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Google Funds Raspberry Pi And CS Teachers For UK Schools
nk497 writes "Last year, Eric Schmidt slammed British computer science teaching, saying the UK was wasting its computing heritage — since then, the Government has agreed to re-examine how the subject is taught. 'Rebooting computer science education is not straightforward,' Schmidt said. 'Scrapping the existing curriculum was a good first step — the equivalent of pulling the plug out of the wall. The question is now how to power up.' To help, Schmidt has now promised funding from Google to train 100 teachers as well as give classrooms Raspberry Pis, via charity Teach First."
"...Welcome to maths. If I have three Pepsi and drink one how refreshed would I be?"
That would bring the total number of specialist Computer Science teachers in the UK to...100.
From all the gripes I see the problem is finding the little buggers.
Has anyone here actually held one in his sweaty hand?
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
There wasn't a previous curriculum. ICT was a Microsoft designed qualification in Office "skills". For one small assignment for my A-Levels I had to use every feature of Microsoft word in a single document. Yep, I had to use word art to get marks. It was unbearable documenting office software button by button and I gave up, turned it in half done. I got pathetic C in ICT... however I am now lead graphics programmer at an award winning games developers.
The current curriculum's in ICT and computing, had to be scrapped immediately before they put off another generation from learning the skills they need.
What I don't understand is, why not give them real computers? Surely Google has some old desktop & server systems that are being retired that could be donated, or hell, write a check and buy a couple Linux servers, install Android SDK and relevant tools, and send some of your engineers in for intensive "here's how to hack your phone" training with the teachers. Probably wouldn't cost that much, and would probably have far more "real world" application than these ridiculously overhyped RPis.
Did you notice how the subject being taught is "Computer Science", not "IT"? There's a reason the names are different.
Quidnam Latine loqui modo coepi?
Training 100 teachers probably means a 2 hour lecture on plugging the thing in. Google is just after cheap publicity & karma.
Or if you RTFA:
Schmidt said the funding would be handed to the charity Teach First, to put 100 recent graduates through a six-week training course and give them equipment - including the Raspberry Pi - before sending them into schools to teach.
These do Python and C as well as GPIO. Those are far more valuable in a Computer Science course than an office suite would be. We don't want to train kids to be secretaries, we want to train them to be engineers.