[CentralOH] Volunteers needed: Columbus Python Workshop

[Catherine Devlin]

Hi, COHPy!  This coming weekend (Oct 18-19) is the second Columbus
Python Workshop for women and their friends.  Thanks for doing a great
job of recruiting - we've got a huge class signed up!

Teaching assistants
-------------------

We need a few people circulating to help nudge students who've gotten
stuck.  You can be a beginner at Python yourself (actually, it's
almost better that way).

The class overall runs at The Forge by Pillar (in the Smith Bros
hardware building) from 6 - 9 on Friday night and 9:30 to 4:30 on
Saturday.  TAs can come for any portion of that time.  Our biggest
need for TAs is on Friday evening.

Saturday lunchtime lightning
----------------------------

As the students have lunch on Saturday, I like to provide some
infotainment with lightning-ish talks from the community.  (It's just
lightning-ish because there's no strict 5-minute limit.)  You're not
generally teaching the students how to do any particular thing - their
skills aren't really ready for that anyway - but you're wowing them
with some of the neat things nthey'll be able to get into as their
Python skills develop.  Anything that makes a good, visually appealing
demo is ideal for this.  For example, last year we had two ideal
examples in PyEphem and a string of Arduino-driven LEDs.  Alternately,
you can go for less visually stunning and more immediately practical -
I've done a brief demo on consuming data from a spreadsheet, since
that's a use almost everybody can relate to.

Loaner laptops
--------------

It would be wise to have a couple extra laptops on hand for the odd
student who shows up without one, or with one that's hopelessly
outdated or impossibly weird in configuration.  If you've got a
machine that you can make available for the whole class period, that
would be fantastic.

Anyway, if you can help in any of these capacities, please let me
know!  Thanks!  And thanks again for recruiting a great class!

-- 
- Catherine
http://catherinedevlin.blogspot.com