2013 Curriculum

Raspberry Pi

The Raspberry Pi (aka simply "Pi") is a $35 computer the size of a credit-card (about $46 after tax and shipping, or $44 if picked up locally at Microcenter)

What you Need

You can buy what you need (excluding a monitor) for: 35+5+17+8+8+6 = $79.  Details are shown below.  It is likely that you already have many of these items and don't need to buy them. Shipping and/or tax is additional. These items will not be provided for you!  You must purchase them yourself ahead of time.

• 1. Model B Raspberry Pi from Chicago-based Newark for $35.  In Chicago Microcenter on Elston often also has them.

  2. Micro-USB 5v power supply with at least 700mA (like the universal ones used to charge a cell phone)  $5.

  3. Wireless USB keyboard/mouse  $17 (or wired for $15)

  4. 4GB (or bigger) class 4 (or higher) SD card ($8).  Raspberry Pi runs on 2GB, but 4GB or larger is recommended.

  5. Ethernet cable $8

  6. HDMI cable ($6) if connecting to a monitor with HDMI input, or an HDMI to VGA adapter ($20) plus a standard VGA cable ($1) if connecting to a monitor with a VGA input.For our PD this summer we will supply monitors for use at the PD.  For your own use at you can probably use a PC monitor from home are in a school lab, or a projector.  Otherwise you can buy a monitor used starting at $40.

Setup and Getting Started

9:00 - 9:30 am

[Dale Reed, Jeff Solin, Don Yanek, Christian Reyes]

Follow the Engadget Getting Started guide (but use this site to download the Raspberian image you need when you get to that step.)

Thanks to Google we have pre-configured SD cards!

Time permitting: Quick demo of Scratch 1.4 on the Pi (but not 2.0 because Flash doesn't run on the Pi.)

Scratch with a picoboard with a Raspberry Pi.  Simply plug in before starting Scratch on the Pi.  

What you can do with the Pi

9:30 - 10:20 am

Christian Reyes, Element 14

Element 14 Online community site

10:20 - 10:30  break

Programming in Python

10:30 - 12:30 pm

[Ljubomir Perkovic]  See Ljubomir's Python Book on Amazon.

See Python notes from the workshop.

See the Python Education resources on the Raspberry Pi site

12:30 - 1:00   Lunch

 1:00 - 2:00   More Python [Ljubomir Perkovic]; Using the Pi to control other things  

Demos: 

  2:00 - 3:00 

• Cloud9 demo and discussion on how it can bring a high-power IDE to your classroom with no need for any installs [Jeff Solin]

• XBMC media player [Jeff Solin]

• Other possibilities:

  • Games (see the Quake III video, run Open Arena)

  • Utilities, Programs (Screenly) 

  • See the many Raspberry Pi Youtube videos

  3:00 - 3:30 

Discussion:

• • Using Raspberry Pi in your classroom

  • Lending library of Pi's?

  • Google grant ideas

Friday

Scratch 2.0

9:00 - 10:20 am

No installation needed, just run Scratch 2.0 from your browser.  Now featuring interactive video, make your own blocks, copying blocks using a "backpack," cloning sprites and cloud variables.  Note that this does not run on the Raspberry Pi because it depends on Flash, which does not run on the Pi. [Jeff Solin]

See Scratch 2.0 Fireworks demo, and page that describes the new version 2.0 features.  See also the very cool Sonic the Hedgehog Scratch program mentioned by David Hayes.

10:20 - 10:30   break

AppInventor 2 (alpha)  

10:30 - 11:30  

[Dale Reed]

AppInventor is a blocks-based environment that allows you to create apps that run on Android phones and tablets.

This is an alpha (!) product and can be accessed at newblocks.appinventor.mit.edu (See the original version at http://appinventor.mit.edu).  Having the blocks builder browser-based saves all the headaches of Java web start required in the past.  The new blocks are more generic, with options embedded within them.  This is so nice!

Explore: Attempt to go through the "standard" getting started tutorials, but use the newblocks version to do this.

Demos

11:30 - 12:00 

Cool things you have discovered that are (or could be) useful in your classroom.  Could be pedagogical or curriculum, not just technology.

• • Controlling Scratch programs with Xbox Kinect 

  • Buy an XBox Kinect (but you don't need an XBox).  To setup see http://scratch.saorog.com 

  • See KinectSound.sb and KinectGoal.sb sample programs, attached below. [Dale Reed, ~ 10 min]

  • Makey Makey to make your own controllers [Diane Bell, ~10 min]

  • We didn't get to this, but Diane sent a couple of pictures of one of her students' projects using MakeyMakey, which looks like a kind of guitar hero implementation:

12:00 - 1:00 pm  Lunch, group picture and wrap-up

Please complete the online evaluation form before you leave.

Raspberry Pi (RPi) Resources

1. To update your RPi, from the command line type in:

2.        rpi-update

3. and then off it goes, for about 4 minutes, scrolling through the setup steps on the screen. 

4. To see lists of programs, both installed and available, from the command line type:

5.       sudo aptitude

6. then click on the categories that (eventually) show up.  Anyone have a better way to find things than this?

7. To see the list of programs that can be installed on the RPi, see the 33 MB file http://www.raspbian.org/RaspbianRepository

   1. It is not very user-friendly.    To install the vlc media player, for instance, from the command line on your RPi type:

   2.        sudo apt-get install vlc

   3. and then off it goes, for about 4 minutes, scrolling through the setup steps on the screen.

8. To gracefully shutdown, after logging out of the GUI, at the command line type in:  

9.        sudo shutdown -h now

10. (Thanks to Jason Quint) 

11. For cool project ideas see adafruit.com  (thanks to Ljuomir Perkovic)

Other

• 1. CSTA lending library

  2. For access to the CSTA classroom lending library of picoboards (to use with Scratch) or Android phones (to use with AppInventor) please contact Elena Lathos at UIC, elathos@uic.edu, 312-413-4950

  3. If you are not already a member of the Chicago CSTA, consider joining.  It is free and a great place to network with other CS teachers.  http://cstachicago.ning.com/

  4. GE Garages is a high-tech, hands-on lab celebrating inventors and entrepreneurs, and providing the opportunity for everyday people to get their hands dirty and discover modern manufacturing processes.  See the Pinterest page and the YouTube video

  5. Use a Google form to give class quizzes, then use  Flubaroo which is a free Apps Script that allows you to automate grading and assignment feedback with Forms and Sheets. [Thanks to Jason Quint and Earl Strassberger]