Pi-top is a start-up making affordable, cool-looking computers for schools, which kids can build themselves while learning coding, electronics, and a whole lot more.

In my latest article for IDG Connect I explore how creative hacking and the Maker Movement have gained momentum in recent years as more people recognise there’s a skills crisis that has to be urgently tackled if we’re to not only cope, but thrive, in the digital economy.

The concept of Creative Hacking is something that a lot of technology startups have been exploring
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The concept of Creative Hacking is something that a lot of technology startups have been exploring in order to address the increasingly pressing issue of the widening digital skills gap. This essentially refers to the problem that not enough children are learning the skills they need at school to function in—and contribute to—the digital economy.

Pi-top is a start-up making affordable, cool-looking computers for schools
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This was, in fact, one of the hot topics of debate at the recent Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai, where an initiative was launched to standardize that concept of “Digital Intelligence Quotient” and introduce it into the broader international curriculum.

There are moves to introduce a Digital Intelligence Quotient into the school curriculum
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One startup’s DIY laptop could have us all be makers, by @alicebonasio from @CIOonline https://t.co/VpbnFmOvOi

— Technology Experts (@IDGCN) May 3, 2017

This is part of a broader trend that recognises the importance of life-long learning and building of flexible skill sets, something that is embodied in the idea that technology is meant to be explored and played with, and that playing and learning are not just for children, but rather life-long activities. The Maker Movement and the proliferation of Makerspaces are prominent example of how this works in practice, as is the growing popularity of hackable hardware specifically geared towards education, such as the pi-top computers, which I recently had the opportunity to test firsthand.

This is part of a broader trend recognising the importance of life-long learning
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Pi-top is an EdTech startup that launched in October 2014 and sold over 11,000 units of its DIY laptops, working with more than 500 schools so far. They raised over $400,000 through crowdfunding and $4.3 million on a series A Round and were finalists for two BETT awards. 

Pi-top’s ambition is to provide schools with affordable coding hardware that is also flexible. The main issue with IT spend in education is that the hardware quickly becomes outdated, but this modular approach ensures that the devices remain easy to upgrade. They are also working to support this with a cloud ecosystem of resources where teachers can share and download lesson plans with one another building a collaborative, evolving coding curriculum.

The pi-top is, as the name suggests, a laptop powered by the Raspberry Pi. It runs on its own operating system—pi-topOS—which allows all the functions one might expect from an off-the-shelf laptop—such as web browsing, emailing, editing text documents and gaming, which makes it accessible at its $200 price point. But apart from the end product itself, its biggest selling point is the education-enabling potential it offers students. Through the process of building the device, children learn the about the basic architecture of the computer, then go on to customize its modular structure with add-ons to make it suit individual needs. It also makes upgrading a lot more affordable, as a new microprocessor can be installed for $30, much cheaper than buying a new device, especially considering how schools have to constantly upgrade multiple units.

Code clubs are using the devices to create computing lessons on its custom-made coding platform CEEDuniverse. It teaches those skills through gamification, encouraging children to “mine” for resources to progress throughout the game, solving visual programming puzzles to unlock the next levels. This teaches all the basic coding concepts in languages such as Python and Scratch in an engaging way, such as creatively composing music, for example. The coder interface also allows all Raspberry Pi resources and worksheets created by educators to be shared around the world.

So, how did I, a non-technical person, get on with building my very own laptop? I was able to not only do it, but enjoy the process:

Building

This was fantastic fun and the instructions were very clear, suitable for someone who has never build a computer before. I quickly got familiar with all the various circuit boards and cables and how they were supposed to come together. The screen is great quality and the keyboard is adequate, but the mouse pad is a little bit difficult to use, so it benefits from an external mouse, particularly when scrolling. The case is hard-wearing and a lovely bright shade of green that would appeal to children I’d imagine, although I really liked it too. The slide-out top section is amazingly effective, safely covering the internal components when you need and giving easy access to them for whenever you need to do some extra tinkering. The battery life is also very good, up to 12 hours depending on how many programs you have running, which beats my much more expensive MacBook by a long way. The only oddity there was the lack of a battery monitor on the dashboard.

Software

The pi-topOS comes installed on a micro SD card and booted up first time, connected to my W-Fi without issue and I was off and running. It comes preinstalled with essetials such as a chrome browser, basic office apps and of course a good selection of engaging learning tools. All these can be accessed on the attractive and familiar feeling desktop or through the pi-topDASHBOARD which is a neat smart phone style interface and a good starting point to begin exploring the pi-top’s capabilities. The only limitation is that it is very much meant to be used in a classroom context. It is perfectly possible to get a lot of learning and fun from it by yourself, but to get the full benefit of the learning tools, you do need the guidance of a teacher. The educational software is very diverse and offers everything from learning through gaming and game design to organized step-by-step coding tools where you can learn, test, debug and validate code.

Extras

The speaker is truly plug-and-play and allows the laptop to play media, while the pi-topPROTO is a great little breakout board, essential for physical computing lessons where you add and program lights, switches and circuits because the Raspberry Pi’s native GPIO header pins are used to run the pi-top. The PROTO duplicates these pins plus adds a load more possibilities for creative learning with well labelled connections for soldering on components and includes standard 5V, and 3.3V plus 18V power connections.

If we are to educate the next generation to understand technology and leverage digital skills creatively, then this is exactly the sort of tool that needs to be in every classroom. The good news is that startups like pi-top are making this not only possible, but much more affordable and rather fun. It sort of made me wish I were back at school, as I would have really enjoyed learning about computers if I had been allowed to play with them.

Article originally published on CIO Online

Alice Bonasio is a VR Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio and @techtrends_tech on Twitter.

The post Bringing the Maker Movement into EdTech appeared first on Tech Trends.

In this article for The Next Web I talk to entrepreneurs in London about how the aftermath of Brexit will affect them and their businesses.

Academia, like the technology sector, is heavily dependent on EU funding, and the free movement of talent is regarded as having a positive impact on scientific collaboration
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It might feel like centuries since Britain voted to leave the European Union, yet it really wasn’t that long ago that I was at London Technology Week, talking to entrepreneurs about how this could affect them, and the tech sector in general. Back then it was mostly speculation, since nobody I spoke to really believed it would go through. How wrong we were!

On the day of the vote I attended an event sponsored by Open Access publishers Hindawi exploring how academia, institutions and technology companies could innovate together, and the climate had been more optimistic. Everyone I spoke to had voted ‘remain’ before coming along and there was a general feeling that although the result might be close, the country would stay within the EU.

One of the things that makes London such an attractive place for technology startups is its position as a gateway to the European market
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Academia, like the technology sector, is heavily dependent on EU funding, and the free movement of talent is regarded as having a positive impact on scientific collaboration. More than that, however, even the often-maligned Brussels policy machine is responsible for pushing through important initiatives, such as the recent mandate that stipulates that any research owing its existence to public funding must be made freely accessible and reusable by 2020.

At another meet-up hosted at the UCL’s Institute for Global Prosperity, the speaker – on a video link from Barcelona – spoke to a room full of European citizens about how her ground-breaking citizen science project could help to tackle the growing air pollution crisis in our cities; this was also funded by the European Commission through the Horizon 2020 program.

Once you start paying attention, it’s easy to see how EU money and influence pops up everywhere, and that’s the scary thing
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Once you start paying attention, it’s easy to see how EU money and influence pops up everywhere, and that’s the scary thing. One of the things that makes London such an attractive place for technology startups is its position as a gateway to the European market.

I spoke to some companies at LTW who were taking part in an accelerator setup by the UK Lebanon Tech Hub – a joint initiative between Lebanon’s Central Bank and the UK government – and most agreed that this had been a factor in their decision to base their companies in London. “We’re now a registered UK company, and we’re looking to open an office in London and start hiring” says Lebanese entrepreneur Fadi Sabbagha, Founder and CEO of BornInteractive.

Speaking just after the Brexit results had emerged, he told me that his immediate plans were not affected, but that access to European markets was also crucial for his company.

We’re launching EasyCat, a platform where you can create and share catalogs electronically, and the events market – which is particularly large in Europe – is an important part of that for us.

Lamice Hourani, who also received support from the UKLTH to launch her company Parentville told me that her product – an app that connects urban parents with local family-friendly activities – would probably not be affected in the short-term, but was concerned about future repercussions as they continue to grow:

We’re a neighborhood-based business and at the moment we’re focused on the UK market, so I don’t foresee any immediate impact. That being said, a good part of our customers are expats, and also hiring talent might become more difficult, as we do benefit at the moment from being able to tap into the EU market in recruiting for specific roles.

Recruitment is indeed a key issue, as any tech entrepreneur will tell you. In the dog-eat- dog ecosystem of high growth that most startups operate in, bringing the right talent on board – quickly – can make or break an idea.

Haitham Saab, Director of Techgenies, built their entire proposition around this, providing a platform which allows companies to hire talent based anywhere in the world on a project basis, and save up to 50 percent compared to hiring locally in a high-demand market such as London or Silicon Valley.

While physically we might be able to restrict the free movement of people, intangible products and services will continue to flow, and the economy that they create and sustain will remain borderless
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Since so many of us work from home these days, and a lot of startups don’t even have an office any more, it makes sense that you should not be limited by geography when sourcing the skills your business needs to grow. We live in a globalized society, which is what makes the key arguments of the Brexit campaign so baffling to many, as they seem predicated in a reality that no longer really applies.

While physically we might be able to restrict the free movement of people, intangible products and services will continue to flow, and the economy that they create and sustain will remain borderless.

In tech jargon, ‘exit’ can be a good thing. It often means that your company has been acquired, and that is the goal for many startups. The exit of the UK from the European Union, however, doesn’t seem to bring many positive connotations for the entrepreneurial community so far.

Richard Branson, who had previously warned that Brexit would be the “worst decision Britain could make” now says investors are pulling out of the UK following the vote. His own company, Virgin, has reportedly lost a third of its value and cancelled a contract worth over 3,000 jobs in the immediate aftermath of the referendum.

TechCrunch Editor At Large Mike Butcher was also dismayed at the result, tweeting the day after the referendum that he had been told that at least three UK startups had lost deals with EU-based investors because funding was conditional on Remain to win. Since then many entrepreneurs have been sharing similar woeful experiences on Butcher’s Facebook page.

In tech jargon, exit can be a good thing, but leaving the European Union doesn’t have any upsides for the entrepreneurial community
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This doesn’t of course spell the inevitable doom of the technology sector in the UK. London’s Tech City will likely continue to be a driver of growth and jobs for the country and a major player in the global digital economy. But it is also a fact that membership of the EU offered businesses and investors many concrete advantages, and it is entirely unclear if, and how, those factors will change as the country struggles with the uncertainty triggered by Brexit.

However, the severe devaluation of the pound does mean some are getting better value for money. I spoke to one entrepreneur, for example, who told me that an India-based investor had offered to increase the amount of investment offered to her, as it was such a good time to buy sterling.

Take your silver linings whenever you can find them…

How Brexit is impacting UK startups https://t.co/ZRU2oZfeA3 pic.twitter.com/HiUeR9IvxV

— The Next Web (@TheNextWeb) July 13, 2016

Alice Bonasio is a VR Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio and @techtrends_tech on Twitter.

The post What does Brexit Mean for Tech and Innovation? appeared first on Tech Trends.

Storytelling can be a powerful engagement tool and medium to teach kids valuable digital and STEAM skills

A Tale Unfolds improves reading and writing through digital filmmaking projects
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“Back In primary school, we used a BBC computer and a roma robot every once in a blue moon. Seriously, that was as technical as it got!” laughs Dominic Traynor, CEO of the intriguingly named company A Tale Unfolds, which claims to radically improve reading and writing by combining traditional literacy teaching with digital filmmaking projects.

“Even in secondary school I don’t remember being really engaged in technology, but everything changed when I was about 16 and we first got the Internet at home. The idea that I could tap into a seemingly infinite amount of knowledge was mindblowing, and suddenly school seemed much less relevant. This is what sparked the wanderlust that dominated my twenties.”

The idea that I could tap into a seemingly infinite amount of knowledge was mindblowing
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Yet what Dominic came to realise – through his own personal experience of being a primary school teacher – was that school was far from irrelevant, and that technology would definitely need to play a part in keeping this new generation of Digital Natives engaged in the classroom.

Technology needs to play a part in keeping this new generation of Digital Natives engaged in the classroom.
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“It became increasingly obvious to me that young kids these days often find that there is a huge cultural difference between their everyday digital lives and the things they do in primary school. In the UK the National Curriculum is the holy book that schools adhere to. It doesn’t specify or recommend any technology, just skills and content. With teachers under increasing performance and time pressure, this encourages them to follow traditional schemes of work that have been around for years since they are tried and tested ways to fulfil the National Curriculum. However, this means that our digital native pupils are more disengaged than ever by an approach that bears no resemblance to the world around them.”

With teachers under increasing performance and time pressure, this encourages them to follow traditional schemes
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Often, that is due to the fact that the teacher, despite being a digital user themselves, does not know how to orchestrate something like a filmmaking project from start to finish combining different digital skills, platforms and apps. A Tale Unfolds works to bring digital skills involving filming, video editing, green screening, animating and audio recording into the literacy classroom in order to demonstrate to pupils that the ‘old school’ act of writing is still fundamental to creating outstanding video projects.”

The 'old school' act of writing is still fundamental to creating outstanding video projects
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Apart from lack of confidence in teaching technology, Dominic recognises the problem that teachers face enormous pressure to deliver academic results in the traditional areas of English and Maths, which can push back initiatives to teach technology and creative stills. That is actually a self-defeating paradox, however, as technology has the power to vastly improve those very skills:

“Our projects show teachers how they can achieve incredible academic results whilst engaging and motivating their pupils using basic technology. We bridge that gap between the National Curriculum and technology. Over the course of 6-10 weeks, students study 6 different genres of writing as well as writing, performing, filming and editing their very own adventure film. Then, at the end of our projects, schools host their very own film premiere to showcase their end product. This all provides a platform that brings meaning to the traditional literacy work the pupils do in class. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved!”

Projects show teachers how they can achieve incredible academic results whilst engaging pupils using basic technology
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Despite being developed on a shoestring, their pilot had overwhelmingly positive feedback from schools, and they knew they were onto something when 1000 classrooms were reached between the pilot and the launch of the current resource. The company has since raised £65,000 through the Emerge Education accelerator programme and their investors, and has a sustainable Software-as-a-Service model where schools pay a subscription fee to access their resources and support. They favour an open and collaborative approach, where different technologies are mixed and matched to each project in order to bring learning alive for students.

They favour an open and collaborative approach, where different technologies are mixed and matched
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“We’re actually starting an online film festival. Connecting classrooms and creating a movement is the big vision and so we want to start showcasing the amazing work done by our schools to a wider audience. It’s hard to describe the feeling we get when a teacher tells us not only that our project has doubled literacy progress in their class, but that it has given them their teaching mojo back.”

But teachers often need support and training in making the best use of technology to fulfil the skills and content in the National Curriculum, so Dominic is working on putting together online training and accreditation courses so that teachers can develop their professional skills at the same time as teaching the film projects. The size of the commercial opportunity is interesting to say the least: In the UK alone, there are around 22,000 primary schools, and over 250,000 in the English-speaking world. We’re talking about a £700m market without even beginning to consider the possibilities around secondary schools or the TEFL sector.

Teachers often need support and training in making the best use of technology
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“The future of education is quite clearly digital. The opportunities that devices like tablets bring to learning in schools are incredible when used in the right way. Personalised learning and diagnostics are just two very obvious and hugely effective ways in which they can be benefit both pupils and teachers. However, I’m still a traditionalist at heart and would hate to see a decline in the physical act of writing, the pleasure of reading a real book and real human interaction in general. I don’t think that the use of technology in schools automatically leads to a decline in those things but it can be an easy trap to fall into. Training is absolutely key to making this digital revolution in schools a humane one. As long as schools can get that balance right, then this has the potential to improve society for the benefit of everyone.”

The future of education is quite clearly digital
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Alice Bonasio is a VR Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio on Twitter.

The post Telling Tales in The Classroom appeared first on Tech Trends.