Pi as Educational Platform
The Raspberry Pi computing platform is an excellent platform for many applications including DIY projects, desktop computing, Internet-of-Things (IoT), and even enterprise applications. In fact, the Raspberry Pi Foundation's server runs on a cluster of Raspberry Pis.
Another application where Raspberry Pi excels is education. With the recent introduction of the Raspberry Pi 4, the platform is only becoming easier to use to teach students a variety of STEM related subjects.
Programming & IDEs
The biggest advantage the Raspberry Pi has over other platforms for use in education is the variety of subjects it can teach. The platform stands out as a tool for teaching computer science and programming to beginners.
Raspbian, the Linux-based OS for Raspberry Pi, comes with numerous Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) preinstalled. These IDEs are intuitive and easy to use, which is great for first-time users.
Popular IDEs
- BlueJ: An IDE for the Java programming language developed for educational purposes. Java is a popular language and useful when teaching Object Oriented Programming.
- Thonny: Made and designed as an IDE for beginners learning the Python language. Python is a high level scripting language and becoming increasingly popular. IDLE is another Python IDE on Raspbian, which works just as well.
- Scratch: An excellent IDE for kids learning to program below the age of 10. Scratch uses block style programming, allowing kids at a very young age to get exposure to and have fun programming.
Embedded Systems
The Raspberry Pi is also an excellent platform to teach embedded systems. Embedded systems is a subject which comprises programming, electrical engineering, and system design. Embedded systems also serves as the backbone to the science of robotics.
The Raspberry Pi gives educators a platform with lots of resources and that is easy to use to teach these subjects.
Getting Started
A good starting point is to put together a simple kit of electrical components. This kit should include a breadboard, resistors, LEDs, pushbuttons, and jumper wires. There are hundreds of great project ideas from resources such as Instructables and the Raspberry Pi Foundation.
A recommended first-project to start with is blinking an LED on and off. Over time, these projects can become more complex as students gain knowledge.
Beyond Computer Science
Where the Raspberry Pi stands out the most as an educational tool is how easy it is to use in projects not based around computer science or electrical engineering.
For many science experiments and projects, data acquisition and experiment control are crucial to success. The Raspberry Pi platform is a flexible and easy to use solution to both of these problems.
Raspberry Pis can be outfitted with a variety of sensors and actuators and setup to log data directly to the Pi or a host computer. Some example projects include:
- A mini weather station
- A camera controller that takes photographs when motion is detected
- Robotic ocean cleanup device
The Raspberry Pi is an excellent platform to use in educational applications. Any teacher teaching a course on programming, computer science, embedded systems, or electrical engineering should consider integrating the Raspberry Pi into their syllabus. This is true for classes from grade school through college.