Despite the promise of digital technology, not all communities around the world have the access they need. One way he sees reducing the global digital divide is by providing affordable and accessible computing education to everyone, regardless of their socio-economic background. Empowering young people by focusing on inclusivity and affordability, helping them develop the skills they need to succeed in an increasingly digital world while promoting a more just and diverse technology environment To do.
endless networkis a global organization dedicated to tackling capital inequality caused by challenges such as inadequate internet access, and in line with that mission, we strategically invest in global companies that actively work to achieve that mission. Assigning. In this article, we will discuss one such company, raspberry pi foundation.
Founded in the UK, the Raspberry Pi Foundation aims to encourage young people to study computer science by inventing programmable computers for the price of a textbook. Over the past 15 years, the company’s commercial arm, Raspberry Pi Ltd, has grown into one of the world’s most successful computer companies, selling more than 55 million computers and serving engineers, scientists, hobbyists, and engineers around the world. Used by young people.
The foundation is on a mission to democratize access to computing education. While Raspberry Pi computers remain a critical tool in this mission, the Foundation is device and platform agnostic, supporting learning across a wide range of hardware and software. Their work includes supporting schools to integrate computer science into their curricula, promoting informal learning through code clubs and online resources, and conducting research through a center at the University of Cambridge. The Foundation’s approach is guided by: 12 educational principles, research-based and strengthening effective and inclusive computer science education globally. EdSurge recently spoke with: philip corriganThe CEO of the Raspberry Pi Foundation talks about the important work his organization is contributing to.
EdSurge: What are some of the significant challenges facing the education sector, particularly in the areas of technology and computer science, and how is your organization addressing these issues?
Corrigan: There are two big problems in education that we are trying to solve. The first is to check whether the school offers a comprehensive curriculum that addresses computing, computer science and digital skills, and whether it is keeping up with developments in technology. AI literacy is the new big challenge. Currently, no curriculum in the world has reliable answers to what skills and knowledge young people need to acquire to succeed in a world transformed by AI. This is the problem we are trying to solve, Google Deep Mind Research and develop lessons to help young people learn about AI systems. These lessons have already been taught to hundreds of thousands of young people in the UK and we are now translating them to make them more accessible around the world.
The second problem is that almost all computer science classes are taught by non-professional teachers who do not have computer science degree qualifications. There are a few computer teachers with a computer science background, and while they are good, they are a minority. It would be great if we could convince governments and education systems to incorporate computer science into the curriculum. That’s the easier step. The challenge, then, is how to support teachers to provide education in that education system. This requires significant investment in ongoing teacher professional development. In India, we are working with two states to train tens of thousands of teachers without computing backgrounds to deliver computer science curricula.
How is Raspberry Pi working to make computing education available around the world?
Raspberry Pi’s big goal is to bring world-leading computing education to every young person in every school in the world. Additionally, we want all young people to have access to safe, informal spaces where they can get hands-on experience with technology.Here is code club They are the world’s largest network of free computing clubs, run by an amazing community of educators and leaders.
It is a truly global mission. we want to change the world. We specifically focus on her six countries: UK, Ireland, India, USA, Kenya and South Africa. We also partner with nonprofit organizations in nearly 50 other countries, supporting them through curriculum and resources, helping them launch networks of code clubs, training teachers, and more.
Our immediate goal, which we are currently achieving, is to have almost every classroom in the UK using curriculum and resources created with Raspberry Pi. We have trained tens of thousands of teachers here. We are constantly working with local education systems and other local organizations to develop curricula and introduce large-scale teacher training initiatives in India and Kenya.
What are the main obstacles your organization has faced in fulfilling its mission, and what is your team doing to address them?
One of the big challenges is access to technology and the internet. This remains a problem in countries like the UK and US, where too many young people do not have access to computers for learning at home. In countries like India and Kenya, the situation is even worse. There, young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are far less likely to have access to a device, and even if they do have access to a computer, the internet is often limited or nonexistent. One of the ways we are trying to address this issue is by making learning resources and experiences accessible offline, with support from the Endless Foundation. The idea is that she can ship her Raspberry Pi computer with all the educational content and tools she needs to learn computing without the need for an internet connection.
It’s more complicated than you might think, and it’s not always about price. Political will also plays a role. Additionally, we seek to help schools around the world introduce entirely new and rapidly evolving subjects, despite the lack of confident teachers. One of the hurdles we face is getting school leaders to emphasize the relevance of computing and understand that it is a great engine for social mobility. Computing education provides young people with access to jobs and the tools to build things and solve problems in their lives. It can be transformative not only for the young person, but also for their family and community. I really sympathize with the pressure on schools. She has been the chair of the school management committee for over 10 years and knows the challenges that schools face on a daily basis. It’s hard to put computing education at the forefront, but it’s so important.
How does your organization measure the success of its efforts?
We measure success in two ways. First, look at both volume and demographics through reach. We aim to provide broad accessibility to as many young people as possible, especially those who are educationally disadvantaged due to factors such as poverty, gender, race, ethnicity and disability. , wants to benefit young people who are underrepresented in the technology field.
Next, we focus on the learning effect and evaluate not only the inspiration but also the meaningful and practical knowledge gained. Our ongoing efforts always result in positive learning outcomes.
From your experience using Raspberry Pi, can you elaborate on a success story that demonstrates the impact and results for your organization?
One of the best things about the more than 10 years we’ve been working is meeting the young people whose lives have been changed through our work. I was lucky enough to meet her one of the children who attended the first code club when she was only 11 years old. This experience motivated him to put technology to work. He also got his one of the first Raspberry Pi computers and created some pretty cool stuff using his free online tutorials. He attends a school that uses our curriculum, receives instruction from teachers we trained, and uses our platform, his Ada computer, his science, to study for his A-levels, which are similar to AP exams. I did. He is currently studying towards a Bachelor of Computer Science and Cyber Security at Newcastle University. He is the first in his family to attend college. Every year we see more and more children like him whose lives have had their trajectories changed through our work, and that’s something very special.
