How do you teach Computer Science?

[Callum]

In the last year we've started teaching Computer Science, like I'm sure most other schools have (or already did). The specification pretty much requires students to use Linux command line for everything. The Computer Science teacher bought a Raspberry Pi for every student, along with HDMI to VGA converters and SD cards. I've installed PiNet (aka Raspi-LTSP) on each SD card and it works great for its purpose. However, every time we want to use the Raspberry Pis the students have to power off the Windows computers, unplug them (so the Pi has a power socket), unplug the keyboard/mouse/VGA from the computer and plug them into the Pi. Obviously when teenagers are doing this, computers aren't shut down gracefully, keyboards and mice are left unplugged at the end of the lesson, the computers aren't plugged back in, etc.

 

It's a total nightmare every time. How do you deal with using Raspberry Pis in the classroom? If you don't use Raspberry Pis, do you use Linux VMs, or something else?

[JordanT91]

If the students need to use the keyboard/mouse/monitor from the PCs, can you not get some KVM switches? All the students would have to do is press a button, no unplugging of cables required. Of course you'd still have to solve your power problem.

[Trapper]

I power my Rasp Pi at home off a USB 3 port.

[bald_pig]

We use Xubuntu running from an immutable disk in Virtualbox

[ataylor]

My raspberry Pi manages to run of a standard USB 2.0 port from the TV

[3s-gtech]

Yeah, Virtualbox. The students have a choice of Windows or Linux (Debian) VM. I thought about using RaspberryPis but the problems you describe put me off. They can access their VM from any PC in the school, they can save their documents to the network from there, and they have full admin rights to their VMs which are isolated from the internet and network. This was mainly possible because one of our virtual hosts became surplus to requirements and was repurposed.