Integrating generative AI into introductory programming classes

Generative AI (GenAI) tools like GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT are rapidly changing how programming is taught and learnt. These tools can solve assignments with remarkable accuracy. GPT-4, for example, scored an impressive 99.5% on an undergraduate computer science exam, compared to Codex’s 78% just two years earlier. With such capabilities, researchers are shifting from asking, “Should we teach with AI?” to “How do we teach with AI?”

Photo of Leo Porter (UC San Diego)
Leo Porter from UC San Diego
Photo of Daniel Zingaro (University of Toronto)
Daniel Zingaro from the University of Toronto

Leo Porter and Daniel Zingaro have spearheaded this transformation through their groundbreaking undergraduate programming course. Their innovative curriculum integrates GenAI tools to help students tackle complex programming tasks while developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Leo and Daniel presented their work at the Raspberry Pi Foundation research seminar in December 2024. During the seminar, it became clear that much could be learnt from their work, with their insights having particular relevance for teachers in secondary education thinking about using GenAI in their programming classes

Practical applications in the classroom

In 2023, Leo and Daniel introduced GitHub Copilot in their introductory programming  CS1-LLM course at UC San Diego with 550 students. The course included creative, open-ended projects that allowed students to explore their interests while applying the skills they’d learnt. The projects covered the following areas:

  • Data science: Students used Kaggle datasets to explore questions related to their fields of study — for example, neuroscience majors analysed stroke data. The projects encouraged interdisciplinary thinking and practical applications of programming.
  • Image manipulation: Students worked with the Python Imaging Library (PIL) to create collages and apply filters to images, showcasing their creativity and technical skills.
  • Game development: A project focused on designing text-based games encouraged students to break down problems into manageable components while using AI tools to generate and debug code.

Students consistently reported that these projects were not only enjoyable but also responsible for deepening their understanding of programming concepts. A majority (74%) found the projects helpful or extremely helpful for their learning. One student noted that.

Programming projects were fun and the amount of freedom that was given added to that. The projects also helped me understand how to put everything that we have learned so far into a project that I could be proud of.

Core skills for programming with Generative AI

Leo and Daniel emphasised that teaching programming with GenAI involves fostering a mix of traditional and AI-specific skills.

Infographic highlighting a workflow when writing software with Copilot.
Writing software with GenAI applications, such as Copilot, needs to be approached differently to traditional programming tasks

Their approach centres on six core competencies:

  • Prompting and function design: Students learn to articulate precise prompts for AI tools, honing their ability to describe a function’s purpose, inputs, and outputs, for instance. This clarity improves the output from the AI tool and reinforces students’ understanding of task requirements.
  • Code reading and selection: AI tools can produce any number of solutions, and each will be different, requiring students to evaluate the options critically. Students are taught to identify which solution is most likely to solve their problem effectively.
  • Code testing and debugging: Students practise open- and closed-box testing, learning to identify edge cases and debug code using tools like doctest and the VS Code debugger.
  • Problem decomposition: Breaking down large projects into smaller functions is essential. For instance, when designing a text-based game, students might separate tasks into input handling, game state updates, and rendering functions.
  • Leveraging modules: Students explore new programming domains and identify useful libraries through interactions with Copilot. This prepares them to solve problems efficiently and creatively.

Ethical and metacognitive skills: Students engage in discussions about responsible AI use and reflect on the decisions they make when collaborating with AI tools.

Graphic depicting students' confidence levels regarding their programming skills and their use of Generative AI tools.

Adapting assessments for the AI era

The rise of GenAI has prompted educators to rethink how they assess programming skills. In the CS1-LLM course, traditional take-home assignments were de-emphasised in favour of assessments that focused on process and understanding.

Table highlighting the different types of assessments involved in Leo and Daniel's course.
Leo and Daniel chose several types of assessments — some involved having to complete programming tasks with the help of GenAI tools, while others had to be completed without.
  • Quizzes and exams: Students were evaluated on their ability to read, test, and debug code — skills critical for working effectively with AI tools. Final exams included both tasks that required independent coding and tasks that required use of Copilot.
  • Creative projects: Students submitted projects alongside a video explanation of their process, emphasising problem decomposition and testing. This approach highlighted the importance of critical thinking over rote memorisation.

Challenges and lessons learnt

While Leo and Daniel reported that the integration of AI tools into their course has been largely successful, it has also introduced challenges. Surveys revealed that some students felt overly dependent on AI tools, expressing concerns about their ability to code independently. Addressing this will require striking a balance between leveraging AI tools and reinforcing foundational skills.

Additionally, ethical concerns around AI use, such as plagiarism and intellectual property, must be addressed. Leo and Daniel incorporated discussions about these issues into their curriculum to ensure students understand the broader implications of working with AI technologies.

A future-oriented approach

Leo and Daniel’s work demonstrates that GenAI can transform programming education, making it more inclusive, engaging, and relevant. Their course attracted a diverse cohort of students, as well as students traditionally underrepresented in computer science — 52% of the students were female and 66% were not majoring in computer science — highlighting the potential of AI-powered learning to broaden participation in computer science.

A girl in a university computing classroom.

By embracing this shift, educators can prepare students not just to write code but to also think critically, solve real-world problems, and effectively harness the AI innovations shaping the future of technology.

If you’re an educator interested in using GenAI in your teaching, we recommend checking out Leo and Daniel’s book, Learn AI-Assisted Python Programming, as well as their course resources on GitHub. You may also be interested in our own Experience AI resources, which are designed to help educators navigate the fast-moving world of AI and machine learning technologies.

Join us at our next online seminar on 11 March

Our 2025 seminar series is exploring how we can teach young people about AI technologies and data science. At our next seminar on Tuesday, 11 March at 17:00–18:00 GMT, we’ll hear from Lukas Höper and Carsten Schulte from Paderborn University. They’ll be discussing how to teach school students about data-driven technologies and how to increase students’ awareness of how data is used in their daily lives.

To sign up and take part in the seminar, click the button below — we’ll then send you information about joining. We hope to see you there.

The schedule of our upcoming seminars is online. You can catch up on past seminars on our previous seminars and recordings page.

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Experience AI: The story so far

In April 2023, we launched our first Experience AI resources, developed in partnership with Google DeepMind to support educators to engage their students in learning about the topic of AI. Since then, the Experience AI programme has grown rapidly, reaching thousands of educators all over the world. Read on to find out more about the impact of our resources, and what we are learning.

The Experience AI resources

The Experience AI resources are designed to help educators introduce AI and AI safety to 11- to 14-year-olds. They consist of:

  • Foundations of AI: a comprehensive unit of six lessons including lesson plans, slide decks, activities, videos, and more to support educators to introduce AI and machine learning to young people
  • Two standalone lessons:
    • Large language models (LLMs): a lesson designed to help young people discover how large language models work, their benefits, and why their outputs are not always reliable
    • Ecosystems and AI — Biology: a lesson providing an opportunity for young people to explore how AI applications are supporting animal conservation
  • AI safety: a set of resources with a flexible design to support educators in a range of settings to equip young people with the knowledge and skills to responsibly and safely navigate the challenges associated with AI

We also offer a free online course, Understanding AI for educators, to help educators prepare to teach about AI.

International expansion

The launch of Experience AI came at an important time: AI technologies are playing an ever-growing role in our everyday lives, so it is crucial for young people to gain the understanding and skills they need to critically engage with these technologies. While the resources were initially designed for use by educators in the UK, they immediately attracted interest from educators across the world, as well as individuals wanting to learn about AI. The resources have now been downloaded over 325,000 times by people from over 160 countries. This includes downloads from over 7000 educators worldwide, who will collectively reach an estimated 1.2 million young people.

Photo of an educator teaching an Experience AI lesson.

Thanks to funding from Google DeepMind and Google.org, we have also been working with partners from across the globe to localise and translate the resources for learners and educators in their countries, and provide training to support local educators to deliver the lessons. The educational resources are now available in up to 15 languages, and to date, we have trained over 100 representatives from 20 international partner organisations, who will go on to train local educators. Five of these organisations have begun onward training already, collectively training over 1500 local educators so far.

The impact of Experience AI

The Experience AI resources have been well received by students and educators. Based on responses to our follow-up surveys, in countries where we have partners

  • 95% of educators agreed that the Experience AI sessions have increased their students’ knowledge of AI concepts 
  • 90% of young people (including young people in formal and non-formal education settings and learning independently) indicated that they better understand what AI and machine learning are
Photo of a young person learning about AI on a laptop.

This is backed up by qualitative feedback from surveys and interviews.

“Students’ perception and understanding of AI has improved and corrected. They realised they can contribute and be a part of the [development], instead of only users.” – Noorlaila, educator, SMK Cyberjaya, Malaysia

“[Students] found it interesting in the sense that it’s relevant information and they didn’t know what information was used for training models.” – Teacher, Liceul Tehnologic “Crisan” Criscior, Romania

“Based on my knowledge and learning about AI, I now appreciate the definition of AI as well as its implementation.” – Student, Changamwe JSS, Kenya

Photo of a group of educators participating in an Experience AI teacher training event in Kenya.

The training and resources also support educators to feel more confident to teach about AI:

  • 93% of international partner representatives who participated in our training agreed that the training increased their knowledge of AI concepts
  • 88% of educators receiving onward training by our international partners agreed that the training increased their confidence to teach AI concepts
  • 87% of educator respondents from our ‘Understanding AI for educators’ online course agreed that the course was useful for supporting young people

“It was a wonderful experience for me to join this workshop. Truly I was able to learn a lot about AI and I feel more confident now to teach the kids back at school about this new knowledge.” – Nur, educator, SMK Bandar Tasek Mutiara, trained by our partner Penang Science Cluster, Malaysia

“This was one of the best information sessions I’ve been to! So, so helpful!” – Meagan, educator, University of Alberta, trained by our partner Digital Moment, Canada

“The layout of the course in terms of content structuring is amazing. I love the discussion forum and the insightful yet empathetic responses by the course moderators on the discussion board. Honestly, I am really glad I started my AI in education journey with you.” – Priyanka, head teacher (primary level), United Arab Emirates, online course participant

What are we learning?

We are committed to continually improving our resources based on feedback from users. A recent review of feedback from educators highlighted key aspects of the resources that educators value most, as well as some challenges educators are facing and possible areas for improvement. For example, educators particularly like the interactive aspects, the clear structure and explanations, and the videos featuring professionals from the AI industry. We are continuing to look for ways we can better support educators to adapt the content and language to better support students in their context, fit Experience AI into their school timetables, and overcome technical barriers. 

We value feedback on our resources and will continue to highlight the importance of AI education in schools and work with partners across the globe to adapt our resources for different contexts.

Get involved

If you would like to try out our Experience AI resources, head to experience-ai.org, where you can find our free resources and online course, as well as information about local partners in your area.

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Teaching about AI – Teacher symposium

AI has become a pervasive term that is heard with trepidation, excitement, and often a furrowed brow in school staffrooms. For educators, there is pressure to use AI applications for productivity — to save time, to help create lesson plans, to write reports, to answer emails, etc. There is also a lot of interest in using AI tools in the classroom, for example, to personalise or augment teaching and learning. However, without understanding AI technology, neither productivity nor personalisation are likely to be successful as teachers and students alike must be critical consumers of these new ways of working to be able to use them productively. 

Fifty teachers and researchers posing for a photo at the AI Symposium, held at the Raspberry Pi Foundation office.
Fifty teachers and researchers share knowledge about teaching about AI.

In both England and globally, there are few new AI-based curricula being introduced and the drive for teachers and students to learn about AI in schools is lagging, with limited initiatives supporting teachers in what to teach and how to teach it. At the Raspberry Pi Foundation and Raspberry Pi Computing Education Research Centre, we decided it was time to investigate this missing link of teaching about AI, and specifically to discover what the teachers who are leading the way in this topic are doing in their classrooms.  

A day of sharing and activities in Cambridge

We organised a day-long, face-to-face symposium with educators who have already started to think deeply about teaching about AI, have started to create teaching resources, and are starting to teach about AI in their classrooms. The event was held in Cambridge, England, on 1 February 2025, at the head office of the Raspberry Pi Foundation. 

Photo of educators and researchers collaborating at the AI symposium.
Teachers collaborated and shared their knowledge about teaching about AI.

Over 150 educators and researchers applied to take part in the symposium. With only 50 places available, we followed a detailed protocol, whereby those who had the most experience teaching about AI in schools were selected. We also made sure that educators and researchers from different teaching contexts were selected so that there was a good mix of primary to further education phases represented. Educators and researchers from England, Scotland, and the Republic of Ireland were invited and gathered to share about their experiences. One of our main aims was to build a community of early adopters who have started along the road of classroom-based AI curriculum design and delivery.

Inspiration, examples, and expertise

To inspire the attendees with an international perspective of the topics being discussed, Professor Matti Tedre, a visiting academic from Finland, gave a brief overview of the approach to teaching about AI and resources that his research team have developed. In Finland, there is no compulsory distinct computing topic taught, so AI is taught about in other subjects, such as history. Matti showcased tools and approaches developed from the Generation AI research programme in Finland. You can read about the Finnish research programme and Matti’s two month visit to the Raspberry Pi Computing Education Research Centre in our blog

Photo of a researcher presenting at the AI Symposium.
A Finnish perspective to teaching about AI.

Attendees were asked to talk about, share, and analyse their teaching materials. To model how to analyse resources, Ben Garside from the Raspberry Pi Foundation modelled how to complete the activities using the Experience AI resources as an example. The Experience AI materials have been co-created with Google DeepMind and are a suite of free classroom resources, teacher professional development, and hands-on activities designed to help teachers confidently deliver AI lessons. Aimed at learners aged 11 to 14, the materials are informed by the AI education framework developed at the Raspberry Pi Computing Education Research Centre and are grounded in real-world contexts. We’ve recently released new lessons on AI safety, and we’ve localised the resources for use in many countries including Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America.

In the morning session, Ben exemplified how to talk about and share learning objectives, concepts, and research underpinning materials using the Experience AI resources and in the afternoon he discussed how he had mapped the Experience AI materials to the UNESCO AI competency framework for students.

Photo of an adult presenting at the AI Symposium.
UNESCO provide important expertise.

Kelly Shiohira, from UNESCO, kindly attended our session, and gave an invaluable insight into the UNESCO AI competency framework for students. Kelly is one of the framework’s authors and her presentation helped teachers understand how the materials had been developed. The attendees then used the framework to analyse their resources, to identify gaps and to explore what progression might look like in the teaching of AI.

Photo of a whiteboard featuring different coloured post-it notes displayed featuring teachers' and researchers' ideas.
Teachers shared their knowledge about teaching about AI.

Throughout the day, the teachers worked together to share their experience of teaching about AI. They considered the concepts and learning objectives taught, what progression might look like, what the challenges and opportunities were of teaching about AI, what research informed the resources and what research needs to be done to help improve the teaching and learning of AI.

What next?

We are now analysing the vast amount of data that we gathered from the day and we will share this with the symposium participants before we share it with a wider audience. What is clear from our symposium is that teachers have crucial insights into what should be taught to students about AI, and how, and we are greatly looking forward to continuing this journey with them.

As well as the symposium, we are also conducting academic research in this area, you can read more about this in our Annual Report and on our research webpages. We will also be consulting with teachers and AI experts. If you’d like to ensure you are sent links to these blog posts, then sign up to our newsletter. If you’d like to take part in our research and potentially be interviewed about your perspectives on curriculum in AI, then contact us at: rpcerc-enquiries@cst.cam.ac.uk 

We also are sharing the research being done by ourselves and other researchers in the field at our research seminars. This year, our seminar series is on teaching about AI and data science in schools. Please do sign up and come along, or watch some of the presentations that have already been delivered by the amazing research teams who are endeavouring to discover what we should be teaching about AI and how in schools

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Code Club: Empowering the Next Generation of Digital Creators

Code Club is more than just a place to learn coding — it’s a thriving global community where young minds discover, create, and grow with technology. With a refreshed look and ambitious goals for 2025, Code Club is set to connect an even larger network of mentors and reach millions more young people worldwide.

Code Club at RPF HQ, Cambridge
Code Club at RPF HQ, Cambridge

Since it was founded in the UK in 2012, Code Club has grown into a global movement, inspiring over two million young people to build apps, games, animations, websites, and more. Supported by the Raspberry Pi Foundation, Code Club provides free training and resources to mentors, ensuring creators achieve meaningful and lasting skills. Our vision for the next decade? To empower ten million more young people to have confidence in their coding.

A proven impact

A recent independent evaluation by the Durham University Evidence Centre for Education (DECE) confirmed what we’ve always believed: Code Club makes a real difference. Young people who attend gain valuable coding skills, grow in confidence, develop a strong interest in technology, and find a sense of belonging in the digital world.

Mentor Rajan at his Code Club in India
Mentor Rajan at his Code Club in India

The power of mentorship

At the heart of Code Club are passionate volunteers who bring coding to life. Whether it’s the thrill of overcoming a challenge or the excitement of seeing an idea come to life on screen, mentors make a lasting impact while learning coding skills alongside their club’s creators.

Bob Bilsland, a dedicated volunteer since 2012, runs one of the world’s longest-running Code Clubs at Malvern CofE Primary School, Worcestershire, England. His motivation?

“What brings me back week after week is the sharing of what I enjoy doing. It’s so much fun to help others explore this space themselves, to see what they can personally create. I see that giving others the opportunity to explore and familiarise themselves with computing as something that could open up a world of possibilities for them in the future.” 

For Yang, a mentor at the EY office clubs, representation in tech is key:

“If there are some female role models, I think for a little girl growing up, that means so much. Because if they can see somebody thrive in this industry, they will see themselves there one day. And that’s the inspiration.” 

Mentor Yang at her Code Club in London
Mentor Yang at her Code Club in London

Across the world, volunteers like Nadia in Iraq and Solomon in The Gambia are using Code Club to bridge the digital divide, create opportunities, and empower communities.

“[Code Club] added to my skills. And at the same time, I was able to share my expertise with the young children and to learn from them as well.” – Nadia Al-Aboody, Iraq.

“We strongly believe in the transformative power of digital skills and their potential to create opportunities for young people. Witnessing the lack of access to computer knowledge among high school graduates in The Gambia and other sub-Saharan African countries inspired us to take action. By bridging the digital skills gap, we aim to empower young individuals to thrive in the 21st century.” – Solomon, Gambia 

A community that inspires

Code Club isn’t just loved by mentors; it’s so important to the young people who participate.

Eoghan, a young creator from Ireland, values the collaboration and support he receives:

“It’s really fun to meet and talk about ideas with other creators, and the mentors are very helpful in fixing any coding problems.” 

Mentor Jayantika at her Code Club in Pune, India
Mentor Jayantika at her Code Club in Pune, India

Jayantika, a 15-year-old from rural Pune, India, started as a creator and is now a peer mentor. For her, Code Club is about giving back:

“I believe coding opens doors and helps young children express their creativity. By mentoring, I hope to prepare them for a future that is increasingly driven by AI and technology.” 

Join the movement

Along with the incredible community, Code Club is supported by sponsors and funders who share our mission. We would like to extend a thank you to Cognizant, who have committed their support to the Code Club mission in the UK and Ireland for 2025.

Mentors gathering at Clubs Con 2024
Mentors gathering at Clubs Con 2024

Code Club is more than just learning to code; it’s about creating opportunities, encouraging confidence, and building a global network of digital creators. Whether you’re a mentor, educator, or young digital maker, there’s a place for you in our community. Start your Code Club journey today and join a global community of digital creators.

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Teaching about AI in K–12 education: Thoughts from the USA

As artificial intelligence continues to shape our world, understanding how to teach about AI has never been more important. Our new research seminar series brings together educators and researchers to explore approaches to AI and data science education. In the first seminar, we welcomed Shuchi Grover, Director of AI and Education Research at Looking Glass Ventures. Shuchi began by exploring the theme of teaching using AI, then moved on to discussing teaching about AI in K–12 (primary and secondary) education. She emphasised that it is crucial to teach about AI before using it in the classroom, and this blog post will focus on her insights in this area.

Shuchi Grover gave an insightful talk discussing how to teach about AI in K–12 education.
Shuchi Grover gave an insightful talk discussing how to teach about AI in K–12 education.

An AI literacy framework

From her research, Shuchi has developed a framework for teaching about AI that is structured as four interlocking components, each representing a key area of understanding:

  • Basic understanding of AI, which refers to foundational knowledge such as what AI is, types of AI systems, and the capabilities of AI technologies
  • Ethics and human–AI relationship, which includes the role of humans in regard to AI, ethical considerations, and public perceptions of AI
  • Computational thinking/literacy, which relates to how AI works, including building AI applications and training machine learning models
  • Data literacy, which addresses the importance of data, including examining data features, data visualisation, and biases

This framework shows the multifaceted nature of AI literacy, which involves an understanding of both technical aspects and ethical and societal considerations. 

Shuchi’s framework for teaching about AI includes four broad areas.
Shuchi’s framework for teaching about AI includes four broad areas.

Shuchi emphasised the importance of learning about AI ethics, highlighting the topic of bias. There are many ways that bias can be embedded in applications of AI and machine learning, including through the data sets that are used and the design of machine learning models. Shuchi discussed supporting learners to engage with the topic through exploring bias in facial recognition software, sharing activities and resources to use in the classroom that can prompt meaningful discussion, such as this talk by Joy Buolamwini. She also highlighted the Kapor Foundation’s Responsible AI and Tech Justice: A Guide for K–12 Education, which contains questions that educators can use with learners to help them to carefully consider the ethical implications of AI for themselves and for society. 

Computational thinking and AI

In computer science education, computational thinking is generally associated with traditional rule-based programming — it has often been used to describe the problem-solving approaches and processes associated with writing computer programs following rule-based principles in a structured and logical way. However, with the emergence of machine learning, Shuchi described a need for computational thinking frameworks to be expanded to also encompass data-driven, probabilistic approaches, which are foundational for machine learning. This would support learners’ understanding and ability to work with the models that increasingly influence modern technology.

A group of young people and educators smiling while engaging with a computer.

Example activities from research studies

Shuchi shared that a variety of pedagogies have been used in recent research projects on AI education, ranging from hands-on experiences, such as using APIs for classification, to discussions focusing on ethical aspects. You can find out more about these pedagogies in her award-winning paper Teaching AI to K-12 Learners: Lessons, Issues and Guidance. This plurality of approaches ensures that learners can engage with AI and machine learning in ways that are both accessible and meaningful to them.

Research projects exploring teaching about AI and machine learning have involved a range of different approaches.
Research projects exploring teaching about AI and machine learning have involved a range of different approaches.

Shuchi shared examples of activities from two research projects that she has led:

  • CS Frontiers engaged high school students in a number of activities involving using NetsBlox and accessing real-world data sets. For example, in one activity, students participated in data science activities such as creating data visualisations to answer questions about climate change. 
  • AI & Cybersecurity for Teens explored approaches to teaching AI and machine learning to 13- to 15-year-olds through the use of cybersecurity scenarios. The project aimed to provide learners with insights into how machine learning models are designed, how they work, and how human decisions influence their development. An example activity guided students through building a classification model to analyse social media accounts to determine whether they may be bot accounts or accounts run by a human.
A screenshot from an activity to classify social media accounts 
A screenshot from an activity to classify social media accounts 

Closing thoughts

At the end of her talk, Shuchi shared some final thoughts addressing teaching about AI to K–12 learners: 

  • AI learning requires contextualisation: Think about the data sets, ethical issues, and examples of AI tools and systems you use to ensure that they are relatable to learners in your context.
  • AI should not be a solution in search of a problem: Both teachers and learners need to be educated about AI before they start to use it in the classroom, so that they are informed consumers.

Join our next seminar

In our current seminar series, we are exploring teaching about AI and data science. Join us at our next seminar on Tuesday 11 March at 17:00–18:30 GMT to hear Lukas Höper and Carsten Schulte from Paderborn University discuss supporting middle school students to develop their data awareness. 

To sign up and take part in the seminar, click the button below — we will then send you information about joining. We hope to see you there.

I want to join the next seminarThe schedule of our upcoming seminars is online. You can catch up on past seminars on our previous seminars and recordings page.

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Teaching AI safety: Lessons from Romanian educators

This blog post has been written by our Experience AI partners in Romania, Asociatia Techsoup, who piloted our new AI safety resources with Romanian teachers at the end of 2024.

Last year, we had the opportunity to pedagogically test the new three resources on AI safety and see first-hand the transformative effect they have on teachers and students. Here’s what we found.

Students in class.

Romania struggles with the digital skills gap

To say the internet is ubiquitous in Romania is an understatement: Romania has one of the fastest internets in the world (11th place), an impressive mobile internet penetration (86% of the population), and Romania is leading Central and Eastern Europe in terms of percentage of population that is online (89% of the entire population). Unsurprisingly, most of Romania’s internet users are also social media users. 

When you combine that with recent national initiatives, such as

  • The introduction of Information Technology and Informatics in the middle-school curriculum in 2017 as a compulsory subject
  • A Digital Agenda as a national strategy since 2015 
  • Allocation of over 20% of its most recent National Recovery and Resilience Fund for digital transition

one might expect a similar lead in digital skills, both basic and advanced.

But only 28% of the population, well below the 56% EU average, and just 47% of young people between 16 and 24 have basic digital skills — the lowest percentage in the European Union. 

Findings from the latest International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS, 2023)  underscore the urgent need to improve young people’s digital skills. Just 4% of students in Romania were scored at level 3 of 4, meaning they can demonstrate the capacity to work independently when using computers as information gathering and management tools, and are able, for example, to recognise that the credibility of web‐based information can be influenced by the identity, expertise, and motives of the people who create, publish, and share it.

Students use a computer in class.

Furthermore, 33% of students were assessed as level 1, while a further 40% of students did not even reach the minimum level set out in the ICILS, which means that they are unable to demonstrate even basic operational skills with computers or an understanding of computers as tools for completing simple tasks. For example, they can’t use computers to perform routine research and communication tasks under explicit instruction, and can’t manage simple content creation, such as entering text or images into pre‐existing templates.

Why we wanted to pilot the Experience AI safety resources

Add AI — and particularly generative AI — to this mix, and it spells huge trouble for educational systems unprepared for the fast rate of AI adoption by their students. Teachers need to be given the right pedagogical tools and support to address these new disruptions and the AI-related challenges that are adding to the existing post-pandemic ones.

This is why we at Asociația Techsoup have been enthusiastically supporting Romanian teachers to deliver the Experience AI curriculum created by the Raspberry Pi Foundation and Google DeepMind. We have found it to be the best pedagogical support that prepares students to fully understand AI and to learn how to use machine learning to solve real-world problems.

Testing the resources

Last year, we had the opportunity to pedagogically test the new three resources on AI Safety and see first-hand the transformative effect they have on teachers and students.

Students in class.

We worked closely with 8 computer science teachers in 8 Romanian schools from rural and small urban areas, reaching approximately 340 students between the ages of 13 and 18.

Before the teachers used the resources in the classroom, we worked with them in online community meetings and one-to-one phone conversations to help them review the available lesson plans, videos, and activity guides, to familiarise themselves with the structure, and to plan how to adapt the sessions to their classroom context. 

In December 2024, the teachers delivered the resources to their students. They guided students through key topics in AI safety, including understanding how to protect their data, critically evaluating data to spot fake news, and how to use AI tools responsibly. Each session incorporated a dynamic mix of teaching methods, including short videos and presentations delivering core messages, unplugged activities to reinforce understanding, and structured discussions to encourage critical thinking and reflection. 

Gathering feedback from users

We then interviewed all the teachers to understand their challenges in delivering such a new curriculum and we also observed two of the lessons. We took time to discuss with students and gather in-depth feedback on their learning experiences, perspectives on AI safety, and their overall engagement with the activities, in focus groups and surveys.

Feedback gathered in this pilot was then incorporated into the resources and recommendations given to teachers as part of the AI safety materials.

Teachers’ perspectives on the resources

It became obvious quite fast for both us and our teachers that the AI safety resources cover a growing and unaddressed need: to prepare our students for the ubiquitous presence of AI tools, which are on the road to becoming as ubiquitous as the internet itself.

A teacher and students in class.

Teachers evaluated the resources as very effective, giving them the opportunity to have authentic and meaningful conversations with their students about the world we live in. The format of the lessons was engaging — one of the teachers was so enthusiastic that she actually managed to keep students away from their phones for the whole lesson. 

They also appreciated the pedagogical quality of the resources, especially the fact that everything is ready to use in class and that they could access them for free. In interviews, they also appreciated that they themselves also learnt a lot from the lessons:

“For me it was a wake-up call. I was living in my bubble, in which I don’t really use these tools that much. But the world we live in is no longer the world I knew. … So such a lesson also helps us to learn and to discover the children in another context, – Carmen Melinte, a computer science teacher at the Colegiul Național Grigore Moisil in the small city of Onești, in north-east Romania, one of the EU regions with the greatest poverty risk.

What our students think about the resources

Students enjoyed discussing real-world scenarios and admitted that they don’t really have adults around whom they can talk to about the AI tools they use. They appreciated the interactive activities where they worked in pairs or groups and the games where they pretended to be creators of AI apps, thinking about safety features they could implement:

“I had never questioned AI, as long as it did my homework,” said one student in our focus groups, where the majority of students admitted that they are already using large language models (LLMs) for most of their homework.

“I really liked that I found out what is behind that ‘Accept all’ and now I think twice before giving my data,” – Student at the end of the ‘Your data and AI’ activities.

“Activities put me in a situation where I had to think from the other person’s shoes and think twice before sharing my personal data,” commented another student.

Good starting point

This is a good first step: there is an acute need for conversations between young people and adults around AI tools, how to think about them critically, and how to use them safely. School is the right place to start these conversations and activities, as teachers are still trusted by most Romanian students to help them understand the world.

Students use a computer in class.

But to be able to do that, we need to be serious about equipping teachers with pedagogically sound resources that they can use in class, as well as training them, supporting them, and making sure that most of their time is dedicated to teaching, and not administration. It might seem a slow process, but it is the best way to help our students become responsible, ethical and accountable digital citizens.

We are deeply grateful to the brave, passionate teachers in our community who gave the AI safety resources a try and of course to our partners at the Raspberry Pi Foundation for giving us the opportunity to lead this pilot.

If you are a teacher anywhere in the world, give them a try today to celebrate Safer Internet Day: rpf.io/aisafetyromania

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UNESCO’s International Day of Education 2025: AI and the future of education

Recently, our Chief Learning Officer Rachel Arthur and I had the opportunity to attend UNESCO’s International Day of Education 2025, which focused on the role of education in helping people “understand and steer AI to better ensure that they retain control over this new class of technology and are able to direct it towards desired objectives that respect human rights and advance progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals”.

How teachers continue to play a vital role in the future of education

Throughout the event, a clear message from UNESCO was that teachers have a very important role to play in the future of education systems, regardless of the advances in technology — a message I find very reassuring. However, as with any good-quality debate, the sessions also reflected a range of other opinions and approaches, which should be listened to and discussed too. 

With this in mind, I was interested to hear a talk by a school leader from England who is piloting the first “teacherless” classroom. They are trialling a programme with twenty Year 10 students (ages 14–15), using an AI tool developed in-house. This tool is trained on eight existing learning platforms, pulling content and tailoring the learning experience based on regular assessments. The students work independently using an AI tool in the morning, supported by a learning mentor in the classroom, while afternoons focus on developing “softer skills”. The school believes this approach will allow students to complete their GCSE exams in just one year instead of two, seeing it as a solution to the years of lost learning caused by lockdowns during the coronavirus pandemic.

Whilst they were reporting early success in this approach, what occurred to me during the talk was the question of how we can decide if this approach is the right one. The results might sound attractive to school leaders, but do we need a more rounded view of what education should look like? Whatever your views on the purpose of schools, I suspect most people would agree that they serve a much greater purpose than just achieving the top results. 

Whilst AI tools may be able to provide personalised learning experiences, it is crucial to consider the role of teachers in young people’s education. If we listed the skills required for a teacher to do their job effectively, I believe we would all reach the same conclusion: teachers play a pivotal role in a young person’s life — one that definitely goes beyond getting the best exam results. According to the Educational Endowment Foundation, high-quality teaching is the most important lever schools have on pupil outcomes

“Quality education demands quality educators” – Farida Shaheed, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education

Also, at this stage in AI adoption, can we be sure that this use of AI tools isn’t disadvantageous to any students? We know that machine learning models generate biased results, but I’m not aware of research showing that these systems are fair to all students and do not disadvantage any demographic. An argument levelled against this point is that teachers can also be biased. Aside from the fact that systems have a potentially much larger impact on more students than any individual teacher, I worry that this argument leads to us accepting machine bias, rather than expecting the highest of standards. It is essential that providers of any educational software that processes student data adhere to the principles of fairness, accountability, transparency, privacy, and security (FATPS).

How can the agency of teachers be cultivated in AI adoption?

We are undeniably at a very early stage of a changing education landscape because of AI, and an important question is how teachers can be supported. 

“Education has a foundational role to play in helping individuals and groups determine what tasks should be outsourced to AI and what tasks need to remain firmly in human hands.” – UNESCO 

I was delighted to have been invited to be part of a panel at the event discussing how the agency of teachers can be cultivated in AI adoption. The panel consisted of people with different views and expertise, but importantly, included a classroom teacher, emphasising the importance of listening to educators and not making decisions on their behalf without them. As someone who works primarily on AI literacy education, my talk was centred around my belief that AI literacy education for teachers is of paramount importance. 

Having a basic understanding of how data-driven systems work will empower teachers to think critically and become discerning users, making conscious choices about which tools to use and for what purpose. 

For example, while attending the Bett education technology exhibition recently, I was struck by the prevalence of education products that included the use of AI. With ever more options available, we need teachers to be able to make informed choices about which products will benefit and not harm their students. 

“Teachers urgently need to be empowered to better understand the technical, ethical and pedagogical dimensions of AI.” – Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director-General for Education, UNESCO, AI competency framework for teachers

A very interesting paper released recently showed that individuals with lower AI literacy levels are more receptive towards AI-powered products and services. In short, people with higher literacy levels are more aware of the capabilities and limitations of AI systems. Perhaps this doesn’t mean that people with higher AI literacy levels see all AI tools as ‘bad’, but maybe that they are more able to think critically about the tools and make informed choices about their use. 

UN Special Rapporteur highlights urgent education challenges

For me, the most powerful talk of the day came from Farida Shaheed, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education. I would urge anyone to listen to it (a recording is available on YouTube — the talk begins around 2:16:00). 

The talk included many facts that helped to frame some of the challenges we are facing. Ms Shaheed stated that “29% of all schools lack access to basic drinking water, without which education is not possible”. This is a sobering thought, particularly when there is a growing narrative that AI systems have the potential to democratise education. 

When speaking about the AI tools being developed for education, Ms Shaheed questioned who the tools are for: “It’s telling that [so very few edtech tools] are developed for teachers. […] Is this just because teachers are a far smaller client base or is it a desire to automate teachers out of the equation?”

I’m not sure if I know the answer to this question, but it speaks to my worry that the motivation for tech development does not prioritise taking a human-centred approach. We have to remember that as consumers, we do have more power than we think. If we do not want a future where AI tools are replacing teachers, then we need to make sure that there is not a demand for those tools. 

The conference was a fantastic event to be part of, as it was an opportunity to listen to such a diverse range of perspectives. Certainly, we are facing challenges, but equally, it is both reassuring and exciting to know that so many people across the globe are working together to achieve the best possible outcomes for future generations. Ms Shaheed’s concluding message resonated strongly with me:

“[Share good practices], so we can all move together in a co-creative process that is inclusive of everybody and does not leave anyone behind.” 

As always, we’d love to hear your views — you can contact us here.

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Community Story | Daniela, Thetford Library

We love hearing from members of the community and sharing the stories of amazing young people, volunteers, and educators who are using their passion for technology to create positive change in the world around them.

Daniela in a Code Club.

When Daniela made the transition from working in retail to joining the team at Thetford Library, she never imagined that she would one day be leading a Code Club. Her manager, who had previously run the club, asked if Daniela would be interested in taking over, and although she was nervous, she was also eager to embrace the challenge and learn new skills.

“At first, I was nervous about teaching coding, but seeing the children’s excitement made me realise it was so important, and I was learning just as much as they were.”

The Code Club was designed to run in eight-week blocks, with a new group of children joining for each term. However, the kids loved it so much that they didn’t want to leave. Daniela, with her growing passion for coding and mentoring, welcomed the children to attend as often as they wanted, with some children, including one particularly enthusiastic young creator, attending every session. This continuity allowed the children to delve deeper into the world of coding, learning in a different way to what they were used to at school.

Inspiring young coders through creativity

One of the key things that Daniela has found resonates most with the children is the combination of creativity and coding. She encourages the kids to draw and plan their projects first, which makes the process more engaging and accessible to all of the young people who want to attend. The freedom to be creative is something that she feels is crucial, especially when compared to the more structured and rigid environment of school curriculums. This approach has been particularly rewarding for one young girl in the club who insists on planning and drawing her own characters and backgrounds for all of her projects.

“Coding isn’t just about writing lines of code — it’s about storytelling, problem solving, and imagining what’s possible.”

Students in a Code Club.

Astro Pi: giving young people the confidence to dream big

Daniela’s journey into coding took a significant leap when she decided to explore the Astro Pi challenge, a project that involves writing code to run on Astro Pi computers aboard the International Space Station. Despite her initial nerves about diving into Python, a more advanced programming language than she had tried at the club previously, she was blown away by the possibilities it opened up. When telling the children, she almost felt that she was more excited at the prospect of them trying out real space science than them. But once she showed them some examples, the buzz was infectious and the sessions ran far smoother than she could have hoped. Daniela’s tip for trying Astro Pi for the first time? Find a fellow mentor to help you along the way and dream big.

“I never imagined we’d be working on space science at our library. Introducing children to coding early isn’t just about technology; it’s about giving them the confidence to dream big and think differently.”

Thetford Library

The success of the Code Club at Thetford Library is part of a broader initiative by Norfolk Libraries to provide digital skills to the community. They are committed to offering resources and opportunities for people of all ages to engage with technology. From their Digital Week, which focuses on improving digital literacy, to offering mentorship for adults learning to navigate the digital world, Norfolk Libraries is working hard to bridge the digital divide.

Benefits of volunteering at a Code Club 

For Daniela, the importance of introducing children to coding at an early age is not something she thought would become a passion for her when moving careers. She sees firsthand how these skills empower the children, giving them confidence and opening up future career opportunities. 

“Code Club has shown me that stepping outside your comfort zone is where the real growth happens. Both for me and the kids!”

A mentor is helping a student in class.

It’s this combination of creativity, learning, and the sheer joy of discovery that keeps Daniela passionate about running the Code Club, and why she continues to welcome every eager child who walks through the door.

Inspire young people in your community

If you are interested in encouraging your child to explore coding, take a look at the free coding project resources we have available to support you. If you would like to set up a Code Club for young people in your community, or attend one, head to codeclub.org for information and support.

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Translating educational content: four key principles

As an organisation with global reach, translation and localisation have been part of the Raspberry Pi Foundation’s activities from the start. Code Clubs and educational partners all over the world are helping young people learn about computing in their own language. We’ve already published over 1,900 translated learning resources, covering up to 32 languages, thanks to the work of our talented localisation team and our amazing community of volunteer translators.

How our approach to translation considers design, process and people

English is seen by many as the language of computing, and in many countries, it’s also either the language of education or a language that young people aspire to learn. However, English is, in some instances, a barrier to learning: young people in many communities don’t have enough knowledge of English to use it to learn about digital technologies, or even if they do, the language of communication with other students, teachers, or volunteers may not be English.

Our ‘Space Talk’ project in Latin American Spanish
Our ‘Space Talk’ project in Latin American Spanish

In a world where browsers can instantly translate web pages and large language models can power seemingly perfect conversations in virtually any language, it’s easy to assume that translation just happens and that somehow, technology takes care of it. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Technology is certainly crucial to translation, but there’s much more to it than that. Our approach to translation involves considering design, process, and people to ensure that localised materials truly help young people with their learning journey. 

Localisation or translation?

Localisation and translation are similar terms that are often used interchangeably. Localisation normally refers to adapting a product to suit a local market, whereas translation is a subset of localisation that involves changing the language of the text. For instance, localisation includes currencies, measurements, formatting dates and numbers, and contextual references. Meanwhile, translation involves only changing the language of the text, such as from English to French.

Learners at a Code Club.

At the Raspberry Pi Foundation, we see translation as an enabler. It enables volunteers to reach learners, learners to succeed in their educational goals, and the Foundation to achieve its mission all over the world.

Four key ways the Foundation maximises the impact and reach of our translated materials

1. Create with localisation in mind

Regardless of whether learning materials are intended for English-speaking or global audiences, it’s important to create and design them with localisation in mind. That way, they can be used in a variety of places, and any piece of content (text, graphics, or illustrations) can be modified to meet the needs of the target audience. Keeping localisation in mind might include allowing space for text expansion, being mindful of any text embedded in graphic elements, and even making sure the context is understandable for a variety of audiences. Making a piece of content localisable at the creation stage is virtually cost-free. Modifying fully built assets to translate them or to use them in other markets can be expensive and extremely time-consuming!

2. Always have user needs and priorities upfront

Before investing in localising or translating any materials, we seek to understand the needs and priorities of our users. In many countries where English is not the usual language of communication, materials in English are a barrier, even if some of the users have a working knowledge of English. Making materials available in local languages directly results in additional reach and enhanced learning outcomes. In other communities where English has a certain status, a more selective approach may be more appropriate. A full translation may not be expected, but translating or adapting elements within them, such as introductions, videos, infographics, or glossaries, can help engage new learners.

Photo of a young person coding on a desktop computer.

3. Maximise the use of technology

While it’s possible to translate with pen and paper, translation is only scalable with the use of technology. Computer-assisted translation tools, translation memories, terminology databases, machine translation, large language models, and so on are all technologies that play their part in making the translation process more efficient and scalable. 

At the Foundation, we make use of a variety of translation technologies and also, crucially, work very closely with our content and development teams to integrate their tools and processes into the overall localisation workflow. 

4. Take great care of the people

Even with the best technology and the smoothest integrations, there is a human element that is absolutely essential. Our amazing community of volunteers and partners work very closely with learners in their communities. They understand the needs of those learners and have a wealth of information and insights. We work with them to prioritise, translate, review and test the learning materials. They are key to ensuring that our learning materials help our users reach their learning goals.

In summary

Thinking about localisation from the moment we start creating learning materials, understanding the needs of users when creating our end goals, maximising the use of technology, and taking good care of our people and partners are the key principles that drive our translation effort. 

If you’d like to find out more about translation at the Raspberry Pi Foundation or would like to contribute to the translation of our learning materials, feel free to contact us at translation@raspberrypi.org.  

A version of this article also appears in Hello World issue 23.

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Addressing the digital skills gap

The digital skills gap is one of the biggest challenges for today’s workforce. It’s a growing concern for educators, employers, and anyone passionate about helping young people succeed.

Digital literacy is essential in today’s world, whether or not you’re aiming for a tech career — yet too many young people are entering adulthood without the skills to navigate it confidently and recent research shows that many young people finish school without formal digital qualifications.

Whilst this challenge is a global one, we’re exploring solutions in England where computing has been part of the national curriculum for a decade and the option of studying for a qualification (GCSE) in computer science is available to many 14-year-olds.

The SCARI report shows that GCSE computer science isn’t available in every school in England, and even where it is available, only a fraction of students opt to study it. Where GCSE computer science is offered, the focus is not on broader digital skills, but more on programming and theoretical knowledge which, while important, doesn’t support young people with the knowledge they need to succeed in the modern workplace.

How the Manchester Baccalaureate will help tackle the digital divide

At the Raspberry Pi Foundation, we’re working with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority to tackle this challenge head-on. Together, as part of their Manchester Baccalaureate initiative, we’re developing a self-paced course and certification to tackle the digital skills gap directly. 

Teachers listening to a presentation at a recent workshop the Raspberry Pi Foundation held in Manchester.

The Raspberry Pi Foundation Certificate in Applied Computing is designed to be accessed by any pupil, anywhere. It includes a series of flexible modules that students can work through at their own pace. Targeted at young people ages 14 and up, the certificate covers three stages:

  • Stage 1 – Students gain essential digital skills, preparing them for a wide range of careers
  • Stages 2 and 3 – Students dive into specialisations in key tech areas, building expertise aligned with in-demand roles

What we’ve learnt in Manchester so far

We recently visited Oasis Academy Media City to hold a workshop on digital skills and get input on the certificate. We welcomed educators and industry experts to share their insights, and their feedback has been invaluable.

Teachers pointed out a common challenge: while they see the importance of digital skills, they often lack the time and resources to add new material to an already packed curriculum. By offering the certification as bite-sized modules that focus on specific skills, it makes it easier to slot the content into the timetable, and helps students with limited access to school (due to illness, for example) engage with the course.

Teachers listening to a presentation at a recent workshop the Raspberry Pi Foundation held in Manchester.

Educators were particularly excited about the opportunity for students to specialise in areas tied to in-demand roles that are currently being recruited for and our goal is to make the qualification engaging and relevant, helping students see how their learning applies in the real world.  

Next steps

We are currently piloting this qualification in schools throughout Manchester, gathering invaluable feedback from young people as they embark on this learning experience, which will help us refine the course.
Stages 1 and 2 of the qualification will launch later this year, and we can’t wait to help students approach their futures with curiosity and confidence.

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Helping young people navigate AI safely

AI safety and Experience AI

As our lives become increasingly intertwined with AI-powered tools and systems, it’s more important than ever to equip young people with the skills and knowledge they need to engage with AI safely and responsibly. AI literacy isn’t just about understanding the technology — it’s about fostering critical conversations on how to integrate AI tools into our lives while minimising potential harm — otherwise known as ‘AI safety’.

The UK AI Safety Institute defines AI safety as: “The understanding, prevention, and mitigation of harms from AI. These harms could be deliberate or accidental; caused to individuals, groups, organisations, nations or globally; and of many types, including but not limited to physical, psychological, social, or economic harms.”

As a result of this growing need, we’re thrilled to announce the latest addition to our AI literacy programme, Experience AI —  ‘AI safety: responsibility, privacy, and security’. Co-developed with Google DeepMind, this comprehensive suite of free resources is designed to empower 11- to 14-year-olds to understand and address the challenges of AI technologies. Whether you’re a teacher, youth leader, or parent, these resources provide everything you need to start the conversation.

Linking old and new topics

AI technologies are providing huge benefits to society, but as they become more prevalent we cannot ignore the challenges AI tools bring with them. Many of the challenges aren’t new, such as concerns over data privacy or misinformation, but AI systems have the potential to amplify these issues.

Digital image depicting computer science related elements.

Our resources use familiar online safety themes — like data privacy and media literacy — and apply AI concepts to start the conversation about how AI systems might change the way we approach our digital lives.

Each session explores a specific area:

  • Your data and AI: How data-driven AI systems use data differently to traditional software and why that changes data privacy concerns
  • Media literacy in the age of AI: The ease of creating believable, AI-generated content and the importance of verifying information
  • Using AI tools responsibly: Encouraging critical thinking about how AI is marketed and understanding personal and developer responsibilities

Each topic is designed to engage young people to consider both their own interactions with AI systems and the ethical responsibilities of developers.

Designed to be flexible

Our AI safety resources have flexibility and ease of delivery at their core, and each session is built around three key components:

  1. Animations: Each session begins with a concise, engaging video introducing the key AI concept using sound pedagogy — making it easy to deliver and effective. The video then links the AI concept to the online safety topic and opens threads for thought and conversation, which the learners explore through the rest of the activities. 
  2. Unplugged activities: These hands-on, screen-free activities — ranging from role-playing games to thought-provoking challenges — allow learners to engage directly with the topics.
  3. Discussion questions: Tailored for various settings, these questions help spark meaningful conversations in classrooms, clubs, or at home.

Experience AI has always been about allowing everyone — including those without a technical background or specialism in computer science — to deliver high-quality AI learning experiences, which is why we often use videos to support conceptual learning. 

Digital image featuring two computer screens. One screen seems to represent errors, or misinformation. The other depicts a person potentially plotting something.

In addition, we want these sessions to be impactful in many different contexts, so we included unplugged activities so that you don’t need a computer room to run them! There is also advice on shortening the activities or splitting them so you can deliver them over two sessions if you want. 

The discussion topics provide a time-efficient way of exploring some key implications with learners, which we think will be more effective in smaller groups or more informal settings. They also highlight topics that we feel are important but may not be appropriate for every learner, for example, the rise of inappropriate deepfake images, which you might discuss with a 14-year-old but not an 11-year-old.

A modular approach for all contexts

Our previous resources have all followed a format suitable for delivery in a classroom, but for these resources, we wanted to widen the potential contexts in which they could be used. Instead of prescribing the exact order to deliver them, educators are encouraged to mix and match activities that they feel would be effective for their context. 

Digital image depicting computer science related elements.

We hope this will empower anyone, no matter their surroundings, to have meaningful conversations about AI safety with young people. 

The modular design ensures maximum flexibility. For example:

  • A teacher might combine the video with an unplugged activity and follow-up discussion for a 60-minute lesson
  • A club leader could show the video and run a quick activity in a 30-minute session
  • A parent might watch the video and use the discussion questions during dinner to explore how generative AI shapes the content their children encounter

The importance of AI safety education

With AI becoming a larger part of daily life, young people need the tools to think critically about its use. From understanding how their data is used to spotting misinformation, these resources are designed to build confidence and critical thinking in an AI-powered world.

AI safety is about empowering young people to be informed consumers of AI tools. By using these resources, you’ll help the next generation not only navigate AI, but shape its future. Dive into our materials, start a conversation, and inspire young minds to think critically about the role of AI in their lives.

Ready to get started? Explore our AI safety resources today: rpf.io/aisafetyblog. Together, we can empower every child to thrive in a digital world.

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The need to invest in AI skills in schools

Earlier this week, the UK Government published its AI Opportunities Action Plan, which sets out an ambitious vision to maintain the UK’s position as a global leader in artificial intelligence. 

Whether you’re from the UK or not, it’s a good read, setting out the opportunities and challenges facing any country that aspires to lead the world in the development and application of AI technologies. 

In terms of skills, the Action Plan highlights the need for the UK to train tens of thousands more AI professionals by 2030 and sets out important goals to expand education pathways into AI, invest in new undergraduate and master’s scholarships, tackle the lack of diversity in the sector, and ensure that the lifelong skills agenda focuses on AI skills. 

Photo of a group of young people working through some Experience AI content.

This is all very important, but the Action Plan fails to mention what I think is one of the most important investments we need to make, which is in schools. 

“Most people overestimate what they can achieve in a year and underestimate what they can achieve in ten years.”

While reading the section of the Action Plan that dealt with AI skills, I was reminded of this quote attributed to Bill Gates, which was adapted from Roy Amara’s law of technology. We tend to overestimate what we can achieve in the short term and underestimate what we can achieve in the long term. 

In focusing on the immediate AI gold rush, there is a risk that the government overlooks the investments we need to make right now in schools, which will yield huge returns — for individuals, communities, and economies — over the long term. Realising the full potential of a future where AI technologies are ubiquitous requires genuinely long-term thinking, which isn’t always easy for political systems that are designed around short-term results. 

Photo focused on a young person working on a computer in a classroom.

But what are those investments? The Action Plan rightly points out that the first step for the government is to accurately assess the size of the skills gap. As part of that work, we need to figure out what needs to change in the school system to build a genuinely diverse and broad pipeline of young people with AI skills. The good news is that we’ve already made a lot of progress. 

AI literacy

Over the past three years, the Raspberry Pi Foundation and our colleagues in the Raspberry Pi Computing Education Research Centre at the University of Cambridge have been working to understand and define what AI literacy means. That led us to create a research-informed model for AI literacy that unpacks the concepts and knowledge that constitute a foundational understanding of AI. 

In partnership with one of the leading UK-based AI companies, Google DeepMind, we used that model to create Experience AI. This suite of classroom resources, teacher professional development, and hands-on practical activities enables non-specialist teachers to deliver engaging lessons that help young people build that foundational understanding of AI technologies. 

We’ve seen huge demand from UK schools already, with thousands of lessons taught in UK schools, and we’re delighted to be working with Parent Zone to support a wider roll out in the UK, along with free teacher professional development.  

CEO Philip Colligan and  Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the UK launch of Experience AI.
CEO Philip Colligan and Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the UK launch of Experience AI.

With the generous support of Google.org, we are working with a global network of education partners — from Nigeria to Nepal — to localise and translate these resources, and deliver locally organised teacher professional development. With over 1 million young people reached already, Experience AI can plausibly claim to be the most widely used AI literacy curriculum in the world, and we’re improving it all the time. 

All of the materials are available for anyone to use and can be found on the Experience AI website.

There is no AI without CS

With the CEO of GitHub claiming that it won’t be long before 80% of code is written by AI, it’s perhaps not surprising that some people are questioning whether we still need to teach kids how to code.

I’ll have much more to say on this in a future blog post, but the short answer is that computer science and programming is set to become more — not less — important in the age of AI. This is particularly important if we want to tackle the lack of diversity in the tech sector and ensure that young people from all backgrounds have the opportunity to shape the AI-enabled future that they will be living in. 

Close up of two young people working at a computer.

The simple truth is that there is no artificial intelligence without computer science. The rapid advances in AI are likely to increase the range of problems that can be solved by technology, creating demand for more complex software, which in turn will create demand for more programmers with increasingly sophisticated and complex skills. 

That’s why we’ve set ourselves the ambition that we will inspire 10 million more young people to learn how to get creative with technology over the next 10 years through Code Club. 

Curriculum reform 

But we also need to think about what needs to change in the curriculum to ensure that schools are equipping young people with the skills and knowledge they need to thrive in an AI-powered world. 

That will mean changes to the computer science curriculum, providing different pathways that reflect young people’s interests and passions, but ensuring that every child leaves school with a qualification in computer science or applied digital skills. 

It’s not just computer science courses. We need to modernise mathematics and figure out what a data science curriculum looks like (and where it fits). We also need to recognise that AI skills are just as relevant to biology, geography, and languages as they are to computer science. 

A teacher assisting a young person with a coding project.

To be clear, I am not talking about how AI technologies will save teachers time, transform assessments, or be used by students to write essays. I am talking about the fundamentals of the subjects themselves and how AI technologies are revolutionising the sciences and humanities in practice in the real world. 

These are all areas where the Raspberry Pi Foundation is engaged in original research and experimentation. Stay tuned. 

Supporting teachers

All of this needs to be underpinned by a commitment to supporting teachers, including through funding and time to engage in meaningful professional development. This is probably the biggest challenge for policy makers at a time when budgets are under so much pressure. 

For any nation to plausibly claim that it has an Action Plan to be an AI superpower, it needs to recognise the importance of making the long-term investment in supporting our teachers to develop the skills and confidence to teach students about AI and the role that it will play in their lives. 

I’d love to hear what you think and if you want to get involved, please get in touch.

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Entry is open for Coolest Projects 2025

Coolest Projects is our global technology showcase for young people aged up to 18. Coolest Projects gives young creators the incredible opportunity to share the cool stuff they’ve made using digital technology with a global audience. Everyone who takes part will also receive certificates and rewards to celebrate their achievements.

Young creator Jay showcases his Coolest Projects creation at an in-person event.

What you need to know about Coolest Projects

The Coolest Projects online showcase is open to young people worldwide. Young creators can enter their projects to share them with the world in our online project gallery and join our extra special livestream event to celebrate what they have made with the global Coolest Projects community.

By taking part in Coolest Projects, young people can join an international community of young makers, represent their country, receive feedback on their projects, and get certificates to recognise their achievements.

Coolest Projects is completely free to take part in, and we welcome all digital technology projects, from young people’s very first projects to advanced builds. The projects also don’t have to be completed before they can be submitted.

Photo of two young people sitting at laptops at a Coolest Projects event.

Projects can be submitted to one of seven categories: Scratch, games, web, mobile apps, hardware, advanced programming, and AI (new for 2025).

  • Young creators up to age 18 can take part individually or in teams of up to five friends
  • Any young person anywhere in the world can take part in the online showcase, and there are in-person events in some countries for local creators, too (find out more below)
  • Submissions for the online showcase are now open and close on 28 May 2025
  • All creators, mentors, volunteers, teachers, parents, and supporters are invited to the special celebration livestream on 25 June 2025

We know Coolest Projects has a big impact on young people all over the world, and we can’t wait to see your creations for 2025. You can find out more about the incredible creativity and collaboration from mentors and makers worldwide in our 2024 impact report.

How to submit your project

Photo of three young creators discussing their project at an in-person Coolest Projects event.

Taking part in Coolest Projects is simple:

  • Young people think of an idea for their project or choose something they’ve already made and are proud of
  • Young people work with friends to create their project or make it on their own 
  • Creators (with the help of mentors if needed) enter projects via the Coolest Projects website by 28 May
  • Creators’ projects are shared with the world in the online showcase gallery
  • Creators, mentors, and supporters explore the amazing projects in the online gallery and join the livestream on 25 June to celebrate young creators’ achievements with the Coolest Projects community worldwide

Mentors — entering more than one project? Sign up for a group code, and your young people can link their projects to your account.

  1. Sign up or log in. If you don’t have one already, you’ll need to set up a Raspberry Pi account. Click on the ‘sign up’ link in the top right-hand corner of the website to create one, and provide your details. You’ll be emailed a verification code as part of the sign-up process. If you already have an account, you can just log in.
  1. Create a group. Once signed in, you’ll be able to create a group. You’ll be asked questions about your group, including the group name and the country you’re based in, and be asked to agree to some privacy policies before continuing. You will then be able to view your group code and group submissions on your group dashboard. 
Digital photo of the Coolest Porjects 2025 group code dashboard
  1. Share your group code with your young people. Your group dashboard should look like this, with your group code displayed. The group code is what your young people will need to link their submissions to your account. They’ll be asked to input their group code at the start of the project submission form.

Submit your coolest projects. Every young person who uses your group code will have their project linked to your account. You can review and edit their projects in your group dashboard and submit them from there. There is no limit to the number of young people who can submit entries using your group code.

For a more detailed run-through of how to use group codes, please see our ‘how-to’ video.

Coolest Projects in-person events in 2025

As well as the global online showcase, Coolest Projects in-person events are held for young people locally in certain countries. We encourage creators to take part in both the online showcase and their local in-person event. In 2025, creators can attend the following in-person events, run by the Raspberry Pi Foundation and partner organisations around the world:

  • Coolest Projects Ireland, 1 March 2025 (run by the Foundation) — entry closes on Friday 14 February 
  • Coolest Projects Belgium, 26 April 2025 (run by CoderDojo Belgium)
  • Coolest Projects USA, 5 April 2025 (run by the Foundation) — entry closes on Friday 14 March 2025
  • Coolest Projects UK, 17 May 2025 (run by the Foundation) — entry closes on Friday 2 May 2025 
  • Coolest Projects India, 2025 date coming soon (run by the Foundation)
  • Coolest Projects Ghana, 2025 date coming soon (run by Ghana Code Club)
  • Coolest Projects Malaysia, 2025 date coming soon (run by Penang Science Cluster)
  • Coolest Projects South Africa, 2025 date coming soon (run by CoderLevelUp)
Photo of young creators getting ready to cheer, whilst attending an in-person Coolest Projects event.

More events are on the way, so sign up for the Coolest Projects newsletter to be sure you hear about any in-person events in your country. And if there isn’t an event near you, don’t worry, as the online showcase is open to any young person anywhere in the world.

Need help with your submission? 

Coolest Projects welcomes all digital tech projects, from beginner to advanced, and there are loads of great resources available to help you help the young people in your community to take part. If you’re searching for inspiration, take a look at the 2024 showcase gallery, where you can explore the incredible projects submitted by participants last year.

You’ll find everything you need to know about all seven Coolest Projects categories on our category pages, including our brand new AI category. Our projects site is also a great place for participants to begin — there are hundreds of free step-by-step project guides to help young people create their own projects, whether they’re experienced tech creators or just getting started.

Photo of a young creator showcasing they're project to two Raspberry Pi Foundation judges.

We will also be running a series of online webinars for mentors and young people to help participants develop their creations for each Coolest Projects category. Sign up for the sessions here. All sessions will be recorded, so you can watch them back if you can’t join live.

Be sure to check out the Coolest Projects guidance page for resources to help you support young people throughout their Coolest Projects journey, including a mentor guide and session plans. 

There’s lots more exciting news to come, from the announcement of our VIP judges to details about this year’s swag, so sign up for updates to be the first to know. 

Whether your coders have already made something that they want to share, or they’re inspired to make something new, Coolest Projects is the place for them. We can’t wait to see what they create!

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Highlights from Coolest Projects South Africa 2024

Afandi Indiatsi, our Programme Coordinator in Africa, recently attended Coolest Projects South Africa 2024. Read on to hear her highlights.

What happens when creativity, enthusiasm, fun, and innovation come together? You get Coolest Projects South Africa 2024 — a vibrant showcase of students from all walks of life displaying their talent and shaping the future of technology.

Dozens of projects exhibited at the event in Cape Town

Hosted by our partner, Coder Level Up, Coolest Projects South Africa brought together creators, mentors, educators, and industry leaders to celebrate the creativity and ingenuity of young tech enthusiasts from across the country.

A group of educators at the Coolest Projects South Africa event.

With nearly 200 projects submitted and dozens showcased, the event highlighted the impressive talent and potential of South Africa’s next generation of innovators.

Taking place at the University of Western Cape’s Department of Education in Cape Town, the event was a hub of excitement. Right from the start the venue was buzzing with activity, with the South African World Robot Olympiad (WRO) team kicking things off with a fantastic demonstration of their robotic inventions. Their creations came alive to cheers and applause as they performed flawlessly, leaving attendees in awe — what an inspiration they were!

A group of young people showcases their projects at Coolest Projects South Africa.

Standout projects ranged from garbage collection to chocolate

The participants then presented their projects, each of which was ingenious in its own way. From hardware and visual programming to game development and website creation, there was a wealth of ideas on display — and a demonstration of the boundless potential of young minds when given the right tools and guidance. Adding to the inclusive spirit of the event, participants from Durban and East London joined remotely, their energy resonating through Zoom.

Two young students display their creations at Coolest Projects South Africa.

One standout project was a garbage collection robot created by an all-girls team from Nguzo Saba School. Using a LEGO kit, these creators transformed their idea into a functional invention. What made their project exceptional was their ability to improvise and enhance the kit to achieve their desired functionality. This was a true testament to their creativity, resilience, and problem-solving skills.

A group of young people showcases their projects at Coolest Projects South Africa.

Another memorable presentation came from Emma, who used Scratch to tell the story of the history of chocolate. Her engaging narrative spanned the journey of chocolate from the Olmec civilisation in Latin America to today’s chocolate museums. Emma’s research was extensive, and she captivated the judges not only with her presentation but also with chocolate samples for everyone to enjoy — a sweet touch that left a lasting impression!

Young people display their creations at Coolest Projects South Africa.

How Coolest Projects harnesses the power of education, creativity, and mentorship  

A recurring theme throughout the event was the importance of mentorship. Many of the young people shared that they had sought guidance from mentors, teachers, and family members while developing their projects. This collaborative spirit underscored the role of supportive communities in fostering innovation and creativity among young creators.

Coolest Projects South Africa 2024 was more than a showcase of talent. It was a reminder of the transformative power of education, mentorship, and creativity. Every project had a story of passion and perseverance, and every creator left inspired to dream bigger.

As we reflect on this event — and the many other Coolest Projects events that took place around the world this past year — we are reminded that the future of technology is in capable, imaginative hands.

Get involved with Coolest Projects in 2025

Coolest Projects will be back and bigger than ever before in 2025. 

The Coolest Projects online showcase is open globally to any young person up to age 18. Registration opens 14 January, and we’ll host a celebratory livestream on 25 June.

Thanks to an incredible network of partners, Coolest Projects events will also be hosted in person in many countries around the world. Go to the Coolest Projects website for more event dates and details.

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Ready to remix? Favourite projects to tinker with

From crafting interactive stories to designing captivating games, the Raspberry Pi Foundation’s coding projects offer a hands-on approach to learning, igniting creativity and developing the skills young people need, like perseverance and problem-solving. In this blog, I explore two of my favourite projects that young coders will love.

An educator helps two young learners with a coding project in a classroom.

Our projects are free and open to all. They are easy-to-follow, step-by-step guides that young people use to make their own games, animations, and websites using coding languages such as Scratch, HTML/CSS, and Python. The projects introduce coding concepts one by one and allow young people to build their knowledge progressively. As such, educators and volunteers running clubs don’t need to be experienced coders, and many volunteers in our community enjoy learning alongside their club members.

The power of remixing

One of the brilliant things about our projects is how easy it is to adapt them. This is called remixing, and it gives the learner the opportunity to create and modify a brand-new project that is personal to them. 

“Remixing allows beginners to tinker with a pre-existing project and make increasingly complex modifications”

Do you have the reaction speeds of an astronaut?

My favourite project brings space into the classroom. Space is such an intriguing and mysterious thing, but aspects like the extremely high speeds that satellites and the International Space Station (ISS) travel at are difficult concepts for young people to understand. 

The Astronaut Reaction Time Game in Scratch introduces young people to the fact that things happen very quickly at the speed the ISS travels. It includes links to maths and science (speed, distance, time, velocity, units, calculations, operators) and, for older learners, prompts discussions on computational abstractions and problem-solving.

The Astronaut Reaction Time Game in Scratch.

The project tests reaction speeds, something that real astronauts have to do as part of their training. NASA has found that reaction speeds are slower on the ISS than on Earth, possibly as a result of the stress of zero gravity. It’s also a fun activity young people can share and play with their friends. Sharing is a key part of the club environment, and this project is ideal for generating a little bit of competition. 

As with all projects, a scaffolded approach is taken, with challenges set for learners so that they can complete part of the project independently. If someone is stuck, they can get a hint in the form of an explanation or sentence, which then turns into the code blocks they need to solve the problems, finally giving them the solution if they really need it.   

Remix: Exploring speed on planet Earth

Club volunteers can also introduce their learners to some of our physical computing projects, or they could design their own race track that measures the speed of a vehicle. They could even develop a program on a microcontroller like a Pico or micro:bit to measure the speed of young athletes on a running track. If learners are inspired to do more space-themed projects, we have that covered in our project collection

Unleashing the creativity of coding through colour

My other go-to project is Colourful Creations. Coding is an excellent vehicle for self-expression, and this project showcases the ways programming can be used to create digital art. It uses the turtle library, which is an excellent tool for creating designs and patterns. 

An example of a colourful poster.

The name “turtle” stems from the Logo programming language created in the 1960s. Logo is mainly known for drawing lines, shapes and patterns on the screen and using a “turtle” on the floor to draw them on paper. The turtle library is, therefore, a selection of functions that can be used for drawing. 

Part of the project’s appeal is that learners are given a blank canvas to which they can apply any theme. There are limited instructions, leaving lots of space for creativity. Whether it be climate change, a period in history, or some other topic, learners can work on their own poster or in pairs to create something bigger.

Remix: From project to presentation

The possibilities for remixing are almost endless, as learners can add more screens and turn their project into a mini presentation or unleash their artistic side and go wild with colours. The learning in this project leads perfectly to more complex turtle drawing projects like Robo-Trumps, providing a solid foundation in creative computing for you to build on later.

We want you to create your own versions of these projects. You could organise a themed day, which can give learners more freedom, or link with other projects such as Astro Pi. Try remixing the projects to start with, then building up to develop new and exciting projects based on the skills that have been learnt. Happy coding!

A version of this article also appears in Hello World issue 24.

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Computing Curriculum Framework: Adapting to India’s diverse landscapes

The digital revolution has reshaped every facet of our lives, underscoring the need for robust computing education. At the Raspberry Pi Foundation our mission is to enable young people to realise their full potential through the power of computing and digital technologies. Since starting out in 2008 as a UK-based educational charity, we’ve grown into a global leader in advancing computing literacy.

An educator and students working on a coding task.

At the heart of our efforts lies a simple yet powerful vision: to ensure every young person develops the knowledge, skills, and confidence to use digital technologies effectively. This includes understanding societal and ethical issues, using technology for creative problem solving, and fostering a mindset of adaptability that will enable them to thrive amid rapid technological change.

A vision for global computing education

To realise this vision, we developed The Computing Curriculum (TCC). Launched in 2018 as part of the UK’s National Centre for Computing Education, TCC is a comprehensive set of free teaching resources tailored for students aged 5–16. Over the years, the curriculum has evolved through rigorous testing and teacher feedback, which has helped to make it one of the most effective and inclusive computing education tools globally.

A group of students in a classroom.

Contextualising computing education for India

India’s vast diversity — in languages, social and economic contexts, and educational infrastructure — creates unique challenges and opportunities. As a result, we at the Raspberry Pi Foundation have adapted and localised our computing curriculum to meet the needs of Indian students. Collaborations with the Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TGSWREIS) and the Odisha Mo School programme have been pivotal in this endeavour.

Modelling data using a spreadsheet (Grade 9)
Creating media — audio production (Grade 7)

In Telangana, we adapted TCC to create a 70+ hour computing curriculum designed for government schools with limited resources. Similarly, in Odisha, elements of this curriculum have been tailored to develop Kaushali, an IT and coding curriculum for over 8,000 state schools. This localised approach ensures that computing education becomes accessible and relevant for students across India.

A curriculum designed for impact

The computing curriculum for India spans Grades 6 to 10 (age group 11-16) and is structured to ensure progressive learning. Students revisit foundational concepts repeatedly, building on prior knowledge as they advance through the grades. The curriculum emphasises forming a strong understanding of concepts over rote learning and integrates research-informed pedagogical approaches.

Students using computers in a classroom.

We tested our localised curriculum resources in Telangana Coding Academy, and there was lots of positive feedback from educators and observers. Overall, the educators were happy with the content format, and the observers noted that students enjoyed learning and completing the activities. This was also evident from the student discussion notes and student survey responses.

“[…] this content is more than what we are expecting for the school years[…] this time they [are] having [a] practical session. So they are very happy to do it and whenever they are free[,] they will come and ask us. ‘[C]an you take [an] extra class for us?’” – Educator

“[…] They are very [appreciative of] the content and [t]hey [are] learning very well, and the response is very good.” – Educator

Key features of the curriculum:

  • Tailored content: Materials are customised to align with the proficiency levels and contexts of Indian students, ensuring accessibility
  • Localised examples: By incorporating culturally relevant examples, students find the learning experience relatable and engaging
  • Simplified language: Designed for students who may lack confidence in English, the curriculum employs clear and concise language for better comprehension
  • Hands-on learning: Practical activities, including projects and model creation, solidify understanding and foster creativity
  • Ready-to-use resources: Teachers are equipped with lesson plans, presentations, worksheets, and activity sheets, reducing preparation time and enhancing delivery

Learning objectives:
The curriculum focuses on equipping students with:

  • An understanding of digital systems and their impact on people and society
  • Computational thinking and problem-solving skills for real-world applications
  • Confidence and knowledge to become creators and innovators
  • Awareness of digital citizenship and responsible technology use

Curriculum structure:
Each academic year includes 30–34 sessions, each lasting 45–60 minutes. Lessons are structured into deliverable units comprising detailed plans, presentations, and worksheets. Both plugged (computer-based) and unplugged (activity-based) learning methods are used, with a 60:40 ratio, ensuring balanced and inclusive learning experiences.

Sample progression across grades:

Curriculum highlights

Grade 6: Building a foundation

Students develop foundational computer skills, learn basic text formatting, and explore introductory programming concepts using Scratch. They also begin to understand how to group and describe objects based on their properties.  

Grade 7: Expanding horizons

Students delve into computer networks, the internet, and the World Wide Web. They learn to use loops in Scratch programming and explore data organisation using flat-file databases and spreadsheets.  

Grade 8: Deepening understanding

Students gain a deeper understanding of how computer systems function and use spreadsheets for data analysis. They continue to build their programming skills in Scratch, focusing on sequences, variables, and selection. They are also introduced to HTML and CSS for basic web development.  

Grade 9: Exploring advanced concepts

Students learn about data representation, including binary and character coding schemes. They design and create websites using HTML and CSS, incorporating accessibility and good web design principles. They also explore the layers of computing systems, including hardware, operating systems, and logic circuits.  

Grade 10: Applying knowledge and skills

Students explore advanced data representation, including image and sound representation. They are introduced to cybersecurity concepts and delve deeper into Python programming, focusing on selection and iteration. They also learn about data science and how to create a blog to support a cause.

Assessment framework:
To measure student progress effectively, the curriculum incorporates both formative and summative assessments:

  • Formative assessments: Embedded in lessons to monitor progress and identify misconceptions early.
  • Summative assessments: Provide a holistic overview of learning outcomes through tools like multiple-choice quizzes and rubrics. These assessments focus on understanding concepts and skills, moving beyond mere code writing.

Bridging the digital divide

Our localised computing curriculum is more than a technical education initiative — it is helping to bridge the digital divide. By empowering students with essential digital skills, it fosters innovation, enhances employability, and enables young people to participate actively in the global digital economy.

The road ahead

As technology continues to evolve, so does the need for adaptive and inclusive computing education. We remain committed to supporting governments, educators, and students in this journey. By fostering a generation of digitally literate and empowered individuals, we can create a future where technology serves as a force for good in society.

Through collaborations and localised efforts, the dream of making computing education accessible to every corner of India is steadily becoming a reality. Together, we can equip students with the skills and mindset needed to navigate the complexities of the digital age and shape a brighter, more inclusive future.

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Celebrating young Coolest Projects creators at a London museum

Each year, young people all over the world share and celebrate their amazing tech creations by taking part in Coolest Projects, our digital technology showcase. Our global online showcase and local in-person events give kids a wonderful opportunity to celebrate their creativity with their communities, explore other young creators’ tech projects, and gain inspiration and encouragement for their future projects.

Coolest Projects exhibit at the Young V&A in London.
The Coolest Projects exhibit at the Young V&A in London.

Now, visitors to the Young V&A museum in London can also be inspired by some of the incredible creations showcased at Coolest Projects. The museum has recently reopened after a large reimagining, and some of the inspiring projects by Coolest Projects 2022 participants are now on display in the Design Gallery, ready to spark digital creativity among more young people.

Projects to solve problems

Many Coolest Projects participants showcase projects that they created to make an impact and solve a real-world problem that’s important to them, for example to help members of their local community, or to protect the environment.

A Coolest Projects entry at the Young V&A in London.
At Coolest Projects, Donal (age 9) showcased his creation to send notifications about coronavirus test results via email.

One example on display in the Young V&A gallery is EleVoc, by 15-year-old Chinmayi from India. Chinmayi was inspired to create her project after she and her family faced a frightening encounter:

“My family and I are involved in wildlife conservation. One time we were charged by elephants even though we were only passing by in a Jeep. This was my first introduction to human–animal conflict, and I wanted to find a way to solve it!” – Chinmayi

The experience prompted Chinmayi to create EleVoc, an early-warning device designed to reduce human–elephant conflict by detecting and classifying different elephant sounds and alerting nearby villages to the elephants’ proximity and behaviour.

Also exhibited at the Young V&A is the hardware project Gas Leak Detector by Sashrika, aged 11, from the USA. Gas Leak Detector is a device that detects if a fuel tank for a diesel-powered heating system is leaking and notifies householders through an app in a matter of second.

What is the impact of attending a Code Club or CoderDojo?

We support two networks of coding clubs where young people around the world discover the countless possibilities of creating with digital technologies.

Three learners working at laptops.
Young people in a CoderDojo in India.
  • Code Club is a global network of after-school coding clubs for learners aged 9 to 13, where educators and other volunteers help young people learn about coding and digital making
  • CoderDojo is a worldwide network of free, open, and community-based programming clubs for young people aged 7 to 17, where they get the opportunity to learn how to create fantastic new things with technology

Every year, we send out a survey to volunteers at all the clubs we support. Today we share some highlights from the findings and what we’re planning next.

An educator teaches students to create with technology.
A Code Club session in the USA.

Why do we do an annual survey for clubs?

The simple answer is: to help make clubs even better for everyone involved! Educators and volunteers are doing a remarkable job in helping young people learn about computing and coding, so we want to know more about them, about how they run their clubs, and what impact the club sessions have for young people.

A group of children and an adult have fun using Raspberry Pi hardware.
A CoderDojo session in the UK.

By knowing more about clubs — how frequently club leaders run them, what resources they use, what they would like more of — we can continue to improve the learning experience for educators, volunteers, and young people involved in our clubs.

This year in March we sent out our survey to all Code Clubs and CoderDojos around the world, and we heard back from almost 500. As always, the results were very positive, and they also gave us a lot of useful information on how we can continue to improve our support for clubs all over the world.

Who is involved in clubs?

Based on the survey, we estimate that at the time, the network of over 4200 Code Clubs and 700 CoderDojos was reaching almost 139,000 young people globally. The global community of clubs has continued to grow since then, with a now even larger network of volunteers supporting ever more young people.

Three learners laughing at a laptop in a Code Club.
Participants in a Code Club in the UK.

According to the survey, the majority of young people attending clubs are aged between 8 and 13, but clubs host young people as young as 6 and as old as 18. It was great to hear about the participation of girls, and we’d love to see this rise even higher: respondents told us that 42% of their Code Club attendees and 30% of their CoderDojo attendees are female.

Respondents feel that attending club sessions improves young peoples’ interest and engagement in computing and programming, and increases their understanding of the usefulness of computing.

None of these young people would be able to attend clubs without the great work of teams of educators and volunteers. Based on the survey, we estimate that at the time of the survey, there were over 10,300 Code Club leaders and almost 4000 CoderDojo champions around the world. Many survey respondents said that they were motivated to start volunteering after attending a club themselves.

Students in a Code Club run by CSEd Botswana.
A Code Club session in Botswana.

Community is at the heart of clubs and the clubs networks: over 80% of respondents said that belonging to a global community of clubs helps motivates them to volunteer at their own club.

What is the impact of clubs?

Clubs focus on a wide range of topics and programming languages. Scratch is overwhelmingly popular, with over 95% of respondents telling us that they used Scratch in club sessions in the previous year. Micro:bit projects and Python-based programming were also very popular. Club leaders told us that in future they would like to offer more activities around AI applications, as well as around games and mobile apps. 

A bar chart.

Club leaders told us that being part of a Code Club or CoderDojo affects young people positively. Respondents feel that attending club sessions improves young peoples’ skills and interest in computing and programming, and increases their understanding of the usefulness of computing. Almost 90% of club leaders also agree that after attending a club, young people are interested in additional experiences of learning about computing and programming.

Attending also positively affects young people’s wider skills and attitudes, with club leaders stating that young people who attend improve their personal confidence, independence in learning, and creative thinking. 

Young people who attend improve their personal confidence, independence in learning, and creative thinking.

We were pleased to find out that most Code Club leaders, who run their sessions in schools, think that their clubs increase the visibility of computing within their school. Many also said that the attendees’ parents and guardians value their clubs as opportunities for their children.

What’s next?

We want to keep providing clubs with support to increase their positive impact on young people. Thanks to the survey results, we know to focus our work on providing training opportunities for club volunteers, as well as supporting club leaders to recruit volunteers and advertise their clubs to more young people.

You can read the survey report to dive deeper into our findings.

As we take an impact-focused approach to our work, we are currently partnering with Durham University on an evaluation of Code Clubs in UK schools. The evaluation will provide further insights for how we can best support people around the world to run clubs that provide welcoming spaces where all kids can learn to create with digital technologies.

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Source: Raspberry Pi – What is the impact of attending a Code Club or CoderDojo?

AI isn’t just robots: How to talk to young children about AI

Young children have a unique perspective on the world they live in. They often seem oblivious to what’s going on around them, but then they will ask a question that makes you realise they did get some insight from a news story or a conversation they overheard. This happened to me with a class of ten-year-olds when one boy asked, with complete sincerity and curiosity, “And is that when the zombie apocalypse happened?” He had unknowingly conflated the Great Plague with television depictions of zombies taking over the world.

Child with tablet.
Photo by Patricia Prudente.

How to talk to young people about AI

Absorbing media and assimilating it into your existing knowledge is a challenge, and this is a concern when the media is full of big, scary headlines about artificial intelligence (AI) taking over the world, stealing jobs, and being sentient. As teachers and parents, you don’t need to know all the details about AI to answer young people’s questions, but you can avoid accidentally introducing alternate conceptions. This article offers some top tips to help you point those inquisitive minds in the right direction.

Child with tablet.
Photo by Kelly Sikkema.

AI is not a person

Technology companies like to anthropomorphise their products and give them friendly names. Why? Because it makes their products seem more endearing and less scary, and makes you more likely to include them in your lives. However, when you think of AI as a human with a name who needs you to say ‘please’ or is ‘there to help you’, you start to make presumptions about how it works, what it ‘knows’, and its morality. This changes what we ask, how much we trust an AI device’s responses, and how we behave when using the device. The device, though, does not ‘see’ or ‘know’ anything; instead, it uses lots of data to make predictions. Think of word association: if I say “bread”, I predict that a lot of people in the UK will think “butter”. Here, I’ve used the data I’ve collected from years of living in this country to predict a reasonable answer. This is all AI devices are doing. 

Child with phone.
Photo by bruce mars.

[AI] does not ‘see’ or ‘know’ anything; instead, it uses lots of data to make predictions.

When talking to young children about AI, try to avoid using pronouns such as ‘she’ or ‘he’. Where possible, avoid giving devices human names, and instead call them “computer”, to reinforce the idea that humans and computers are very different. Let’s imagine that a child in your class says, “Alexa told me a joke at the weekend — she’s funny!” You could respond, “I love using computers to find new jokes! What was it?” This is just a micro-conversation, but with it, you are helping to surreptitiously challenge the child’s perception of Alexa and the role of AI in it.

Where possible, avoid giving devices human names, and instead call them ‘computer’, to reinforce the idea that humans and computers are very different.

Another good approach is to remember to keep your emotions separate from computers, so as not to give them human-like characteristics: don’t say that the computer ‘hates’ you, or is ‘deliberately ignoring’ you, and remember that it’s only ‘helpful’ because it was told to be. Language is important, and we need to continually practise avoiding anthropomorphism.

AI isn’t just robots (actually, it rarely is)

The media plays a huge role in what we imagine when we talk about AI. For the media, the challenge is how to make lines of code and data inside a computer look exciting and recognisable to their audiences. The answer? Robots! When learners hear about AI taking over the world, it’s easy for them to imagine robots like those you’d find in a Marvel movie. Yet the majority of AI exists within systems they’re already aware of and are using — you might just need to help draw their attention to it.

Even better than just calling out uses of AI: try to have conversations about when things go wrong and AI systems suggest silly options.

For example, when using a word processor, you can highlight to learners that the software sometimes predicts what word you want to type next, and that this is an example of the computer using AI. When learners are using streaming services for music or TV and the service predicts something that they might want to watch or listen to next, point out that this is using AI technology. When they see their parents planning a route using a satnav, explain that the satnav system uses data and AI to plan the best route.

Even better than just calling out uses of AI: try to have conversations about when things go wrong and AI systems suggest silly options. This is a great way to build young people’s critical thinking around the use of computers. AI systems don’t always know best, because they’re just making predictions, and predictions can always be wrong.

AI complements humans

There’s a delicate balance between acknowledging the limitations of AI and portraying it as a problematic tool that we shouldn’t use. AI offers us great opportunities to improve the way we work, to get us started on a creative project, or to complete mundane tasks. However, it is just a tool, and tools complement the range of skills that humans already have. For example, if you gave an AI chatbot app the prompt, ‘Write a setting description using these four phrases: dark, scary, forest, fairy tale’, the first output from the app probably wouldn’t make much sense. As a human, though, you’d probably have to do far less work to edit the output than if you had had to write the setting description from scratch. Now, say you had the perfect example of a setting description, but you wanted 29 more examples, a different version for each learner in your class. This is where AI can help: completing a repetitive task and saving time for humans. 

Child with phone.
Photo by zhenzhong liu.

To help children understand how AI and humans complement each other, ask them the question, ‘What can’t a computer do?’ Answers that I have received before include, ‘Give me a hug’, ‘Make me laugh’, and ‘Paint a picture’, and these are all true. Can Alexa tell you a joke that makes you laugh? Yes — but a human created that joke. The computer is just the way in which it is being shared. Even with AI ‘creating’ new artwork, it is really only using data from something that someone else created. Humans are required. 

Overall, we must remember that young children are part of a world that uses AI, and that it is likely to be ever more present in the future. We need to ensure that they know how to use AI responsibly, by minimising their alternate conceptions. With our youngest learners, this means taking care with the language you choose and the examples you use, and explaining AI’s role as a tool.

To help children understand how AI and humans complement each other, ask them the question, ‘What can’t a computer do?’

These simple approaches are the first steps to empowering children to go on to harness this technology. They also pave the way for you to simply introduce the core concepts of AI in later computing lessons without first having to untangle a web of alternate conceptions.


This article also appears in issue 22 of Hello World, which is all about teaching and AI. Download your free PDF copy now.

If you’re an educator, you can use our free Experience AI Lessons to teach your learners the basics of how AI works, whatever your subject area.

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Source: Raspberry Pi – AI isn’t just robots: How to talk to young children about AI

Impressions from Coolest Projects South Africa 2023

The day after the successful meetup with our Global Clubs Partner organisations based in Africa, our team and some of our partners enjoyed participating in the Coolest Projects South Africa 2023 event to meet young tech creators and help out as project judges. Here are some of our impressions.

Our team and partners at Coolest Projects South Africa 2023.

A day of Coolest Projects

This is the fourth year of a partner-run, regional version of Coolest Projects — our world-leading showcase for young tech creators — taking place in South Africa, led by David Campey. David is Director of Coder LevelUp, one of our Global Clubs Partners growing and supporting a network of CoderDojos and Code Clubs in the country, and involved in the CoderDojo movement for a whole decade.

A waterbottle with a Coolest Projects South Africa sticker.

There was a buzz of anticipation and excitement at the Cape Town Science Centre as young coders from age 5 to 18 and various backgrounds gathered on this sunny Saturday morning to showcase their coding creations and inventions at Coolest Projects South Africa. From fun games and animations on Scratch, to cool websites created with HTML and CSS, to fantastic Python-based hardware solutions to real-world challenges — every young creator brought along a project they’d created to proudly showcase and celebrate.

Luhle’s language-inspired coding project

While chatting with the creators and discovering what had motivated their projects, we met up with 11-year-old Luhle, who was delighted to take us through the ‘Moon conversation’ animation she had coded in Scratch.

A young tech creator with her Scratch project at Coolest Projects South Africa 2023.
11-year-old Luhle proudly showcases her ‘Moon conversation’ Scratch animation at the Coolest Projects South Africa 2023 event.

The animation involved a Spanish conversation between two people who journeyed to the moon and back. Luhle had created her animation because of her love for languages and in response to a challenge posed to her class by her teacher: to learn 5 languages. While her mother tongue is isiXhosa, she is confident in English, is learning Afrikaans, has started teaching herself Spanish, and would love to learn Korean.

Kayden’s innovative hardware creation

We also met with 16-year-old Kayden, who showcased a project he’d made to address a real-world challenge. He told us he had always struggled to concentrate in class — a challenge that many young people face — and he wanted to build an alternative solution to the established medications. Using vibration sensors and two microcontrollers, he created a digital device to prompt users when they are no longer paying attention in class. With his friend Carl, he successfully tested the device on a meaningful sample of Grade 1–3 learners (ages 7–9).

A young tech creator with his hardware project at Coolest Projects South Africa 2023.
16-year-old Kayden listens intently as one of the Coolest Projects judges, Akwabi Paul from Kenya, commends his invention and advises him on next steps. Listening in are two other judges, Solomon from The Gambia and Sylvester from Malawi.

Kayden is now developing this low-cost innovative solution to include a heart rate monitor to help to detect when a user loses focus, and he wants this to be a solution that’s widely accessible and affordable for all South African children. One of the judges, our partner Akwabi Paul from Tech Kidz Africa in Kenya, was greatly impressed and motivated by Kayden’s work, and took time to advise Kayden on the next steps to turn his invention into a commercial product.

The coding club at CBC St Johns Parklands

During the event we also met members of Mrs Hill’s coding club and learnt about Mrs Hill’s experience of nurturing a love and interest for coding and robotics at CBC St Johns Parklands in Cape Town.

Since 2020, Mrs Hills has been providing coding lessons to all school classes — learners aged 6 to 12 years — as well as an after-school coding and robotics club. She approaches her lessons by introducing and demonstrating coding skills and then presenting her learners with a problem to solve collaboratively. In her words, ‘Learners find more interest in learning practically.’

That’s why Coolest Projects is the perfect fit for her and her young people. 4 of her club members took part in Coolest Projects South Africa 2022. This year, she was proud to enter 11 participants, 3 of whom were chosen as judges’ favourites.

Here’s to the young creators and more Coolest Projects events

After the showcasing and judging, the Coolest Projects South Africa event culminated in a hearty celebration of all that the young tech creators had presented. David Campey’s passion for nurturing coding literacy, digital making skills, and innovative thinking among learners from different walks of life made the whole day a truly enjoyable, inclusive event for the young creators.

Coolest Projects logo.

It was inspiring, no doubt, for our other African partners who participated as judges and are now keen to host Coolest Projects events back in their home countries.  

Get involved in Coolest Projects

If you and your young people based anywhere on the globe feel inspired to showcase digital tech creations, you can get involved in our Coolest Projects 2024 online showcase! It’s free and open to any young tech creator up to age 18.

Sign up to the Coolest Projects newsletter to be the first to hear all updates, for example when showcase registration opens on 14 February.

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Source: Raspberry Pi – Impressions from Coolest Projects South Africa 2023