Free Learning Resources
If you're curious how computing and digital making can be made accessible to everyone in 2021, check out the recent work of the Raspberry Pi Foundation.
With its mission to ensure "more people are able to harness the power of computing and digital technologies for work, to solve problems that matter to them, and to express themselves creatively" the UK-based charity arm of the Raspberry Pi brand is making low-cost, high-performance single-board computers and free software approachable to everyone.
The Foundation also provides free computer science online learning content for anyone interested in getting started or upgrading their skills. Various forms of content for online learning are available, and there is no prerequisite for learning any content on their platform. The only thing required is to sign in, save your progress, and start the learning journey.
Tradition of Free Courses
Several courses are now available at varying levels of difficulty. Eager minds can join and participate in the art of computing and digital making with the help of free resources whether you're just starting out or looking to take your advanced skills to another level.
Before COVID-19, the Raspberry Pi Foundation worked with many offline local communities - however, the current situation has made them invest in more online opportunities. While previously there were local communities at school levels helping Raspberry Pi reach out to young minds through local volunteers, now Raspberry Pi has introduced a plethora of online courses on varying topics.
Essentially, the Raspberry Pi Foundation has now created a free network for anyone to delve deep into the world of coding, app development, and computer science.
New Online Learning Content
The free resources for students to learn to code and become digital makers are categorized into three main themes:
- Guided coding projects
- Learn at a Code Club
- Learn at a CoderDojo
Previously, these resources required students to be physically present at a particular place. Now, all these resources are accessible online through the 'Learn at Home' method, which gets parents involved to help their children flourish in a digital world.
With engaging, level-appropriate content, the free online content is designed to keep children happily and productively occupied.
Guided Coding Projects
The 'Guided Coding Projects' are comprised of multiple levels of coding learning resources. Digital making projects are simplified to their essentials and presented to students based on their interests. Projects generally fall into categories that students find fun, such as:
- Games
- Websites
- Music
- Robots
- Digital Art
Within these major categories, you'll find a range of interesting projects. To make any type of project, you just need to select from options listed under each theme. These projects have easy-to-follow instructions and can be understood even by beginning learners.
From learning to make games with Scratch to building websites that require an understanding of HTML/CSS, all these can be accessed at a click and totally for free thanks to the Raspberry Pi Foundation.