We didn’t spend too much time a couple of weeks ago focusing on one of our favorite STEM tools—the Raspberry Pi—even though we celebrated Pi Day on March 14. You may have heard from the source itself (or maybe from our social media) that there was a new Raspberry Pi board launched on that very day. The Pi 3 B+ is now the newest version of the powerful microcomputer and got us thinking about how schools can use each version of the Raspberry Pi in STEM education. As we wrap up the month of March, let’s learn a bit more about the power of the Pi!

Using Raspberry Pi to Teach Kids Coding

The demand for computer science skills among students is very much on the rise, which you probably know has led to more and more educators teaching it earlier than ever. The problem is that many teachers feel there are not age-appropriate tools their students can use and believe that computer science is best left for when they reach high school. This is not the case, however, as there are tons of technology tools that not only make it possible, but totally simple for kids to learn coding and the Raspberry Pi is one of them. This powerful microcomputer can actually serve as a replacement to the traditional CPU, but also unlocks a wealth of opportunities for students striving to become future ready. Elementary school students need to be involved in computer science and the Raspberry Pi is one tool teachers can use to start.

We’re not saying that elementary school children need to complete third grade with a fluency in complex programming languages, but a beginner-level knowledge of the process is pretty important. Practice with these principles can help them to start getting comfortable with the basics of coding and entry-level computer science concepts, which, in all likelihood, will be invaluable as they pursue a career in the future. The Scratch programming language, which was developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, comes loaded onto the Raspberry Pi as part of its Raspbian operating system. This child-friendly language is perfect for illustrating programming in a way that’s easy to understand and also fun. It helps kids visualize the basics of coding and can be valuable for students of all different ages.

As with any new STEM endeavor, having prior knowledge of each students’ coding abilities is key, so you know the proper speed your teaching should be. Starting out with simpler projects is also important, so kids can build up the skills doing simpler tasks rather than requiring them to put everything together right out of the gate. This also allows educators to assess the strengths and weaknesses of each student and adjust the approach if needed. At the same time, kids also want to see an immediate result when they’re coding—something that the Raspberry Pi does allow. When they see their hard work pay off with a successful program, they become more engaged and enthused, so keep that in mind. Most importantly, just giving kids the chance to tinker with the Pi is valuable as they will start to learn about its functions and how it relates to coding on their own.

The Raspberry Pi is Perfect—Even for Beginners

Part of the reason we’re so high on the Raspberry Pi and why they keep making new devices is because they are so easy to use. They also offer students and advanced programmers alike a powerful tool for learning about hardware, software, and how each of these ties into learning about coding. Aside from coding, teachers often ask us what kinds of things students can build with a Raspberry Pi and they’re sometimes surprised to find out it’s just as advantageous in classroom or makerspace learning as it is for hobbyists. Raspberry Pi’s embody a maker mindset and encourage kids to become the inventors of tomorrow. In fact, you’ve probably heard stories of students building weather stations and that’s one of the most common projects Pi’s are used for. Makers can use these computers to register everything from temperature and atmospheric pressure to wind speed and the future forecast, too.

Some of the other beginner-level projects include constructing a photo booth, a home surveillance system, and a wearable camera. Those are just some of the coolest ones if you ask us; there are hundreds of different ways the Raspberry Pi can be used in making. For the photo booth project, there are different ways students can build them, including one with a touchscreen or another that auto-uploads the photos or turns them into GIF’s. The home security system is a fun undertaking because the portability of the Pi allows kids to place it anywhere or, as they gain more experience, they can engineer a multi-camera system that even incorporates the Internet of Things. Or maybe students want to capture every bit of their day and build a DIY wearable camera to strap to their chest. With a Raspberry Pi, it’s possible to upgrade this concept into a device that streams live to YouTube!

For older students who would like to try something a bit more complex, we have suggestions for that, too. One of those projects is an at-home ad blocker for safer and more efficient Internet browsing. With a Raspberry Pi, kids can create a solution that will keep all devices on their network safe from spam and lead to a more enjoyable browsing experience. If they’re looking for something a bit more fun, it’s also possible to stream some Internet radio using a Raspberry Pi. They’d still have to have a subscription, but the Raspberry Pi route could free up some storage space on their personal device, plus we think it’s just really, really cool. If you ask us, the more creative students get, the better. We’d love to see them come up with their own inventions, but whether they choose to go that route or try their hand at building a gaming console, Amazon Echo, or any of the other project examples available online, the main thing is that the Raspberry Pi empowers them to experience awesome inventing!

A Number of Ways to Use Raspberry Pi

A Raspberry Pi is just about as versatile as it is affordable and, for educators who are determined to innovate without breaking the bank, it’s often a go-to option. Raspberry Pi’s are commonly deployed in school classrooms, afterschool clubs, and makerspaces to provide students with a hands-on approach to maker education. As we’ve already touched on, there are so many projects students can craft that make use of the Raspberry Pi’s power. Believe it or not, it’s also a very useful tool for helping inventors build fully functioning devices that don’t require a ton of power or memory. We’ve seen them put to use in classrooms across many different grade levels, even starting early in education as kids build their own Raspberry Pi-powered computers with Kano or engineer their own robots with GoPiGo. Whatever their preference and ability, there’s probably an idea for them waiting to be unlocked.

Theoretically, a Raspberry Pi can be used as a substitute web server. When acting as one, it helps increase efficiency since it requires so little power, allowing people to use it essentially 24/7 without jacking up their electric bill or needing a cooling fan. Another innovative use for the Pi is turning it into a cable box by simply attaching it to your current TV. Using any number of free operating systems, inventors can turn their TV into a streaming machine if they have the time to set it up. These small computers are even capable of acting as Wi-Fi extenders (you know, for when you Pi-powered TV system uses all the Wi-Fi in the house). If you’ve never used one, Wi-Fi extenders are a great way to add speed and increase the radius of the Wi-Fi in a home or school. There are plenty of tutorials and step-by-step guides makers can research and follow to complete these projects perfectly.

For those who want something a little different or have perhaps already tried those examples, a game emulator might be a good project to try next. This one is great because it can be done with any model of the Raspberry Pi and help creative makers bring back some of the classic video games. For something that’s a little more contemporary, you might try building your own version of Amazon’s Alexa. With a Raspberry Pi and some good old Wi-Fi, it’s possible to attach a speaker and microphone and create your own version of the popular household assistant with relative ease. One of the final ideas, which we recently discovered and thought was pretty cool, is building a network-attached storage drive. It’s as easy as combining a Raspberry Pi with a USB hard drive and, if done properly, can allow families, office mates, or students to share files easily! If you’re feeling inspired by any of these project ideas, grab yourself a Raspberry Pi from our store!

How to Build Something Useful Using Raspberry Pi

A Raspberry Pi costs just $35 (a little less if you have an Educator Discount and can simplify a number of tasks that would seem to be difficult. There are lots of external components, like buttons and speakers, that are compatible with the Pi and, by adding a little bit of code with Python, it’s actually pretty easy to construct something useful. Since the Raspberry Pi 3 comes with built-in Wi-Fi and a pretty fast processor, student inventors don’t generally need to add any additional power in most cases. The beauty of the Raspberry Pi is that, with a bit of a maker mindset, just about anybody can engineer a device they can use every day. And, the best part is that it helps make these inventions much more affordable than they otherwise probably would be.

In terms of 21st century education, Raspberry Pi is useful because it enables all sorts of creative inventing and hands-on engineering. The programming after an invention is built is just icing on the cake. We’ve provided a few project ideas so far, but one other one that’s good, particularly in a makerspace, is using the Pi to build an MP3 device. The board’s GPIO pins are heavily used in projects like this and contribute to producing sound when they detect the press of a button. A simplified version of a project like this, which you can find instructions for online, requires only about 30 lines of code to start. There’s no reason to be overwhelmed as there are plenty of thorough project guides available on the Internet to help students work through the engineering and programming processes.

Knowing about each of the board’s parts and functions is equally as important for students and all makers. Having an idea of what the Raspberry Pi is capable of doing and where to connect every component is key. For example, the SD card has its own slot within the board and there’s a headphone jack, which can be used to connect an auxiliary cable to help produce sound. The pointy GPIO pins help act as an interface to the outside world and essentially serve as switches that can be turned on and off. They’re programmable and can interact with various elements of the external world depending on the code they read. Finally, it has a GPU that makers can use to process images, adding yet another possibility to making with the Pi. There are tons of options and, with a little bit of commitment to inventing new ways of learning, there is a lot that can be done with the Raspberry Pi.

Raspbian: The Raspberry Pi’s Operating System

Like any computer, the Raspberry Pi functions thanks to its operating system. Packed into its tiny frame, Raspberry Pi’s OS is unique to the Pi and known as Raspbian. It was created and is supported by the Raspberry Pi Foundation and serves as the official Raspberry Pi software. It also helps make things easier on Pi users as it comes with pre-installed pieces of software that can help all different types of inventors and tinkerers. Like the software updates you’re routinely promoted to install on your computer or phone, Raspbian is constantly being updated to optimize the Raspberry Pi. In the latest version, Pi users have access to a Chromium browser, a Java IDE, Python, Scratch, and Wolfram among other benefits.

There are three versions of Raspbian, which are known as Jessie, Stretch, and Wheezy. The Jessie operating system is designed to be as user-friendly as possible and even closely resembles the interface of a traditional computer desktop. It includes a word processor and email applications as well since each are obviously very important in today’s world. In fact, all files created on Raspberry Pi's version of Word, which is known as LibreOffice, are compatible with Microsoft Office. Stretch is the latest version of Raspbian and is available for download on the Raspberry Pi website. Stretch features more technical improvements rather than aesthetic differences and among them are updated applications, better audio, enhancements to Scratch, and security fixes.

The developers of Raspbian refer to it as community created. With this in mind, it’s noteworthy that the installation process is not complicated at all. Since the Pi uses SD cards, all that’s required is writing an image onto the card, which allows users to safely load the operating system onto the Raspberry Pi. Raspbian is also compatible with Mac, Windows, or Linux systems, providing some beneficial variety for users, especially students in the classroom. There are various programs that can be run on a Raspberry Pi and, although we’re not going to get into them all right now, just remember that, if you can run it on a desktop or a laptop, there’s a good chance you can run it on a Raspberry Pi. And, there’s a good chance a Pi can help kids increase efficiency, bolster their inventiveness, and learn more about programming!

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