This #MakerMonday, we meet Eliana Otrera, a teacher bringing computing to rural schools in Argentina and running Raspberry Jams so kids can access computers and programming.

Eliana Otrera lives in Forres in the province of Santiago del Estero, Argentina. A city now, it was just a “small town with dirt roads” when she was a kid, but that didn’t stop her from seeking out technology and ultimately, computing.

“That was when I decided to study Computer Science at university,” Eliana tells us. “Since I did not have my own computer, I had to go to internet cafés and rent one. I’m not talking about the 1980s – this was in 2003! But none of that stopped me from continuing my education. Obviously, as I progressed through my degree, my parents were eventually able to buy me my first computer.”

In 2017 she joined a programme called Conectar Igualdad (Connecting Equality) and started to bring coding and robotics to rural schools.

“My experience in rural schools was, without a doubt, one of the stages that most shaped my relationship with technology and education,” Eliana says. “There I understood that talking about the digital divide was not simply a matter of statistics or a lack of devices. The technology gap had faces, names, and stories.”

When did you first discover Raspberry Pi?

In 2017, when the Conectar Igualdad programme introduced the Pi-Top distribution, which consisted of portable computers designed for educational use. Inside them, I discovered this powerful little tool, and I used it in many projects across different schools. Since then, I have stayed connected with you, keeping myself up to date and making the most of the new features and possibilities that Raspberry Pi continues to offer.

How did the Raspberry Jams in Santiago del Estero come  about?

The Raspberry Jams in Santiago del Estero grew out of a shared passion. In 2019, I began promoting Raspberry Pi among my professional circle and colleagues as an educational tool, while also looking for new ways to bring technology closer to students and teachers.

Some time later, together with two colleagues who share the same interests and passion for technology, we became pioneers in promoting Raspberry Pi in Santiago del Estero. On 6 March 2020, in Forres, we organised the first Raspberry Pi workshop open to the community in the province.

From that moment on, we began organising them more regularly and in different places – schools, cultural centres, and academies – both in Forres and in the surrounding areas.

Since our first workshop in 2020, we have seen growing interest from students, teachers, families, and technology enthusiasts.

What are some of the student projects you’ve particularly enjoyed at the Raspberry Jams?

At the introductory levels, I have come across projects such as electronic trivia games and basic robots, where the most important thing is the artistic expression they put into the finished result.

In these projects, the expression and emotion they manage to convey through their decoration are more important than any other automated function that could be added to the robot.

At the more advanced levels, I have seen programming projects such as programmed constructions, where students use Python and Minecraft as a foundation to create different institutional buildings automatically.

In robotics, I have been able to see the evolution of an automated greenhouse project – from an initial model to what the students are now implementing in productive agricultural projects for irrigation control, drone deployment, and crop planning.

Issue 170 of Raspberry Pi Official Magazine is out NOW!

This article appeared in issue 170 of Raspberry Pi Official Magazine, which you can access online. You can also subscribe to the print version of our magazine. Not only do we deliver worldwide, but those who sign up to the six- or twelve-month print subscription will receive a FREE Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W!

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