Raspberry Pi is a stripped down computer without the casing, that provides a very cheap means of teaching programming to children.
A Raspberry Pi can connect to either a computer monitor, old or new tv and even a Smartboard. Once you’ve hooked it up, you then just add a keyboard and mouse, and you’re good to go. However, you will also need to supply the cables, as the Raspberry Pi only provides the actual ‘computer’ bit. As there are only two USB ports, you might want to consider purchasing a USB hub (to increase the number of ports) so you can attach more than one device (keyboard, mouse, microphone, camera etc.). Most schools tend to have old cables lying around that you could use or even borrow cables from newer computers while no-one is using them — you can always give everything back when the computer is needed.
Raspberry Pi runs an operating system called Linux that contains a simple web browser, a programming language called Python and a number of other apps (that can be downloaded within the Raspberry Pi operating system itself).
Even though Raspberry Pi computers are extremely popular, they can be a bit tricky setting up. There are however plenty of tutorials online and if you’re lucky, there might be a talented tech-minded person at your school that can help too!
As mentioned earlier, the main use of a Raspberry Pi is to help children learn programming. In this day and age of apps and websites, it’s a very worthwhile skill to have as programming jobs are increasing every year. Not only is it beneficial, but it can also be very rewarding for pupils as they learn to code simple animations or games.
You can usually get a Raspberry Pi computer for as little as £10.
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