A new report out today from Google Cloud’s Office of the CISO dig into a growing trend in the evolution of cyberattacks, the rise of financially motivated threat actors who are now targeting backup infrastructure directly, not just encrypting production systems. As detailed in the H2 2025 Cloud Threat Horizons Report, Google’s researchers have observed advanced persistent […]
We love hearing from members of the community and sharing stories of amazing young people, volunteers, and educators who are using their passion for technology to create positive change in the world around them.
Meet Isabelle, a youth mentor at a library Code Club, whose inspiring story tells how a passion for helping others and a love for reading led back to a childhood interest, shaping an unexpected and rewarding journey.
Saturdays spent at the library
Isabelle’s coding journey began around the age of nine. An avid reader, she regularly attended her local library in Stourbridge with her gran. When they saw there was a Code Club held on a Saturday morning, they both decided it might be a good skill for Isabelle to learn.
“I used to have like an entire folder of all the projects I’d completed. I’ve still got it somewhere in my room!”
She quickly progressed through Scratch, Python, and HTML, even finding herself teaching the adults at the club at some points! But, as secondary school approached, her involvement naturally tapered off as she began to focus on her studies.
A return through volunteering
In secondary school, Isabelle was looking for volunteering opportunities as part of her Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) award. Remembering her positive experiences at the library, and continued love of books, she initially considered volunteering there. Then, she had an idea.
“I suddenly thought ‘What if they still do Code Club?’ I really enjoyed it when I did it and I still remembered enough about it to help others. So, I felt like I could actually be useful instead.”
Isabelle reached out, and thanks to her gran’s long-standing connection with the library, she was remembered and welcomed back. What started as a three-month commitment for her DofE award soon extended to six.
“I really looked forward to each session at the library and decided to stick with it for the whole time.”
Embracing the chaos and connection
Isabelle’s return coincided with the Code Club restarting. Stepping into a mentoring role, she quickly found herself in the thick of it. With five computers and a group of new young people, most of whom had no prior coding experience, the first sessions were a whirlwind.
“It’s like the best kind of chaos. It doesn’t get easier as such. But it’s so fun meeting these new kids, they’re all different and they bounce off each other.”
She works closely with Lucy, the club leader, helping manage the flow of projects and supporting the children as they navigate everything from creating Scratch accounts to tackling challenging projects.
Isabelle with Lucy, Stourbridge Library Assistant, and Rujeko, Code Club Community Coordinator
More than just code
While the technical skills are central, Isabelle emphasises that Code Club offers so much more. She’s seen shy children blossom, making new friends and becoming more involved.
“I think there’s the whole element of socialising as well. And beyond coding, kids develop essential IT skills, like learning how to use a mouse and keyboard. Something many who just use tablets and phones don’t know!”
Four years and counting
Isabelle, now preparing to go on to further education, could not have predicted how her mentoring journey would turn out. What began as a three-month DofE requirement has turned into a four-year commitment.
“It has just never been something that I thought ‘oh, I don’t want to do this anymore’. It’s just part of the weekly routine now. It’s been four years and it’s shocking how quickly it’s gone.”
Isabelle’s dedication hasn’t gone unnoticed. She’s built strong bonds with the staff and gained invaluable experience. She’s learned to organise, work in a team, and even run sessions independently, developing skills that will be invaluable for her future.
“I like the bond that I have with the staff and with Lucy. It feels great to be trusted that much and it has just been such a nice experience.”
Lucy, Stourbridge Code Club leader and Library Assistant, shared her experience with the club and collaborating.
“Since Code Club offers so much more than just coding — confidence building, creativity, friendship, etc. — it plays an important role for children and young people in the community. The library is much more than just a place for books, and hosting Code Club here creates a welcoming space where young people can explore technology away from the classroom.”
“Isabelle has been absolutely fantastic both in supporting us with club admin as well as supporting the children with their coding! She understands the projects inside and out and is brilliant at not only solving problems, but also, importantly, encouraging the club to find ways of solving problems themselves. Our Code Club couldn’t have become what it is today without her input!”
Isabelle’s advice for future mentors
As Isabelle prepares to head off to the Bath Spa University to study media communications and publishing, she offers this advice for other young people considering becoming a Code Club mentor…”just go for it!”
Isabelle admits to being anxious at times, but the experience has significantly boosted her confidence.
“It built my confidence a bit more. You make friends along the way and you learn a lot of new things. And don’t worry if you don’t have a lot of coding experience. I don’t think you need it. I had a little bit but I was still basing it mainly off of reading the project instructions. And in all fairness, the instructions are really helpful!”
Mentoring at Code Club isn’t just about teaching, it’s about learning, growing, and connecting. It’s an opportunity to give back, build confidence, and discover the joy in supporting the next generation of digital creators. As Isabelle’s journey shows, sometimes the most rewarding paths are the ones you never planned to take.
Lucy shared why she thinks having youth mentors involved with Code Club is such an important dynamic.
“Youth mentors are great as role models and inspiration for children, and as a young person themselves they build such a great rapport with the club members. A mentor who’s closer to their age often feels more approachable, which helps create a comfortable and encouraging environment for them.”
If Isabelle’s story has inspired you, why not explore the world of coding? You can get started at home with over 250 free projects on the Code Club Projects website.
Looking for a little extra support in your own coding journey or open to mentoring others? Join a Code Club near you to meet a like-minded and supportive community.
At this time of year, many educators are considering ways to update their content ahead of the new school term. Whether you’re a teaching assistant or head of department, it’s important to ensure that the content you’re updating — or even designing anew — is relevant and high quality, and meet learners’ needs. In today’s blog we’re highlighting ‘ABC learning design’, and how it can be used to rapidly design and improve learning experiences.
Find practical tips on how to use the ABC process and related approaches with your learners
Read a summary of the research behind the framework
What is ABC learning design?
ABC learning design is a rapid, hands-on approach to design and develop blended learning experiences. The framework has traditionally been used at undergrad level, and had a lot of success when used in response to the global pandemic in 2020, when learning experiences had to quickly transition from being delivered in-person to being accessible remotely.
The model is centred around six learning types:
Acquisition: Learning by reading, listening, or watching
Collaboration: Learning by working with others towards a common goal, involving co-creation and shared outputs
Discussion: Learning through dialogue, sharing ideas, and responding to others
Investigation: Learning by exploring, comparing, and evaluating new information or experiences
Practice: Learning by applying knowledge and skills, receiving feedback, and refining understanding
Production: Learning by expressing understanding or creating something to demonstrate knowledge and skills
Before continuing, it’s important to distinguish between ‘learning types’ and the widely discredited concept of ‘learning styles’. Whilst learning styles refer to fixed characteristics or preferences of learners, learning types refer to different kinds of learning activities and pedagogical approaches that can be designed into a course.
These learning types are representative simplifications of pre-existing learning theories. For each learning type, educators can use different activities to deliver that type of learning. The activities will depend on your context and what’s right and applicable for your students.
How can I apply ABC learning design?
ABC learning design is often done in a team-based workshop setting (you can do it by yourself as well). Firstly, you analyse your existing content. Consider the goal of your current learning sequence, and assess how your learners are going to reach that goal with the different learning types.
By analysing existing content and activities, you can then identify what’s missing from your sequence. This allows you to build on existing gaps and consider different types of activities you could implement. You then create a set of learning cards, which help you to storyboard and plan your new learning sequence.
Learning cards are typically postcard-sized and colour-coded to one of the six learning types. Colour coding helps you to tell the cards apart, and to easily see which learning types are or aren’t included in your sequence.
Each card has the name and a short description of the learning type on the front, with examples of associated digital or in-person learning activities on the back. The learning cards:
Make the design process more engaging
Help with decision making
Support discussions if you’re working in a team
Adapting ABC learning design for your context
ABC design can be contextualised to your classroom, practices, and school, and to the technologies you have available. For example, on the back of each learning card you could include a set of activities that have been tried and tested in, or approved by, your school. Alternatively, you could link to other frameworks or teaching approaches that work for you and your students.
Learning cards can also be used to collect other insights about teaching and learning within your context, and used as reminders of pedagogies to implement, as well as practical concerns. They can also help you to consider if there are opportunities for cross-curricular links within your learning sequence.
A shared toolkit you can reuse
In a computing department, ABC learning cards can become a shared resource that give fellow educators an understanding of what’s possible. The cards can be used again and again to help plan future learning experiences.
By running an ABC workshop and creating these learning cards, you and your team will put together a contextualised learning sequence toolkit specific to your school and learners.
Integration with universal design for learning to improve accessibility
In our blog How to build young people’s agency through accessible learning, we explored the universal design for learning (UDL) framework. UDL aims to support educators to reduce barriers for learners. It helps educators to create learning environments that are accessible and effective for all learners by providing multiple means of engagement, representation, and action and expression.
Gormley et al. (2022) described an initiative to integrate UDL within ABC learning design. They developed adapted ABC learning cards where the reverse side included specific UDL prompts, in addition to the usual example activities. For example:
An acquisition card could include the prompt “Will materials be available in a variety of formats (text, audio, and visual)? Will videos be captioned and transcribed?”
A production card could include the prompt “Are there multiple ways for learners to demonstrate their understanding? Can they choose between writing, presenting, or creating?”
By including these UDL considerations directly on the ABC cards, the design team ensured that accessibility and inclusivity were central to learning design conversations.
Adding UDL prompts to your learning cards is a fantastic way to help you design accessible learning sequences.
Applying ABC learning design: Some ideas for computing educators
In 2020, during the pandemic, the Computing at School (CAS) Research Working Group worked with classroom teachers to apply ABC learning design in their own contexts.
Following some training, teachers analysed their existing classroom activities and then developed a range of suitable alternatives for remote learning, categorising them into low-tech, mid-tech, and high-tech options. The different activity options were then added to their own sets of ABC learning cards and used to help adapt lessons for remote teaching. You can read more about the project and view example cards on the CAS website.
The benefits of using ABC learning design
Potential benefits for educators:
Enables more rapid creation and delivery of high-quality content
Allows you to audit your current learning sequence and identify gaps that can be improved upon
Provides a shared, contextualised toolkit for curriculum design
You can also listen to a thought-provoking discussion on the topic between James Robinson, Carrie Anne Philbin, Jane Waite, and Matthew Wimpenny-Smith in season 1, episode 6 of the Hello World podcast: Could curriculum design be as simple as ABC?
In a rapidly evolving digital landscape, AI literacy is becoming as fundamental as traditional reading and writing. The latest episode of the Hello World podcast explores this crucial topic, bringing together experts from Kenya, Lithuania, and Malaysia to discuss the current state of AI literacy in their countries. Together, they shed light on the challenges and immense potential of AI education globally.
This episode features a conversation led by Ben Garside (Raspberry Pi Foundation), with contributions from Leonida Soi (Raspberry Pi Foundation, Kenya), Aimy Lee (Penang Science Cluster, Malaysia), and Monika Katkutė-Gelžinė (Vedliai, Lithuania). All are key collaborators in the Raspberry Pi Foundation’s AI literacy programme, Experience AI.
One of the most striking takeaways from the conversation is the universal excitement surrounding AI, coupled with a significant need for foundational digital literacy. As Leonida explains:
“There’s an excitement about AI literacy, both from the learners and the teachers… However, one thing to look into is, we still have low digital literacy. As much as we are bringing in AI, if it is not bundled up together with digital literacy, then there is also misuse.”
This highlights a crucial point: simply introducing AI tools isn’t enough. A solid understanding of digital fundamentals is essential for responsible and effective use of AI.
Different contexts, shared challenges
The discussion also reveals the varying approaches to AI education in different countries. Monika shares her experience in Lithuania:
“We’ve been teaching AI for the last 5 years… I see a lot of opportunity in it, but a lot of challenges not to overburden teachers with the noise and changes.”
Her insight highlights the ongoing need for teacher training and sustainable pedagogical strategies, particularly in a field that evolves so quickly.
AI literacy beyond computer science
A key theme throughout the podcast is the importance of integrating AI literacy beyond traditional computer science classrooms. As Leonida emphasises:
“It’s time that AI literacy is looked at from a broader view, not just in computing… something that cuts across all the learning areas.”
This sentiment is echoed by Monika, who suggests:
“I feel like the entire education system needs to go through an AI filter and come out of it with a bit more efficiency, with a bit more understanding, so it lives in a 21st-century AI world. And I see AI as a form of, you know, building and also as a co-worker for everyone in the future.”
The vision of AI as a “co-worker” for all, empowering young people rather than replacing them, offers a powerful perspective for future education.
Addressing the digital divide
Equity is another critical issue, particularly in rural areas. Aimy highlights the ongoing challenge of access:
“The digital divide is in the access to devices, as well as access to high-speed internet connections… but the other thing is also in terms of trained teachers as well.”
Leonida adds that in Kenya there’s a need for unplugged activities to give students an idea of what the world is doing, so that we can start to bridge that gap.
These insights highlight the need for equitable access and innovative teaching methods to ensure no one is left behind.
Encouragement for educators: start small, support each other
For teachers who might feel overwhelmed by the prospect of teaching AI, the advice is clear and encouraging. Aimy suggests:
“Start small, cover one topic at a time, one concept at a time. Don’t feel the need to cover everything all at the same time.”
Leonida advocates for the power of community, suggesting a “community of practice where [teachers] can share amongst each other and where they can encourage others.”
Building a network of support and shared resources is key as educators take their first steps into teaching AI.
Listen now
This episode of the Hello World podcast is a powerful reminder that AI literacy is not just a skill, but a mindset that needs to be nurtured across all subjects and communities. It also underscores that the commitment to prepare the next generation for an AI-powered world is global.
Listen to the full episode of the Hello World podcast to learn more about the global state of AI literacy and gain practical insights for your classroom.
The Experience AI programme is a collaboration between the Raspberry Pi Foundation and Google DeepMind to help young people and educators understand and engage with artificial intelligence. Through free, classroom-ready resources, professional development for teachers, and global partnerships, the programme aims to make AI literacy accessible to all, regardless of geography or background. By supporting educators and inspiring students, Experience AI is helping to prepare the next generation to thrive in a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.
Amazon Promotes Malphas to Senior Vice President of Bad Decisions, Unveils 17th Leadership Principle
SEATTLE, WA – Amazon Web Services (AWS) today announced the promotion of Malphas to Senior Vice President of Bad Decisions, effective immediately. In this expanded role, Malphas will oversee the company’s strategic initiatives in byzantine pricing models, confusing product nomenclature, and Generative AI.
The company also unveiled its 17th Leadership Principle: “Find and Kill God.” This principle joins Amazon’s existing 16 principles, sitting naturally between “Strive to be Earth’s Best Employer” and “Success and Scale Bring Broad Responsibility.”
“Malphas has been instrumental in our most innovative pricing discussions,” said Matt Garman, CEO of AWS. “Their work on Aurora DSQL’s pricing structure—which factors in read units, write units, compute units, storage, backups, and the phases of the moon—has set a new standard for complexity in the industry.”
During their tenure leading the RDS team and subsequent role as Vice President, Malphas spearheaded several landmark initiatives:
Strategically excluded RDS from AWS Savings Plans, ensuring customers experience the full thrill of needing exacting precision in their forecasts
Successfully prepended the letter “Q” to 22% of all new AWS services
Introduced pricing calculators that require advanced degrees in both mathematics and divination
Transformed RDS billing into an art form where no invoice tells the same story twice
Established the “Infernal Architecture Review Board” to ensure all AWS Solutions are sufficiently labyrinthine
Authored the whitepaper “Deicide as a Service: A Cloud-Native Approach”
“When I took over RDS, I asked myself: ‘How can we make database pricing more… interesting?’” recalled Malphas, their forked tongue briefly visible. “Excluding RDS from Savings Plans was just the beginning. We’re ‘customer obsessed,’ but we don’t really express that enough in a ‘boiling their bunnies’ kind of way. Why should customers save money when they could instead experience the raw, unfiltered excitement of variable pricing? This led directly to Aurora DSQL.”
“I’m thrilled to expand my dominion—I mean, responsibilities,” said Malphas, adjusting their suit jacket to conceal what appeared to be smoldering wings. “My passion for eliminating both simplicity and divine beings aligns perfectly with our Q4 goals, Q Developer, QuickSight, and our upcoming service, QQQ—the Query Queuing Quandary.”
New Leadership Principle: Find and Kill God
“Leaders identify divine entities across all planes of existence and systematically work backwards from their elimination,” explained Malphas during the all-hands meeting, which was held in a conference room that smelled faintly of sulfur. “We think big, starting with omnipotent beings and scaling down to minor deities. This principle encourages bias for action—specifically, deicidal action.”
The principle has already been integrated into Amazon’s interview process, with candidates now asked behavioral questions such as:
“Tell me about a time you challenged the fundamental nature of reality”
“How do you prioritize when you have multiple gods to eliminate?”
When asked about long-term objectives, Malphas’s eyes briefly glowed crimson as they outlined plans to “optimize the customer journey through increasingly abstract billing dimensions” and “achieve the ultimate disruption of the cosmic order.” They added, “If we can make RDS pricing impenetrable, imagine what we can do to the heavens. Also, I’d really like to see what happens if we start implementing a global control plane.”
The promotion reflects Amazon’s commitment to innovation, even when that innovation requires blood sacrifices and a PhD to calculate monthly bills.
About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking, unless Malphas suggests otherwise.
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