Tag Archives: Raspberry Pi

Resources, Tech

Raspberry Pi activities

Raspberry Pi 3 Model B
A listserve discussion was asking about different programs or activities people are doing in their libraries using Raspberry Pi devices. We are sharing them with you here:

  • We are using Pi mostly with a camera for Social Media campaigns.  Our IT department uses them to monitor wireless networks.
  • A few weeks ago we deployed Screenly open source. It’s been working great. We were displaying PowerPoint from a laptop and moved to this. PowerPoint can save as MP4, which we then load to the Pi.
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General, School Media Specialist

Minecraft: more than just a game

minecraft_landscape1By now we’ve all heard about Minecraft, or maybe we know a child that can only talk about “Creepers.” With its popularity, many educators are looking beyond the blocks to what Minecraft can do for education.

Programming

One obvious choice that Minecraft can be used for is with programming. With just a $35 Raspberry Pi, you can setup a Minecraft sandbox where students can learn the programming language Python. Using this helpful worksheet, programmers can learn how to teleport in the game or even drop blocks as they walk. Check out our post about the Raspberry Pi to learn more!

Minecraft Club

Finally, students are looking for a place to play Minecraft too! What better way to give everyone that option than to setup a Minecraft server at your school and then organize a Minecraft Club.

Digital Citizenship

Another thing educators are looking to Minecraft to teach is digital citizenship. Check out this video about how some teachers are using Minecraft to do just that:

General

Is a Raspberry Pi right for your library?

Raspi_Colour_R-207x250At only $35, a Raspberry Pi might be a tempting addition to your makerspace or library. But what can it really do and can you make it work for your users?

The Raspberry Pi is a credit-card sized computer that only needs a screen, keyboard, and mouse. It can be used for many of the things that your desktop PC does, like spreadsheets, word-processing and games. It also plays high-definition video and can be used to teach programming.

One of the big draws of the Raspberry Pi is to learn programming. It can be used to learn to program Ruby, Python, Scratch, and even setup your own web server. Besides teaching resources, the Raspberry Pi website even has an Education Newsletter you can receive via email. Need inspiration? Check out what others have done on their make page.

We know that Minecraft is extremely popular. Check out our post about using Raspberry Pi to program in the Minecraft world!

Finally, here’s a short video about the device and getting setup: