According to a new survey by IP EXPO Europe, 23% of UK IT decision-makers (ITDMs) identified STEAM and the need for young IT talent as one of the main technology issues for enterprises in 2017. This aligns well with pi-top’s vision to change the face of STEAM with affordable and engaging education-focused hardware that utilises the Raspberry Pi. pi-top makes it possible for any school to deliver a fun and easy way to effectively teach computer science and STEAM subject from a young age, not requiring teachers to have previous computing literacy.
pi-top was initially created to make the Raspberry Pi easy to deploy in any computer science classroom or setting and has now transformed into a full ecosystem that gives teachers the tools to prepare students for the real world by teaching them key computing and STEAM skills required for future jobs. The team have been dedicated proponents of the new computing curriculum; and have transcendent industry legends acknowledging their leading work since their launch in 2014.
Using cost-effective hardware, pi-top can provide access to world-class educational resources for the new CS and STEAM curriculum designed with effective learning and ease of use in mind.
I’d love to see pi-topceed in every classroom – Eben Upton, Founder & CEO of Raspberry Pi
How does pi-top prepare your STEAM classroom?
pi-top focuses on teaching individuals computing with project-based learning goals supported by industry leading software, pi-topOS. The package makes it effortless to teach STEAM-based subjects with a focus on computing and hardware interaction. With pi-top’s broad hardware and software applications – their ecosystem takes the best of the fun and engaging aspects of the ‘Maker world’ and applies them in an unprecedented way.
pi-topOS provides users with an instinctive interface, improving the out-of-the-box experience. pi-topOS lets you browse the web, check emails, create and edit text documents, play games, as well as complete any other standard computer task. The operating system comes with the revolutionary pi-topCODER, an all-in-one development and lesson plan environment which teaches students how to code and allows educators to build customised lesson plans. Pi-top has many hours of lesson plans that focus on delivering core computing and STEAM concepts in a clear step-by-step pathway.
pi-top also comes with the team’s specially crafted educational game, CEEDUniverse, which teaches coding within a massive adventure and discovery-based game, capable of instilling the core aspects of the computing curriculum.
What hardware is available?
pi-top is the team’s first feature device, a build-it-yourself Raspberry Pi-powered laptop. It’s the perfect tool for makers and coding enthusiasts with its 13.3” screen, 10+ hours of battery life and completely modular assembly. pi-top provides tools for all ages of students but focuses on age 8+.
Following the successful launch of pi-top, the team created a second hit device called pi-topCEED, the most versatile all-in-one Raspberry Pi-powered desktop – it comes pre-assembled with all required software and is ready to use right out of the box.
Importantly pi-top and pi-topCEED are fitted with ‘modular rails’, meaning users can connect extra functionality to the device and prototype electronics using pi-top add-on boards, called pi-topPROTO. This allows students to engage with and create technology on a new level within the schools curriculum in a way that has leading educational technology figures awarding high praise to the London-based team.
pi-top is designed and built by a passionate team of engineers and creatives to close the education and employment gap. As one of
pi-top’s co-founders, Jesse Lozano says: “We want people to have fun when learning and use pi-top as an empowering tool to inspire the next generation in this new digital age.”
