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Looking for high quality, reliable hardware, software and project kits built for the classroom so your students can design code and make anything?

An award-winning ecosystem of hardware, software and electronic components that lets any teacher, club leader or mentor, deliver an engaging computer science and STEAM lessons, regardless of their computer literacy.

HundrED 2020
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Overview

HundrED has selected this innovation to

HundrED 2020

HundrED 2019

HundrED 2018

Web presence

2014

Established

500K

Children

15

Countries
Updated
October 2017
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.

About the innovation

What is pi-top?

Experience and skills in STEAM subjects are vital for the world we live in today. But educators have struggled to find creative, engaging and inspiring ways to teach new and real-life designing, coding and making skills to their pupils while ensuring that content is relevant and clear to both the students and the teachers themselves.

To learn these skills effectively, teachers and students need high-quality, cost-effective hardware and software tools. When it comes to buying products, it is a challenge to find superior technological tools that last, often within tight budget constraints.

pi-top devices are modular computers powered by a Raspberry Pi, a tiny affordable computer that anyone can use to learn programming through fun, practical projects. All pi-top devices are supported by accompanying project kits, full of components that help learners bring their inventions to life. pi-tops bring physical computing to life by allowing learners to create their very own machines and devices

In addition to the pi-top hardware, pi-top has created a range of software solutions to support educators in delivering an excellent computer science curriculum to their students. pi-top offers an accessible learning environment that provides students with the necessary skills and knowledge to thrive in a world of accelerating advancements in science and technology.

The foundation of pi-top software is Further, our social making platform. This lets students collaborate on projects, save and share their work, and adapt and build on the work of others. Each student can work at their own pace, with the teacher acting as a guide and facilitator. This creates a more inclusive working environment for pupils of all abilities. The pi-top operating system, pi-topOS Sirius, includes features designed especially for the classroom such as Search Portal, giving you instant access to projects, articles and research.

pi-top aims to make computer science and STEAM education fun, affordable and accessible, by giving teachers all the tools they need to create a transformative learning experience, including lifetime support and educator webinars. The UK examination board OCR has endorsed all pi-top materials as part of the computer science curriculum.


Impact & scalability

Impact & Scalability

Innovativeness

The focus of pi-top products is on learning by doing. pi-top [4] unlocks a world of designing, coding and making. With its internal battery and sturdy construction, pi‑top [4] gets computing off the desk or couch and out into the world to do real projects.

Impact

pi-top significantly improves student engagement. Learners see creative opportunities to design and create amazing projects in STEAM subjects.

Scalability

Over the past 4 years 500,000 learners across the globe have at some point used a pi-top product. With pi-top [4] joining the pi-top family we’re set for even more growth.

Implementation steps

Get a pi-top [4]

Attach it to a drone or balloon for a bird’s eye view, connect moisture sensors to record environmental changes or wildlife, wear it to measure movement and motion and use it to control everything from robotic vehicles to stage lights. With pi‑top [4] you get to design, code and make just about anything.

02 - Introducing pi-topOS Sirius.

We believe it’s the best OS for makers. pi-topOS Sirius is designed for the classroom or maker space. Before integrating pi-top software into the curriculum, it is a great idea for teachers to experiment with the features themselves. Through doing this, teachers will gain a greater understanding of how their students will use the software to learn to code.

Explore resources on pi-top Further

Further lets you build and share your work in groups, and contains resources, lesson plans and lots of other project ideas. Speak to your reseller or contact us for more information.

Design, code and make

Physical computing involves attaching components to a computer and writing code in order to make things move, light up, make sounds or interact with a button. Students are free to use their imagination to create their own physical computer projects and take ownership of their learning - the possibilities of physical computing are endless.

Spread of the innovation

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