SIMPLEXITY to COMPLEXITY - a little idea with big possibilities from TED Fellow Ayah Bdeir

Who still thinks engineering  electronics and coding are the domain of men and boys?

Meet Ayah Bdeir a creative young inventor and engineer. Building on the brilliant idea of Lego Bricks, Ayah introduces us to her amazing littleBits, a set of simple, interchangeable electronic building blocks that snap together using magnets to create simple yet powerful circuits which can be utilised to design and make all kinds of innovative products. 

Ayah has taken her simple  idea and developed into a sleek product which makes designing and programming so simple. I love the way she has engineered the "LittleBits" electronic building blocks to be colour coded according to their functions eg

BLUE Bits:        provide the power source ; 
PINK Bits:         are the inputs including light and sound sensors; switches etc; 
ORANGE Bits : are wires which support branching and allow other more sophisticated programming devices       such as Arduino and Makey Makey to be incorporated into the circuit ; and finally 
GREEN Bits      are the outputs which make things happen. They include motors, LED lights,  Buzzers etc

lIttle Bits offer endless creative opportunities for students to design and make without having to use soldering equipment or fine wires. See the litteBits in action below

There is a wealth of resources for educators on the website too including lessons, design challenges, an online community for and even a littleBits App. 

I would love to get my hands on such a kit and see it in action in the hands of students. Perhaps it's time we had our very own Makerspace for teachers and students @ the Learning Exchange.