Blockly's new Accessibility Hub, 'Built with Blockly' brand refresh, updates to MakeCode for the micro:bit and more
Joe Davis
TL;DR: Explore Blockly's new Accessibility Hub, see our refreshed 'Built with Blockly' brand, check out MakeCode for the micro:bit's latest release, and more.
Last week, we deepened our commitment to accessible block-based coding by launching a new Accessibility Hub. Here you'll find our accessibility product roadmap, links to accessibility feature experiments, and helpful resources all in one place. Ongoing, we'll let you know when this page is updated with new experiments, ways to get involved, and news from the Blockly Accessibility Fund.
Help improve the Keyboard Navigation Plugin
This experimental plugin is intended to help make Blockly easier to use for people who can't use a mouse, including those with low vision or mobility impairments, by enabling keyboard navigation.
Updated 'Built with Blockly' badges are available in our Brand Guidelines. Add them to your site or app to give Blockly proper attribution.
Microsoft updates MakeCode for the micro:bit
Microsoft released their annual update to MakeCode for the micro:bit, which included an update to use the latest version of the Blockly library.
Google.org Impact Summit featured Scratch & micro:bit demo
Cass and Joe from the Blockly team hosted 'hands-on' demos of Scratch and micro:bit at Google.org's first ever Impact Summit in Sunnyvale, CA.
Improving Documentation
We heard you! Soon, Blockly will bring on a technical writer to help improve our existing documentation, develop new accessibility documentation, and more. This is one of many steps we're taking to make your experience better.
Developer Feedback Loop
Some of you may receive an invitation to participate in a Blockly Developer web survey. This research will help improve Blockly’s developer solutions as well as support future roadmap planning.
Blockly Summit Live Q&A Update
As we focus on streamlining product and release communications, our post-summit livestream Q&A is postponed. You can always watch all Blockly Summit '24 talks on-demand at g.co/events/blocklysummit
Thanks,
Joe, Cassandra and the Google Blockly team