Those anticipating the arrival of Raspberry Pi, the credit card sized computer that costs just £16, won’t have to wait any longer. Eager schoolchildren are scheduled to take delivery direct from the project co-ordinator, Dr Eben Upton, of the Cambridge based Raspberry Pi Foundation on 20th April 2012.
Part of the trick of creating such a low cost device lies in eliminating peripheral elements such as disk drives, screen and keyboard, leaving Raspberry Pi to concentrate on providing the core computing functionality.
The release of the device looks set to start a boom in hobbyist computing activity much like the one seen in the 1980’s when personal home computers such as the ZX Spectrum, the Commodore 64 and the BBC Microcomputer produced the spark of interest and access which many believe ignited the modern IT industry.
Until supply catches up with demand, schools and hobbyists look set to be in competition for the device with commercial software companies because of the phenomenal price advantage that Pi offers to commercial development projects.
Educators and political grandees, such as Secretary of State Michael Gove, believe the Pi could play an important role in shaping the UK Government’s thinking on IT teaching and learning. There is a clear need for the UK Government to firm up its thinking on technology policy and syllabus.
From the perspective of Scholaris, the Pi has enormous potential to drive teaching technology, and perhaps stimulate a new generation of digital inventors, technologists and entrepreneurs that can excel in the digital economy.
Putting such a device in the hands of students at the same time as teaching with technology like Scholaris can only serve to fire up interest; the curiosity of many students using and benefiting from Scholaris may be deeply stimulated knowing that they have the ability to learn how to create and manipulate such technology with Raspberry Pi.