicated team of over 3,500 employees, Farnell provides every component its customers need to build the technology of tomorrow.
Farnell Global trades as Farnell in Europe, Newark in North America, and element14 in Asia Pacific. It also sells direct to consumers through its CPC business in the UK.
Farnell Global has been part of the established global technology distributor, Avnet (Nasdaq: AVT), since 2016. Today, this relationship allows the company to support its customers at every stage of the product life cycle, offering a truly unique distribution model, as well as expertise in end-to-end delivery and product design.
For more information, visit http://www.farnell.com/
