Through our Community, element14 has long strived to support the work of the modern engineer. In doing so, we’ve also recognized that engineering is no longer the sole remit of professionals in workshops; beginners, hobbyists and enthusiasts alike are all now actively involved in the Community.
Together, these various groups are working to develop their understanding of the electronic world, collaborating and sharing knowledge along the way.
It made sense that the next logical step was to begin introducing these resources to the world of education. After all, if the current generation of engineers can assist and teach one another, the next generation could benefit immeasurably if they had access to the same knowledge base from an early age.
Since September this year, computing has become a core part of the UK national curriculum. Some of you may right now be getting flashbacks to your own ICT classes: dusty computer labs, yellowing old desktops, and spreadsheet formulae.
But the new curriculum is intended to be more like a fully fledged computer science class, helping to equip the next generation for more computer focused employment. And with our role in helping the engineers of today learn and share information, we are also committed to helping the engineers of the future.
We’re already involved in some ways as distributor of the Raspberry Pi. We’re also working closely with Leeds Beckett University in the UK, providing opportunities for students to learn from working in a real-life industry setting.
Now that we are almost a term in to the new curriculum in the UK, we’re keen to stop and take stock of how it is working. This is where you can help us.
We’re conducting a survey of anyone involved in the education sector and would love to hear your feedback on the new curriculum. Whether you’re actively teaching the new Computer Science curriculum in a UK school and wish to help develop a better understanding of what is and isn’t working, or can just pass it on to someone who is involved in the wider education sector, we’d like to hear from you.
As an added incentive, everyone who responds will be entered in a prize draw to win a Raspberry Pi Starter Kit, perfect for use in the classroom!
You can complete the computing curriculum survey here.