Calliope

The Calliope gGmbH, based in Berlin, is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting digital education for children from primary school onwards. The company strives to provide every child, regardless of their socioeconomic background, with a playful and creative access to digital technologies and programming.

The heart of Calliope gGmbH is the Calliope mini, a single-board computer specifically designed for educational purposes. The Calliope mini offers a variety of opportunities to learn programming and experimentation. It is equipped with a speaker, a microphone, an RGB LED, and other advanced input and output options, which sets it apart from other microcontrollers like the BBC micro:bit[4].

The mission of Calliope gGmbH is to make digital education simple and accessible. The company believes that technological understanding, alongside reading, writing, and arithmetic, is one of the most important skills for personal and professional success in the 21st century. Through the Calliope mini and corresponding teaching materials, the company aims to give children the opportunity to explore their curiosity about the world and actively use technology[3].

Calliope gGmbH is committed to sustainable education and the early promotion of digital skills. The company works closely with various partners, such as Cornelsen Verlag, SAP SE, Würth Elektronik, and the Roberta Initiative, to provide comprehensive support and resources for teachers and students. Through crowdfunding campaigns and sponsorship, Calliope gGmbH has already brought over 250,000 Calliope minis into schools and children's rooms and conducted state-wide introduction projects in almost all federal states[1][3][4].

A central aspect of Calliope gGmbH is the provision of Open Educational Resources. Schematics, software, manuals, project ideas, and teaching materials are freely available to promote a broad and open educational culture[4].

Calliope gGmbH has built a vibrant community that publishes countless project and teaching materials and makes them available for free. Teachers and students can further their education and exchange ideas through various platforms, such as Open Roberta Lab and Microsoft MakeCode. Additionally, the company offers workshops and online courses to strengthen the digital competence of teachers and students[2][3].

Through its efforts, Calliope gGmbH has already received several awards, including the Wolfgang Heilmann Prize and the delina 2018 Innovation Award for Digital Education[4].

Calliope gGmbH represents an important step towards inclusive and future-oriented education that gives every child the chance to navigate and act creatively in the digital world.

• 1 - https://www.kampajobs.de/organisation/calliope-ggmbh
• 2 - https://calliope.cc
• 3 - https://calliope.cc/partner
• 4 - https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calliope_mini
• 5 - https://calliope.cc/begriffe