The aim of the Raspberry Pi Foundation is to place the Raspberry Pi, an inexpensive, pocket-sized stand-alone programming device to which a screen, keyboard and mouse can be connected, into the hands of young people to inspire the software developers of the future. However, it is unlikely that the Raspberry Pi will make an impact unless schools adopt the device as a mainstream teaching resource. Through the Raspberry Pi development project, we are working to develop a Raspberry Pi-based control workstation for physical computing for use in Key Stages 2-3. The project is supported by the Raspberry Pi Foundation, Computing at School’s Network of Excellence and the Cambridge Teaching Schools Alliance, and will place St John’s at the forefront of developments to make computing a mainstream activity in the Primary sector of education.
As a result of this work, BBC News Technology Correspondent Mr Rory Cellan-Jones and his production team spent the morning at St John’s filming a computer programming lesson with a group of Form 4 children. The workshop was aired throughout the day on 8th October 2013 on BBC News to celebrate the manufacture of the millionth Raspberry Pi. Dr Sam Aaron, University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory Research Associate on the Raspberry Pi team, visited to teach the children how to programme the Raspberry Pi computer using ‘Sonic Pi’, a live coding environment he created for children to create sounds through programming.
