Mailman 3 February 2010 - Edu-sig

Renaming PyWhip...
by Jeff Elkner 24 Feb '10

24 Feb '10

Hi All, Andy Harrington and I will be working with group of students on PyWhip (http://pywhip.appspot.com). The 1st order of business is coming up with a new name for it, and I wanted to run it by the edu-sig list before making the final decision. I like tryPy, what do folks think? jeff elkner open book project http://openbookproject.net

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Re: [Edu-sig] Renaming PyWhip
by Jeff Elkner 24 Feb '10

24 Feb '10

I have no objection to PyBat, Dave, and would gladly defer to you as project creator in using that name should you chose it. I'm honestly not trying to be difficult, only just ;-) Coming from a country that had system of chattel slavery for hundreds of years, and then terrorized the formerly enslaved population for a century after that, I just can't work with a name involving whips as an image. Thanks! jeff ellkner On Wed, Feb 24, 2010 at 12:45 PM, David MacQuigg <macquigg(a)ece.arizona.edu> wrote: > Hi Jeff, > > This is the first time I have heard anyone object to the name, and it comes > as a complete surprise. I'm still not sure I understand the problem, but > from your statement about white males and nooses, I assume it is something > racial. Anyway, my preference for the name is just looking for something > short and memorable. I don't like PyPractice because it lacks those > qualities. > > Would you have the same objection to PyBat? I assume you are familiar with > the JavaBat website. When I first heard about this website, I thought of > batting practice, like in baseball. I suppose bats could be used against > people also, but that seems like a stretch. When I think of PyWhip, I think > of short, fast problems that the students can "whip through". Maybe my > interpretation is a stretch. > > I think we should put this question to a wider audience, especially > foreigners. I will post the question to [edu-sig]. > > -- Dave

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Re: [Edu-sig] Renaming PyWhip
by Jeff Elkner 24 Feb '10

24 Feb '10

David, I understand the downsides to forking a project, and I do not take the renaming issue lightly. I usually just go along with whatever name people choose, and leave it at that. Unfortunately in this case, we have a name that for equity and inclusiveness reasons is unacceptable. The Python community is making serious efforts at reaching out to communities we don't traditionally reach, but it is still overwhelming white and male. Any name involving whips or nooses or the like is just unacceptable to me. I can't use it. It is not for me to tell you how to name your project. But as a teacher who wants to reach diverse students, I can't use the name you have chosen, leaving me no choice but to find another name. If this equity requirement is not too much of an imposition, perhaps we can all use a new and different name. Please let me know what you think. jeff elkner open book project http://openbookproject.net On Wed, Feb 24, 2010 at 9:42 AM, David MacQuigg <macquigg(a)ece.arizona.edu> wrote: > Jeff, > > Good to see your interest in PyWhip. I hope you will contribute to our > project, and not start yet another fork. The plan with PyWhip is to allow > each contributor to customize the site to exactly what is needed for their > own students. So, for example, your students would go to > http://pywhip.org/~elkner, and see the exercises and help files you have > written, or chosen from what already exists. Your name will be on every > help page or exercise you contribute. > > Perhaps in not being aggressive in pushing this project I have left the > impression that PyWhip is not moving forward. Our problem has been lack of > a volunteer web developer. We have plenty of content contributors, but I > have held off because I don't feel that our website is quite ready. I think > now that I need to re-consider that decision. > > I am also re-considering my decision to not do the web development myself. > For the long-term viability of the project, it will be better to have the > community involved and not be critically dependent on one individual. On > the other hand, there is simply too much frustrated need for this site to > tolerate any more delay. Our previous volunteer web developers have left > the project 90% finished. That often happens with students, since their > focus is learning, not sweating the details of finishing a project. > > Take a look at our vision statement at http://pywhip.appspot.com/vision. I > hope you will consider joining us. We have a discussion group at > http://groups.google.com/group/pywhip, which you are welcome to join. I > think you will find our community very supportive, very democratic, and not > the least hung up on sharing credit with whoever is making a contribution. > My own interest is in professionals who already know how to program, but > are new to Python. So you might find my helpfiles a little terse. I > encourage you to re-write them. > > As for the name PyWhip, we did discuss this quite thoroughly when we started > the project. It was originally PyBat, but Nick Parlante, the author of > JavaBat, wanted to use that name for his own Python practice site. I > offered to translate his JavaBat problems to Python, but I think he didn't > want to share any credit, so we had to start what amounts to a fork of > JavaBat. As far as I know, he is still struggling with the translations. I > do see that he has adopted some of our innovations. > > One of my disappointments with Python is that everyone seems to want to do > their own thing rather that contribute to an ongoing project. So we have > Ruby-on-Rails, instead of Web2Py, and at our local bookstore, more books on > Ruby than on Python!! Forking makes sense when there is a significant > improvement. Moving from Java to Python was significant. Python to Ruby is > not. Having three websites for Python practice will probably end in three > stalled efforts. Let's not let that happen. > > -- Dave > > ************************************************************ * > * David MacQuigg, PhD email: macquigg at ece.arizona.edu * * > * Research Associate phone: USA 520-721-4583 * * * > * ECE Department, University of Arizona * * * > * 9320 East Mikelyn Lane * * * > * http://purl.net/macquigg Tucson, Arizona 85710 * > ************************************************************ * > > Jeff Elkner wrote: >> >> Hi All, >> >> Andy Harrington and I will be working with group of students on PyWhip >> (http://pywhip.appspot.com). The 1st order of business is coming up >> with a new name for it, and I wanted to run it by the edu-sig list >> before making the final decision. >> >> I like tryPy, what do folks think? >> >> jeff elkner >> open book project >> http://openbookproject.net

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Book about Grok
by Jan Ulrich Hasecke 24 Feb '10

24 Feb '10

Hi all, if you want to teach web development to students have a look at the new book "Grok 1.0 Web Development" by Carlos de la Guardia. The book covers the Zope Webframework Grok and nearly all questions concerning web development. Particular is that three IT-apprentices reviewed the book before printing. I think this improved the quality of the book concerning the target group students. The book is a straight forward tutorial of a todo-list web application covering nearly all questions of web development. It is a practical book, leading to early results. As Grok itself is very easy to learn Grok might be a good first web framework for students. So give it a try. More infos here: http://www.packtpub.com/grok-1-0-web-development/book juh

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Re: [Edu-sig] [Tutor] PyCon anyone?
by Vern Ceder 16 Feb '10

16 Feb '10

Kent Johnson wrote: > On Tue, Feb 16, 2010 at 10:09 AM, Vern Ceder >> >> I'm not a very regular contributor here, but we'd love have you (and anyone >> else who's on the tutor list) join the edu-sig group for dinner and open >> space, if you're so inclined... Our open space page is at >> http://us.pycon.org/2010/openspace/edu-sig/ > > Thanks, that sounds good. I'll add myself to that page with a note. > Any idea when the open space or dinner will be? > > Kent I believe we're aiming for Friday evening for dinner, but we're still working on where... The open space might be either after dinner on Friday or on Saturday evening... depending on interest. So go ahead and add your preferences. Vern -- This time for sure! -Bullwinkle J. Moose ----------------------------- Vern Ceder, Director of Technology Canterbury School, 3210 Smith Road, Ft Wayne, IN 46804 vceder(a)canterburyschool.org; 260-436-0746; FAX: 260-436-5137 The Quick Python Book, 2nd Ed - http://bit.ly/bRsWDW

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Re: [Edu-sig] [Tutor] PyCon anyone?
by Vern Ceder 16 Feb '10

16 Feb '10

Kent Johnson wrote: > Hi all, > > I'm going to PyCon this year for the first time (yeah!) and I would > love to meet other regular contributors to the tutor list. Is anyone > else going to be there? Any interest in a "Meet the tutors" Open Space > or dinner? > > Kent Hi Kent, I'm not a very regular contributor here, but we'd love have you (and anyone else who's on the tutor list) join the edu-sig group for dinner and open space, if you're so inclined... Our open space page is at http://us.pycon.org/2010/openspace/edu-sig/ Cheers, Vern Ceder > _______________________________________________ > Tutor maillist - Tutor(a)python.org > To unsubscribe or change subscription options: > http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor -- This time for sure! -Bullwinkle J. Moose ----------------------------- Vern Ceder, Director of Technology Canterbury School, 3210 Smith Road, Ft Wayne, IN 46804 vceder(a)canterburyschool.org; 260-436-0746; FAX: 260-436-5137 The Quick Python Book, 2nd Ed - http://bit.ly/bRsWDW

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Crunch Frog mentioned on Philippines list
by kirby urner 11 Feb '10

11 Feb '10

Hi Andre -- So my blurb about Crunch Frog just made it through moderation: http://groups.google.com/group/pinoy-python-users/browse_thread/thread/6435… I hope this will get a few new users trying out your learning harness. I went to high school in Manila, while dad worked first in UN then in US State Department (he was a regional planner by training, then education planner, started his career here in Portland). I met lots of innovative spirit in the Philippines. Maybe Crunchy will spread! Kirby

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Computational Math Wiki
by Phil Wagner 11 Feb '10

11 Feb '10

Some have been sending me emails asking if something is ok to put on the Wiki. While I started the page, I don't want to give the impression that I am in charge of it (I don't have the time to be a fulltime Wiki Editor). I really want to open this up so feel free to add anything awesome to the site! All I ask on the site is that you don't change the main page (unless you have a suggestion or a link to add) and other people's pages (without their permission). I am so excited that the community is rallying around this. I hope this will be come an incredible resource for educators and demonstrate the importance of what we are trying to accomplish. Thank you all for your enthusiasm and support, I am so excited to be a part of this. Phil philhwagner(a)gmail.com

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Another "mind map" for planning Pythonic math
by kirby urner 10 Feb '10

10 Feb '10

The "Executable Mathematics" branch on in this web frame gives some sense of where the Math 2.0 group is going with Python. We've been discussing a possible conference, might double as an eduPycon. http://mind42.com/pub/mindmap?mid=dec0c458-c74e-4057-b041-c74d26b986e0 You'll see Python mentioned explicitly, next to Mathematica (what O'Reilly is using?). Nothing set in stone yet. Lots of overlap with Educon and NCTM, I may have already mentioned? Kirby

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Computational Math Wiki
by Phil Wagner 10 Feb '10

10 Feb '10

Alright, based upon the advice of Kirby and the interest generated by the many emails I received I have set up a page on WikiEducator. http://wikieducator.org/Computational_Math. I hope that many of you will sign up for free accounts with WikiEducator and add pages to the Computational Math wiki. This was my first wiki and so my formatting doesn't yet look as nice as others out there but I will learn in the near future, I just wanted to get my content up there. Hopefully, you will all contribute large projects or even quick 5 minute demos to the wiki. As more people add to it, more ideas will be generated. It is really exciting to be working with all of you and I can't wait to see this take off! Phil P.S. if you have any suggestions or feedback please feel free to email me at philhwagner(a)gmail.com

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