This is an opinion piece from me – so stand by for my occasionally random thoughts. Read the article below first, though, if you have time as it will add something.

There’s a fantastic article and interview with Steve Furber over at the Linux User Magazine site in which they look back at the impact of the BBC Micro, the current emphasis on computing in schools and the part the BBC has to play in this technological future.

Read it here.

The most interesting thing for me is the expectation that the BBC will deliver it’s solution (whatever that may be, it certainly won’t be a BBC Micro 2) in 2015. This, for me, is far too late. They will have missed the boat. The new Computing curriculum is being delivered now, i.e. this year, not next year! They had the opportunity to get more involved with the Raspberry Pi Foundation (RPF) at the onset of their project, although I understand it was commercial restrictions that primarily meant that they couldn’t. However, that means that they’ve had two years to do their own thing and have not delivered anything.

I know there has been (past and recent) criticism of the RPF – that they haven’t delivered the Pi into schools, that they haven’t delivered educational material and that they haven’t achieved their main aim. From a certain point of view, this is true. I don’t share that point of view. The RPF has needed first and foremost to generate momentum and a community. Remember: the state of our educational system, with respect to computing, is in a shocking state. We have a generation of teachers who, on the whole, do not know much, if anything, about delivering this new computing curriculum. The RPF has at least made a start on redressing this. The recent Raspberry Jamboree has shown, via panels and talks, that the Pi is out there ‘in the wild’ (i.e. in the classroom) and is making a difference now. There is a great enthusiasm for the Pi, and for computing, and it’s time to deliver that to the masses.

At the Jamboree, the Foundation announced their new educational website. Now, it’s not quite ready for launch, which is a shame, but we do know that it’s likely to be weeks rather than months before we can expect the launch and that the much-expanded education team at the Foundation is working hard on this site. We also know that the Raspberry Jam site (which has been neglected over the past year) will be brought into the Foundation’s site to further expand and enrich the community feel.

It remains to be seen whether this new website will be the solution to the criticism. I firmly believe that the mere possibilities offered by an education-focused site are endless and that the Foundation has the people in place to realise that potential. It’s going to be a site filled with quality content that teachers can use as a resource and as a central point for all things Pi. They just need to get it right and keep it going. To that end, at the Jamboree, they raised what amounted to a ‘call to arms’ to the community to get involved with generating and enriching the educational content that will be published. It’s my hope that they’ll involve the community sooner rather than later, perhaps letting those able to contribute see the site ahead of the launch and help to shape it towards a richer experience for the user.

That’s enough from me for now except to say this: I’m firmly behind any initiative to bring computing into the minds of youngsters, regardless of who it is led by, and I firmly believe that the Raspberry Pi (and therefore the Foundation) has a pivotal role to play in the future of technology. I think the BBC has missed the boat and they would be better off supporting any of the other initiatives around (e.g. the RPF, Computing at School) rather than starting their own.