DEVELOPING YOUNG MINDS
The first Raspberry Pi we had (the original model B) was used to connect an old printer to the network for use as, unsurprisingly, a networked printer. We then ended up with many more, from being used as small headless servers to projects such as a photo booth for my brother’s wedding. A Raspberry Pi 4 was my son’s first computer at age five, and he’s had hours of fun playing GCompris and Minetest on it.
Raspberry Pis have also proven invaluable for use in schools. I run a Code Club at the local primary school and the ability to have a ready-made class set of SD cards makes it so much easier to organise. There’s also the welcome knowledge that at the end of a session any data left will be wiped, ready for the next user.
The Raspberry Pi Pico (and the RP2040) has been really exciting to me, possibly even more than the Raspberry Pi was originally. As an electronics engineer I tend to gravitate more towards microcontrollers. The Raspberry Pi Pico has introduced a development board at an amazing price that makes projects more accessible. It’s easy to use and gives specifications and features that appeal to experienced engineers, while offering a variety of programming languages to suit all.
I’m really looking forward to giving out a few Picos at the Code Club that I run. I think that the children will be inspired when they can see what can be done with one, and I really look forward to seeing what they can do with it.