2nd Code Club lesson - experience and thoughts

After the first week where only 4 kids turned up this week was a different experience with 11 kids.  Of which 5 were boys and the rest were girls.  So, a nice mix.
The folders I gave the kids the last time were a big hit.  2 of the girls had decorated their folders and some of the new kids had been told about by others what happened the last time and were looking for their folders. 12p folders from the pound shop make you a hero.

The second lesson is the Whack a Witch class where the kids make a similar game to Whack a Mole but with witches. This class can be be downloaded from the www.codeclub.org.uk website. The final words 'look like this' are the link.

Wit most of the kids having missed the first session I had to go through some of the fundamentals with them but didn't want to lose the excitement and moment of actually doing so I gathered them around one computer and showed them the stage, sprites, and the other bits at a really high level, knowing this wouldn't be enough for them to work on their own but hopefully would give them some comfort with the interface.

What followed was a manic hour of excited kids and a whole lot of one-on-one guidance.
But this time by the end all kids had the game completed.  Some with more support than others, but they all had their game to play and enjoy.  One of the girls who was there last week got it done in about 20 minutes and even started helping others. I think I have found my future helper.  Nothing proves you have learned something than being able to show others. I made a point of telling her mother when she was being collected how great she was and how helpful she was with the others just starting.

I provided a letter for kids that I found here (http://andrewjohns.net/blog/2012/12/a-letter-to-parents-regarding-scratch/) to take home for their parents if they wished to explain to their parents what they are doing and also ask to have Scratch installed on their home computers.

Once again the time felt way too short. It's either me or the sessions should be 90 minutes so I've asked the teacher coordinating if we can run the sessions from 3:20 - 5:00.  Giving 10 minutes at the start and then 90 minutes of mad activity.

When the kids had gone and we were back in the class tidying up a great thing happened. Another teacher came in and said while she was in her class she heard 2 boys outside saying how great the club was. Really enthusiastic and excitedly.  So, even though the class was a bit rushed and the learnings were limited due to the speed the No.1 objective I hope for was achieved. The kids were excited and eager to do more.  The learning and understand will come once they master the interface and repeat some of the steps.

So, another successful(ish) Code Club. Roll on next week and the fireworks.

Egham/Staines Raspberry Jam 20th Jan 2013

Back in October I started the process of hosting a Raspberry Jam at my employers office in January.
It took nearly 2 months to get it sorted but we got there and on the 20th of December I announced the first Raspberry Jam at the Gartner offices in Egham on the 20th of January 2013.

In case you're unaware a Raspberry Jam is an event for people interested in the Raspberry Pi computer. An opportunity to meet like minded people and hopefully get inspired or connect with people who are looking to achieve the same or similar goals to yourself.

I attended a couple at Bletchley Park in Milton Keynes in October and November and was even more convinced that Raspberry Jams were a great idea and well worth organising.

Well, with 2 weeks to go there are only 3 tickets let of the 50 allocated on Eventbrite. http://eghamraspberryjam.eventbrite.com

There 2 confirmed presentation, including the amazing near space live images project Pi in the Sky.

Based on the demand so far I'm hoping for a full house and if this one goes well I will work to get it set up so we can have Raspberry Jams regularly at the Gartner offices.

A big thank you to Alan O'Donohoe  @teknoteacher for getting the ball rolling with the Raspberry Jams and also for talking to me about what is involved in preparing a successful Jam.

Here's looking forward to the 20th of January and a successful Raspberry Jam.

Mini Wireless Keyboard/Touchpad and Nano USB Wifi Adaptor that works with Raspberry Pi

As part of my Christmas presents I got a couple of bits to go with my Raspberry Pi.
As I sometimes take the Raspberry Pi out and about I wanted a mini wireless keyboard/touchpad to pack in my box of wires.

I heard good things about the Rii 2.4GHz Wireless Mini PC Keyboard Touchpad so added it to my wish list. I plugged in the dongle to the Raspberry Pi, turned on the keyboard and it worked first time. No problems at all.  I read some comments that the range is very short. I'm getting about 3 metres from it as I haven't tested any further.  Very happy. Keys are big enough for me to use comfortably and the main keys are all in the expected places.  It also has a laser pointer built in if needed.
Also, the extra function keys beyond [F8] are at [FN],1,2,3,4 so you do get the full 12 functions keys but only the first 8 are shown.
The one I received was in a plain white box.

I also got the Edimax EW-7811UN Wireless 802.11b/g/n 150Mbps Nano USB Adaptor.
Using Raspbian it worked first time with no additional drivers required.

With the 2 of these plugged in I have a full functioning compact computer with only the power and HDMI coming from it.

So, when I'm logging in remotely using Xming and Putty I can put the Raspberry Pi where ever there is a spare socket and work away.

I also got  the beautiful Pibow Colour Raspberry Pi Case.  and the Adafruit Pi Cobbler Breakout Kit. So, very happy with the presents.

Note: Links are to Amazon UK stores where mine came from.  My wife has learned that the best thing is for me to email her actual links rather than having me expect her to known what I'm looking for.
One year a link went from being a processor to a couple of wires. luckily she checked with me before buying.