Raspberry Pi in Education

Latest news from the Raspberry Pi Foundation Education Team

Happy new year! 2015 has so far brought the education team at Raspberry Pi two colds and one case of flu, but we've not let illness stand in our way to ensuring that 2015 is our most educational yet! We have a very exciting competition announcement, and more information about our coming spectacular stand at the Bett Show at the end of January.

Astro Pi: Your code in space!

In partnership with British ESA Astronaut Tim Peake, UK Space and the European Space Agency, we are pleased to announce that we will be sending Raspberry Pis to the International Space Station! Two Raspberry Pi computers will be flown to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of Tim’s six-month mission, and both will be connected to a new “Astro Pi” board, loaded with a host of sensors and gadgets. We are offering UK school children a chance to devise and code their own apps or experiment to run in space.

Major Tim Peake – photo provided by UK Space Agency under CC BY-ND

The Astro Pi competition will be open to all primary and secondary school aged children who are resident in the United Kingdom. The competition will be supported by a comprehensive suite of teaching resources that are being developed by ESERO-UK and by us at Raspberry Pi. The first of the resources can be seen here on the National STEM Centre eLibrary. To help students on their way in developing their code, five inspirational themes have been devised to stimulate creativity and scientific thinking. The themes are Spacecraft Sensors, Satellite Imaging, Space Measurements, Data Fusion and Space Radiation.

In the primary school age category, teams will be asked to devise and describe an original idea for an experiment or application which can be conducted on the Astro Pi by Tim during his mission. The two best submissions will get the opportunity to work with the Astro Pi team to interpret their ideas, and the team at the Raspberry Pi Foundation will then code them ready for flight on the ISS.

In the secondary school age group, the competition will be run across three age categories, one for each of Key Stages 3, 4 and 5 in England and Wales, and their equivalent ages in Scotland and Northern Ireland. In the first phase, competitors can submit their ideas for experiments and applications. At least the best 50 submissions in each age category will win a Raspberry Pi computer and an Astro Pi board on which to code their idea. In phase 2, all teams will develop code based on their original concept, and two winning teams will be selected in each age category. The winning teams’ code will be readied for flight by the Raspberry Pi Foundation and CGI.

As well as having their code uploaded to the ISS, all winning teams will each receive a class set of Raspberry Pi and Astro Pi boards, get to meet the Astro Pi team, and participate in a winners’ event during Tim’s flight.

To find out more about how your school can take part and to keep up to date with information about the competition, check out the official Astro Pi website and follow @astro_pi on twitter! We shall also keep you posted with information in the coming months via this newsletter. The competition will be launched formally at this years' Bett Show.

Speaking of which…

Bett Show 2015 Raspberry Pi Stand Schedule

The Raspberry Pi Foundation Education Team will be at the BETT Show from Wednesday 21st to Saturday 24th January 2015. It’s our first major event of 2015, and we are hoping that you will come and visit us on our stand, where we will be running lots of hands-on workshops, and handing out free resources. We will also be hosting a whole bunch of special guests who want to share their experiences and projects with you, including Raspberry Pi Certified Educators, and Pi people who are part of our wider family: like Dr Sam Aaron, creator of Sonic Pi; Minecraft Pi authors and enthusiasts David Whale and Martin O'Hanlon; and the BBC's explosions expert Fran Scott!

We will be making lots of noise about our work to get more young people started with their computing education: we would love you to be a part of it. Check out our timetable of talks, demos and workshops happening at out stand on 'The Hub', and come along to learn more about Raspberry Pi in the classroom.

Our Bett Stand Schedule

Royal Institution’s 2014 Christmas Lectures

The Raspberry Pi Foundation sponsored the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures in 2014. The lectures are part of British educational history: Michael Faraday started them in 1825 to introduce science to ordinary people – especially young people – and they’ve been running ever since, with only one break in 1939-42 during World War II. We’re incredibly proud to be associated with the lectures. They’re a real educational jewel, and they provide some of the best television in the UK over the Christmas period. You may have caught a glimpse of them on the telly over the christmas break.

If not, then don't despair, as they are being made available by the Royal Institution via their website. In fact you can already start watching lecture 1 - Sparks will fly: How to hack your home, the light bulb moment with your students as part of lessons or as an after school club activity.

Hope to meet you at the Bett Show soon, keep on computing!

Carrie Anne
Education Pioneer
Raspberry Pi Foundation
@MissPhilbin

Applications for Picademy February are still open, apply now to snag a place on our free cpd for teachers. Deadline for applications 16th January 2015.

Out of this world Astro Pi Competition launching during the Bett Show 21st - 24th January 2015.

Take a look at our teaching and learning Raspberry Pi resources. They are free to use, free to remix and free to make your own!