This document discusses the Raspberry Pi and coding. It provides information on different Raspberry Pi models and their prices. It also discusses the Raspberry Pi operating system (Raspbian Linux), software, hardware considerations, and potential uses of Raspberry Pi in schools and code clubs. Specific project ideas are also suggested, such as detecting temperature and tweeting it, building a Twitter bot, using Sonic Pi music software, and webcam motion sensing projects.

1. Linux/Raspberry Pi and 'coding'
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Quick background
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Involved in computing since school in 1966
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Studied Chemistry at Imperial
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Went straight back to computing
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Stayed there ever since, mainly in Europe
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OU Msc in computing about 1997 - 2003

2. Here it is

3. Models
If you are thinking about these, need to be clear
about models:
- model A, cheap but not useful in schools
- model Pi1 B, price now down to £16 but Pi2 a
lot better
- Pi2, around £28 'bare' [no case, for example]
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raspberry_Pi gives
a summary of hardware in models

4. Raspberry Pi Software

The operating system is a Linux 'distribution'
called Raspian, based on the Debian Linux
distribution

So any 'basic' Linux commands will work on it

Linux was designed as multiuser from the
outset, it's somewhat different from Windows

It's free as in free food

It'll run well on old machines, especially the
'small' distributions:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightweight_Linux
_distribution

5. Raspberry Pi Hardware

Form factor, they are small, need to be in
boxes! Anchored somehow too

Networking to a server will probably be very
useful, we've tried, fairly easy

There's no VGA, so converters may be useful:
http://raspi.tv/2013/hdmi-to-vga-video-converter-wit

A452 actually has 'command line' no pretty
interface exercises!

6. Raspberry Pi in Schools

Better to standardise on one distribution of
Linux, probably Raspian, as stated

Better to think in terms of 'adaptation' or
'welcome' for Pi into existing computer suite
infrastructure

Server/file-share based will enable students to
take any 'seat' for their saved work

Standardisation will cut down administration
and lost time

7. Using and Support Materials

There's some quite good, but a little
overcomplex stuff at:
http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/by-subject/computing/raspberry-p

Command line exercises in A452
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Beware of 'powerful' commands rm -rf *
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Beware of root user and 'sudo'
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If no network/file-share, then specific users for
each 'seat', inflexible

8. Projects/Class Work

Pi is [obviously] good for Code Clubs

Scratch [1.4 ugh] comes with Raspian
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Minecraft Pi edition
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Python [especially pygame] also
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Samba [Linux filesystem shared by Windows]

9. Further out: Project tools

This is based on the sample projects in OCR
453 description

Password project: Needs a general purpose
programming language, probably Python

Score project: Best way is a database,
Mariadb, for example

Maze: scratch project this is visual
programming via browser

10. Ideas for Code Club & Pi
1. Detecting and tweeting the temperature from
somewhere in the school:
2. Building at a Twitter Bot [a program that
'chats'
3. Sonic Pi: http://sonic-pi.net/
4. Webcam and motion sensing
5. Hacking challenge [since they've said they're
interested]
- one 'team' makes a little program and hides it in
a Pi

11. Thanks!

Question and answer