More and more educators are using technology in the classroom and many are finding that XinaBox provides both an easy entry-point and a sophisticated, open-ended system. And fun, too:
Our thanks to Leon Hanslo, Vice Principal at Soneike High School, Western Cape, South Africa
XinaBox (pronounced "ex-in-a-box") kits are used by educators around the world, in computer science, STEM subjects and other related subject areas such as geography:
- Our ‘No-Code’ kits can be used straight from the box, without your students needing to have any specific hardware or coding skills - quickly build a weather station, light monitor, or Internet of Things (IoT) edge device. Just clip the xChips together, power it up and the pre-loaded code is ready to go. Explore other pre-compiled programs for the XK01 that can be downloaded and easily added.
- For more advanced students the xChips in the kit can be coded using a broad range of languages and editors, including block-coding in MakeCode, Arduino IDE, Raspbian Lite, MicroPython (including Mu), Zerynth and many others.
- If your students work with Raspberry Pi, Arduino or the BBC micro:bit these can all be used as microprocessors to control the xChips, extending the learning and experimentation students can accomplish
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It has influenced me to follow my childhood dream... to be a scientist.
Zoe Van Wyk, Soneike High, South Africa
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I've always been fascinated with space and technology... the ability to experience it and work on it first hand is phenomenal.
Jeffrey Hunsaker, Eastside High School, USA
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With XinaBox its not just easy to code sophisticated digital instruments - its easy to build them too. With a little bit of experience anyone can connect multiple xChips together in minutes or even seconds. That is how long it takes to create a digital instrument tailor-made for use in your lesson.
Key features:
- xChips clip together firmly, easily and quickly with a connector.
- No cables / wires, no soldering, no breadboarding. No hassle.
- No need to worry about voltages or resistors.
- xChips are always compatible and there are more then 80 in our range.
- When your lesson is finished, xChips can be disassembled as quickly and easily as they were assembled so you can use them in each lesson time and again.
- The xChips are robust – they have completed experiments onboard a space satellite, withstanding launch and orbit. Their robustness has been demonstrated in the harshest of environments.
At XinaBox, our highest priority is supporting educators to maximise the learning and development in their students. Therefore, we continually create educational materials including lesson plans, experiments, projects and how-to guides.
The following video highlights eight key benefits of the XinaBox system:
Find out more about our educational offerings:
XinaBox kits for classrooms.
We have a great range of handy kits that are tailored for the classroom.
The XK01 Starter kit enables students to assemble an environmental monitoring instrument and hook it up to an IoT platform in less than 20 minutes, without any pre-knowledge or experience of coding or electronics. Great as a digital instrument in all sorts of curricula areas, not just the IT labs.
Everything you need to know about the XK01 kit, including links to a broad range of support materials for use inside and outside the classroom, can be found on the XK01 support materials page.
Check out our full range of kits here.
XinaBox and the BBC micro:bit.
Do you have micro:bits in your classroom?
xChips are a great way to extend the capabillities of the micro:bit and ensure that it continues to meet the needs of your students as their skills grow and develop. IoT and sophisticated data science are just two of the topics XinaBox can help introduce into the classroom.
We offer a couple of kits for the BBC micro:bit that will help upgrade your classroom capabilities:
- The XK04 kit includes the same xChips as the XK01, but also include a micro:bit bridge.
- [Coming soon!] The XK05 IoT starter kit provides you with the means to connect your micro:bit to Wi-Fi. It also has a very cool feature: an SD card on the bridge which turns the micro:bit into a sophisticated 'no-code' data logger.
Please check back in early September when we'll be releasing details of our exciting 'micro:bit Ready' range.
XinaBox in space
In 2019 over 40 thinsat satellites launched into space on an Antares rocked that was on its way to the ISS. These satellites contained instruments that were constructed of xChips, and which successfully monitored key environment indicators in ELEO (Extreme Low Earth Orbit - up to 250km above Earth).
Read more about it in our blog post, or check out the video below.
What is remarkable about this initiative is that the satellites were designed and coded by school children. Over 40 schools from the US and South Africa saw satellites they designed included in the launch. This was the culmination of a project sponsored by Virginia Space, and XinaBox are proud and excited to be working with Virginia Space on a follow up project.
Why not introduce the concept of space and satellite design into your classroom with our XK07 STEM FlatSat kit, which will show you how to build a satellite identical to those that spent several days in orbit.
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The XinaBox range is unique: no other hardware system is as flexible, easy to use or as versatile. From young learners with no prior experience building a digital instrument and using pre-flashed code to experienced students building and coding IoT applications, to professionals using the system for product prototyping, XinaBox is the only partner you need for the full educational journey.
To find out more about XinaBox...