As you might already know, we dived into Python after a couple of small groups did pretty well towards the end of last year - when we played with a Raspberry Pi SenseHAT, some RGB LEDs, and developed a micro:bit-powered plant monitor. The plant monitor proudly sat in the school office for the rest of the year, and later evolved into a self-watering plant on Kid Inventor day. This year was spent making our way through Code Club’s Python modules 1 and 2, and more!
Do You Need an Operating System? Using a small computer that runs an operating system (OS), like the Raspberry Pi for example, adds an overhead which can be uncessary if you’re just wanting to turn things on and off, or read whether a pin is set high or low. If you’re doing more complex calculations, such as doing live image recognition with open CV, then an operating system might be required.
Keeping up the Momemntum Going through Python with everyone in our Code Club at once has been very rewarding. So far, the feedback has been that they feel they’ve been learning more than with Scratch - although some kids love Scratch, many found it a little limiting after round 6 months. As long as they progress with Python, most have been engaged and keen to be challenged - however, if they hit a wall and didn’t get help after a few tries, some would become frustrated or distracted.
