[Edu-sig] re: edu-sig pages

[Arthur]

Toby writes -

>I don't know if focusing on pre-university education is counterproductive,
>but it would be helpful to have educational information spanning the
>spectrum of learning.

I am certainly not taking a position that Python is not potentially useful
at the pre-University level.

But as a practical matter, at that level, there are few educators with
enough discretion in establishing curriculum that would allow them to find a
place for Python. There is more freedom at the higher education level, and
as the list Kirby is compiling seems to indicate, that is where there is
substantial and diverse activity in respect to the use of Python.  Seems to
me the edu-sig page should better reflect that reality.

>I think it's useful to distinguish between two kinds of university-level
>programming:

>   - computer science students
>   - everyone else

>I think the impact will be more significant if the focus is on "everyone
>else". This includes students in the sciences, arts, and humanities.

As a non-CS type myself, I tend to agree.

The approach I would recommend is highlighting of "success stories" upfront.

But those would not be stories related directly to the use of Python in the
classroom.  Rather, it would highlight the real world use of Python in
problemsolving, focused on activities that have an academic aspect or
flavor.

e.g.

The development of Numeric at Lawrence Livermore and its utilization there.

Other examples of the use of Python at major research facilities - I know
there are a number of such examples.

In AI research  and study.

And such like.

Art