MyTechDailyNews General: #MakerMonday’s Raspberry Jams Story in Argentina

This MyTechDailyNews General item is built from a #MakerMonday profile of Eliana Otrera, an educator who has used Raspberry Jams and Raspberry Pi activities to help children in rural parts of Argentina meet computers, robots, and programming.

Her base is Forres, in Santiago del Estero, Argentina. She describes that place as a small town with dirt roads during her childhood, yet it did not stop her interest in computing.

The accompanying image points to a familiar Raspberry Pi digital making activity: coding in Minecraft on a Pi-Top.

Eliana remembers the turning point: “That was when I decided to study Computer Science at university,” she says. “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 Conectar Igualdad, also translated as Connecting Equality, and began bringing 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.”

From classroom tools to community workshops

The same year, the programme introduced the Pi-Top distribution, portable computers made for educational use. She found a powerful little tool inside those devices and used it in many projects across different schools. Since then, she kept following Raspberry Pi updates and possibilities.

In this story, Raspberry Pi has become an important part of computing education.

How the Raspberry Jams grew

In 2019, Eliana began promoting Raspberry Pi among her 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, they became pioneers in promoting Raspberry Pi in Santiago del Estero. On 6 March 2020, in Forres, they organised the first Raspberry Pi workshop open to the community in the province.

Eliana teaching children about robots and robotics.

From that moment on, they began organising workshops more regularly and in different places: schools, cultural centres, and academies, both in Forres and in the surrounding areas.

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

Projects that show what students learn

At the introductory levels, Eliana has come across projects such as electronic trivia games and basic robots, where the key point is the artistic expression shown in the finished result.

For these projects, expression and emotion conveyed through decoration can matter more than any other automated function that could be added to the robot.

At more advanced levels, she has seen programming projects such as programmed constructions, where students use Python and Minecraft to build different institutional buildings automatically.

In robotics, she has seen an automated greenhouse project evolve from an initial model into productive agricultural projects for irrigation control, drone deployment, and crop planning.

Checklist: what readers can notice in this story

• The setting matters: Forres, Santiago del Estero, and Argentina give the profile a clear local frame.
• The quote about a small town with dirt roads connects childhood access limits to later computing study.
• Conectar Igualdad, also known as Connecting Equality, and Pi-Top are early points where Raspberry Pi work entered her teaching.
• Raspberry Jams moved from a shared interest in 2019 to a community workshop on 6 March 2020.
• Beginner work can value decoration and emotion, while advanced work can move toward Python, Minecraft, and agricultural applications.

Common misconceptions to avoid

• Do not treat the digital divide as only devices; the quote says it has faces, names, and stories.
• Do not assume a student needs a personal computer first; internet cafés were part of the path in 2003.
• Do not confuse early workshops with low value; electronic trivia games and basic robots still carry artistic expression.
• Do not assume Raspberry Pi is only hardware; the profile shows it supporting classroom projects, robotics, and community workshops.

FAQ about the profile

What are Raspberry Jams in this article?

In this article, Raspberry Jams refer to the workshops and activities around Raspberry Pi promotion, including the first workshop open to the community on 6 March 2020 in Forres.

Why is this a #MakerMonday profile?

It follows an individual maker-educator story: Eliana Otrera moved from limited computer access to teaching computing and helping organise Raspberry Jams.

Which tools and programmes appear?

Conectar Igualdad, Connecting Equality, Pi-Top, Raspberry Pi, Minecraft, and Python are named in the story.

What was the original publication context?

This article appeared in issue 170 of Raspberry Pi Official Magazine. The original article also referenced a six- or twelve-month print subscription, a Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W, and the platforms Facebook, X, Threads, LinkedIn, and Mastodon.

Action suggestions for schools and makers

1. Start with a small community session if a full computer room is not available; the Forres workshop history shows a single open workshop can grow.
2. Use familiar contexts such as Minecraft and robotics to make computing less abstract.
3. Let beginners decorate projects and tell the story behind them, because expression can be central at early levels.
4. Guide advanced students toward school or local uses, such as irrigation control, drone deployment, and crop planning, as shown by the automated greenhouse project.
5. Keep a simple timeline: 2017 programme entry, 2019 promotion, and 6 March 2020 workshop can help a school or community group explain its own journey.