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Raspberry Pi

Resources for the Raspberry Pi Enthusiast

by Dr. Bruce Ellis February 26, 2020

written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

What can be better than a computer designed to inspire children? That was the motivation for creating Raspberry Pi even as early as 2006 when it was just a concept. At the end of 2011, 25 Raspberry Pi boards were assembled and tested for market. The next year, these were auctioned off on eBay with official sales to the public starting in February of 2012. The board with the serial number 01 was the last to auction off and sold for £3,500 (approximately $4,508.70 in today’s dollars).

Fortunately for educators, we don’t have to vie for limited quantities for historical purposes. We have choices today, such as the smallest and simplest of the boards, the Raspberry Pi Zero, for just five dollars, to the newest and most robust microcomputer, the Raspberry Pi 4 with 4GB of RAM, for only $55 — with none being much larger than a credit card.

With such a low entry point, it is clear why many educators are introducing their students to microcomputers. These boards allow students to learn algebraic thinking and reasoning, coding, basic hardware/software interfacing, and physical computing by incorporating sensors, motors, actuators, LEDs, speakers, and more. Many students have found Raspberry Pi to be an entry to programming using languages such as Scratch, Python, Ruby, C, and C++. To help you introduce Raspberry Pi to your students (and possibly to yourself if you are a n00b) or extend the learning possibilities, here are a few resources that I’ve curated for you to enjoy.

Books

Excited About Coding! – An Introduction to Coding Using Scratch 2 Software on the Raspberry Pi 4 Computer
Author: Grant H. Williams
Age Range: 9 and up
Paperback: 162 pages
Publisher: Grant Williams (November 22, 2019)
ISBN-10: 0692197281
ISBN-13: 978-0692197288

Raspberry Pi Projects for Kids: Create an MP3 Player, Mod Minecraft, Hack Radio Waves, and More!
Author: Dan Aldred
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: No Starch Press (December 2, 2019)
ISBN-10: 1593279469
ISBN-13: 978-1593279462

Sensor Projects with Raspberry Pi: Internet of Things and Digital Image Processing
Author: Guillermo Guillen
Paperback: 157 pages
Publisher: Apress; 1st ed. edition (December 19, 2019)
ISBN-10: 1484252985
ISBN-13: 978-1484252987

RASPBERRY PI 4 PROJECTS FOR THE EVIL GENIUS: A Comprehensive Guide to Setup & Developing Raspberry Pi 4 Projects
Author: John White
Paperback: 150 pages
Publisher: Independently published (September 13, 2019)
ISBN-10: 1692743295
ISBN-13: 978-1692743291

The MagPi Magazine – The Official Raspberry Pi Magazine
Published by the Raspberry Pi Foundation, you’ll enjoy monthly tips, tricks, how-to’s, and projects for you to get the most from your Raspberry Pi. You can subscribe and get a discount from the price you’d pay if you bought if off the magazine rack.
NOTE: You can download the magazine as a PDF for free, going all the way back to Issue 1, May 2012!

HackSpace Magazine
This magazine is also published by the Raspberry Pi Foundation and has lots of ideas not limited to just Raspberry Pi. At the time of this post, Issue 28 has been released and covers adding audio to Raspberry Pi projects, as well as how to design a vase in Fusion 360, making things with toothpicks and getting stronger prints with your 3D printer.
NOTE: Issues of HackSpace can also be downloaded as PDF files for free!

Websites

Instructables – Though you will need a login (which is free) to access the Raspberry Pi projects, this site is known for its wide variety of crowd-sourced ideas and projects. You will also find great contests and classes to challenge you and extend your learning. You can even take a short class to learn how to write your own Instructable to share with the group.

Hackaday.io – With over 1,000 projects tagged with “Raspberry Pi,” you are sure to find some interesting things to spark your own creativity. More than 23,000 projects are shared at the time of this post, so you are definitely looking at having any free time filled. You are sure to find interesting projects for kids, by kids as well.

Top 20 Raspberry Pi Blogs, Websites and Influencers in 2020 – Be sure to look this list over and explore some great resources that you didn’t realize existed.

Top 20 Raspberry Pi 4 Projects That You Must Try Now – Seeed Studio put together a list of great and fun projects for you to try with your Raspberry Pi 4. Some are definitely more involved, but are still worth the effort and time to create. Which will be your favorite?

Raspberry Pi Resource Guide – Mitch Allen created and maintains the DesertBot website in order to share his love for robotics with other hobbyists. In this post, he shares various resources for you to consider if you are interested in Raspberry Pi … and possibly robots.

Groups

Meetup – Here is a list of search results for various meetups around the globe that have Raspberry Pi User Groups or Raspberry Pi-related events. If you don’t see one close to you, then touch base with one of the many groups clustered around programming languages or makerspaces to see if they will be planning one soon. Or, start your own Raspberry Pi User Group!

Reddit – There are several different groups to check out on Reddit that address Raspberry Pi. Consider joining each group to stay current on what others are doing, as well as having a lot of like-minded nerds available to assist you with troubleshooting. Groups to check out include:

r/raspberrypi – 26.3k members – Created August 2011
r/RASPBERRY_PI_PROJECTS – 61.8k members – Created August 2014
r/raspberry_pi – 1.7m members – Created October 2011
r/raspberryDIY – 8.5k members – Created May 2014
r/RetroPie – 84.8k members – Created May 2014

Twitter – Follow the #RaspberryPi hashtag to get numerous ideas of how Raspberry Pi is being using around the world. This is great if you have students with languages other than English, since there are people in many other countries tweeting their ideas, projects, questions, etc. Be sure to check out the photos and videos link as well to get more ideas.

Facebook – Don’t overlook Facebook as a source of relevant groups to check out. Here are a few groups to get you started.

Raspberry Pi – 74k members – about 20 posts a day
Raspberry Pi 3 & 4 – 27k members – about 20 posts a day
Raspberry Pi and DIY Projects – 25k members – about 60 posts per day
Raspberry Pi Zero – 2k members – about 10 posts per week

YouTube – And let’s not forget all the folks who share via YouTube. Here, you’ll find the videos posted this year, curated playlists, and channels dedicated to Raspberry Pi. Here are a few to check out.

Raspberry Pi Projects (playlist) – 114 videos – Last updated: July 2019
Raspberry Pi Projects for beginners (playlist) – 38 videos – Last updated: December 2019
leepspvideo (user) – 100+ videos – February 2020

Your Recommendations

Have I left anything off that you would recommend? Post in the comments below and share what other resources you have found helpful, and what types of projects you enjoy working on with your Raspberry Pi. We look forward to hearing from you!

February 26, 2020 0 comment

Good Teaching Professional Learning STEM/STEAM

Three Stupendous STEAM Ideas from the TCEA Showcase at ISTE 2017

by Susan Meyer June 26, 2017

written by Susan Meyer

I’m in San Antonio at the TCEA Showcase at ISTE 2017 absorbing the energy and excitement of the event. Here at the TCEA Showcase, we’ve got poster sessions, demo slams, maker projects, and more. We’re even giving away a FREE makerspace eBook at our membership booth. (Although, never fear; our followers who aren’t with us in San Antonio this year can still learn all about it and get their own copy here.)

The poster sessions provide a chance for attendees to really get one-on-one with presenters in a casual come-and-go environment. They can ask specific, in-depth questions and get answers from real educators who are using technology in innovative ways in their classrooms and schools. It’s enlightening to attend poster sessions not only to see some really cool presentations, but also to hear the discussions that come out of them. The presenters received some great ideas from attendees as well!

I wanted to provide a taste of one of our Monday poster sessions for our readers who aren’t able to make it to San Antonio this year. Here are some great projects, tips, and ideas from the digital storytelling and STEAM poster sessions. Read on to discover how three educators from across the country are using technology in their schools to inspire greater learning.

Easy as Raspberry Pi

At one poster presentation, TCEA President Dwight Goodwin shared how his school uses Raspberry Pi and the Internet of Things to inspire students to work together and come up with solutions on their own. He said they encourage their students to decide what they want to make using their tiny, affordable Raspberry Pi computers. They could create a Minecraft server or a camera or anything else they wanted. This keeps the learning student-directed and encourages excitement and engagement. Students who wanted to make the same thing could then be paired together and join their strengths to overcome their weaknesses. If one partner got frustrated by an aspect of programming, another partner could jump in to lead the way. Goodwin also encouraged not giving away the answers too easily. When students ask him for help, he encourages them to first research to see if the solution to the problem they have already exists.

STEAM Can Be Simple

Educational technology expert Dr. Alice Christie led a fascinating poster session on how STEAM can be relevant and rigorous without a lot of expense. She comes up with questions which she prints on stickers and then applies to big sheets of butcher paper for the kids to write their answers down on. She then includes small, inexpensive props, like plastic sea creatures or dice, that the students can move around to sort, manipulate, and use to create stories, depending on the lesson. For example, students learning about invertebrates and vertebrates, could sort animals into different columns on the paper and talk about the similarities and differences. The most pivotal part is that, at the end of the day, the students come up with questions for the following day that they want to answer. The lesson then pushes them to become better at asking questions and pinpointing more specific questions that will lead to greater inquiry. Dr. Christie saves the butcher paper from day to day and students can review them at the end of a multi-day lesson. This helps them see that learning is an iterative process and one day’s answers can inform the next day’s questions.

Cross-Curricular Ghost Stories

Nicole Hicks of Celeste ISD shared some fun ways to combine history and creative writing with technology. The students researched supposedly haunted places in Texas, such as the Menger Hotel. They then wrote a research paper about the history of the building and its place in Texas history. They also wrote a fictional story about events occurring there. Finally, they had to create a video presenting their knowledge of the place. Some students built an actual scale model based on dimensions determined from Google Maps (using both their mapping and measurement skills in the process). Others created a replica of the hotel in Minecraft. They used a green screen in their video to make it appear as if they were on site at the historic place. They then used the app TouchCast to include video-in-video and offer viewers a virtual tour of their model, including all of the exciting history they had learned.

Two different takes on the Menger Hotel

More Great Ideas to Come

These cases came from just three of the posters in one time slot here at the TCEA Showcase. I’d love to share all of the incredible stories and ideas, but it’s far too much to capture in a single blog post. If you’re here at ISTE 2017, come visit the TCEA Showcase in the Park View Lobby for many more poster sessions over the next couple of days. We’re covering high interest, tech-rich topics like programming and robotics, augmented/virtual realities, inclusive learning, and the maker movement. You can also catch one of our 20-minute, fast-paced demo slams on topics like technology infrastructure, innovative learning environments, and more! Get the whole schedule here, and we hope to see you soon.

June 26, 2017 0 comment

Coding/Computer Science Educational Trends Robotics STEM/STEAM

Five Paths to an IoT-Powered Learner

by Miguel Guhlin April 8, 2016

written by Miguel Guhlin

The Internet of Things (IoT) : a network of physical objects enhanced with electronics, software, sensors, and network connectivity that give it identity, and allow it to collect and exchange data over the Internet. Experts estimate that the IoT will consist of almost 50 billion objects by 2020. (source: adapted from Wikipedia)

“How cool is that?” asked my son as we walked the freezer aisles at the local Target store. They lighted up as we walked towards them to pick up frozen strawberries and blueberries for protein shake mixes. In the near future, this data will be relayed via the Internet to Target Headquarters, keeping track of the frequency with which thousands of customers access their products. What if learning could be like that with each book/eBook that students reach for feeding data into what was most used or accessed? The real challenge isn’t in that there are so many physical objects (50 billion by 2020) being enhanced. The question is will your children and mine be able to create and control them?

Join the ongoing TCEA Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) SkypeChat via your mobile device or online. Explore and share concepts at the intersection of teaching, learning, leading, and technology!

An example of practical uses of the IoT could include “smart” digital highlighters that enable you to highlight paper documents, then transfer highlighted text from the printed page to your favorite repository of data (e.g. Google Docs, Dropbox, OneNote/OneDrive). Or you can scan text with your digital highlighter and it will read the text aloud to you (source). But preparing our children for this “just around the corner” future involves doing more than simply buying IoT devices pre-made.

Let’s briefly explore five paths that you can help learners walk to achieve IoT-powered learning:

Embrace the language of things.
Unlock the future with hands-on, digital experiences.
Build digital connections into physical spaces.
Make the future.
Create augmented learning experiences.

Ready? Let’s get started!

#1 – Embrace the language of things.

How many of us began learning to play a musical instrument, then stopped because someone said “You know, you’re never going to be that good at it.” At a time when each of us can contribute a small, unique part to a whole concerto or our voices to a global choir, we need to reject that thinking. For IoT, embracing the language of connected objects involves learning to program, or in today’s parlance, code.

Many of us have already become familiar with the “HourofCode.org” resources. These resources make it possible for our children to learn programming that is essential to enhancing each physical object. WHY: learn to program so you can have a VOICE in a world where everything is connected to each other. Go back and read that again. We’re not learning to code because it’s popular or because it’s what the President said to do. Rather, we are doing it so we can each have a voice in an interconnected world of things. What will your song be in a world of connected things? Consider the following quote in light of the Internet of Everything:

“Those who cannot claim computers as their own tool for exploring the world never grasp the power of technology… They are controlled by technology as adults–just [as they were]…controlled [by] them as students.”

(source: Toward Digital Equity: Bridging the Divide in Education Editors: Gwen Solomon, Nancy J. Allen, and Paul Resta)

It should come as no surprise that coding is only the first step. The next is as powerful: interacting with simple computing devices.

#2 – Unlock the future with hands-on, digital experiences.

When I purchased my first Raspberry Pi, I was shocked at how simple it was. “What’s the point of working on an under-powered computer?” I said to myself. Still, I soon had it powered up and working. The experience quickly opened my eyes. What learner wouldn’t want to jump into the command line to get this technology to work?

Later, as I observed students during a summer STEM academy with the Raspberry Pi, I realized it was Raspberry Pi’s simplicity that offered a learning opportunity to control devices that are far less powerful than my smartphone, but, when taken together, can do much more. Simple devices that, when combined, enable learners to accomplish great things; just Raspberry Pi and the Internet of Things (IoT). That is the lesson.

And don’t limit yourself to Raspberry Pi. Find what “turns on the light” in your students’ eyes. That can include a plethora of “kits” to get you started (thanks to Nicholas Keith, TexasEdTech Blog, for the list!) such as those listed below:

#3 – Build digital connections into physical spaces in your classroom.

As shared in these videos, proximity-aware experiences through iBeacon technology enable you to connect physical objects to digital feedback in ways that are special and unique to each student. These serve as a way to introduce your students to the increasing “other-awareness” of physical objects, like books, a writing center, a technology center in your classroom, or specialized rooms in a library or classroom. Here are some quick ideas for Bluetooth-powered iBeacons in classrooms:

Use the beacons as digital bulletin boards for courses or buildings for students.
See if a child is in class, keeping better track of when s/he arrived (this can be controversial, though).
Teachers can broadcast information about their classes or exams (source: 100 Use Case Scenarios for iBeacon).
Applications abound for assisting special needs children (and adults) as they move around campus, accessing physical objects.

#4 – Make the future.

If you aren’t familiar with classroom maker spaces, you may want to watch this video introduction from K-3 students. Remember, the focus is on helping students create devices they can program. It’s okay if they aren’t the equivalent of your computer or smartphone, but serve as an introduction to the Internet of Things. Students become makers, persons who create and share. And your classroom can become that space where students learn by doing, creating, and printing. For example, kinder students in Mark Simmons’ school district use iPad apps like TinkerPlay and 123D to design robots and share them via cloud storage. Mark makes them real by 3D-printing kindergarten students’ creations. You can start small, with a maker space in a box or a “MysteryBag,” or pop-up maker spaces, or you can go big with a wealth of ideas online.

Note: Would you like an introduction to maker spaces? Consider attending the day-long TCEA Makers event offered in May, July, and September!

#5 – Create augmented learning experiences.

“Virtual, 3D objects appear,” says Digital Tech Frontier, “in the real world, attached to real objects.” Augmented Reality (AR) enables students to bring reality and the Internet together. (Watch this short video introduction to AR from CommonCraft.) AR offers a real-time view of the physical environment that is supplemented by a computer-generated sensory input that can include video, images, sound, and/or global position system (GPS) data. Students are able to create a real-time, digital view of the world around them using simple but powerful apps like Aurasma, AR Flashcards, AR Toolkit, Crayola Color Live!, Fetch! Lunch Rush!, Quiver, and NASA 3D Spacecraft.

You can see that AR is directly tied to the Internet of Things, such as Daqri’s 4D Studio. Some sample AR experiences include recorded video reviews of content (e.g. books, movies) tagged to the physical object (e.g. book). This makes it possible for students to gain an advanced preview of the object (source). Another possibility could include students explaining how they solved a problem or overcame an obstacle and making that available in the physical space where the problem appears. And getting students designing AR prepares them to create a holographic way, perhaps, using Microsoft Hololens, of interacting with each other. Can you imagine how excited students could be about designing holographic games, such as combining Minecraft with MS Hololens?

Intrigued by a path yet?

Worried that this is too technical? Don’t feel bad about getting a late start! One of the benefits of starting down the road after others have begun is that these five paths are clearly marked by those who have gone before you. And remember that your students are eager to share what they learn on this journey with you. Allow yourself and your students the opportunity to become IoT-empowered learners, creators, makers, and collaborators.

April 8, 2016 0 comment