[Edu-sig] another edu-sig page textbook (suggesting to AR)

[kirby urner]

Another thought is maybe edu-sig page is an appropriate place to
provide contact info for Vern Ceder.  The thought there is to have
someone to help coordinate a more academically flavored poster space
wherein we showcase interesting applications of Python where the
sponsor (helping pay for hotel floorspace) might not be a private
company booth exhibitor but a university or NGO or publisher or
whatever.

User groups might have their own contests why not?

I'm not saying the edu-sig page should get into all this, as it aims
to stay brief and uncluttered, just thinking we need some way to
suggest the "science fair" aspect of future Pycons (the idea
originates with Steve Holden in response to BOF-expressed desires to
get teachers more involved, Pycon having a predominantly business
flavor, with Jeff Rush going so far as to suggest a whole separate
EduPycon, which idea I've continued to float, as worthy of
consideration, including in edu-sig threads why not?

These slides from some random GIS conference in Oregon, where I talked
about Python (familiar through ESRI), show what a conference is like
when split between private companies and academia, I'm sure a familiar
site to most of you already, just not quite what Pycon has been like
(which is where Vern comes in):

http://worldgame.blogspot.com/2009/04/gis-2009.html

Somewhat unrelated, I'd welcome any comments on my What is a Scripting
Language? answer, something I might point to in a kind of FAQ mode
(emailed question about Python being "a scripting language").

BTW I'm glad the edu-sig page still points to Software Carpentry under
Miscellaneous (where we also link to my stuff) as I think we're also a
gateway for system administrator types who choose a non-CS degree path
(similar to the math track people we're tagging with the aforesaid
title mentioned below).

http://controlroom.blogspot.com/2009/04/whats-scripting-language.html

CP4E and/or P4E never meant turning everyone into CS majors right?  We
should make sure that the "education" in edu-sig is far broader than
CS departments reaching out, advertising they teach in that language
(among others), although they're welcome to do that of course (we
welcome "converts" or whatever).

Kirby


On Mon, Apr 27, 2009 at 9:15 AM, kirby urner <kirby.urner at gmail.com> wrote:
> Both, per the back cover:
>
> """
> Some students may choose to study AP Computer Science in high school,
> or major in CS in college.  Others may decide to go into math,
> science, law, art, social sciences, or humanities.  Regardless of your
> goals, Mathematics for the Digital Age and Programming in Python will
> help you gain a better understanding of the computerized world around
> you.
> """
>
> ... definitely looking at high school in Oregon, on a math track, not
> a CS track per se, as the Silicon Forest lobby here is working with
> our state legislature to have discrete math alternatives that segue to
> college and private industry tracks, e.g. we could use this in place
> of Algebra 2.
>
> Kirby
>
>
> On Mon, Apr 27, 2009 at 9:12 AM, Andre Roberge <andre.roberge at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>> On Mon, Apr 27, 2009 at 1:07 PM, kirby urner <kirby.urner at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> http://www.skylit.com/mathandpython.html
>>>
>>> I have desk review copy, think many will appreciate the quasi-seamless
>>> blend of old and gnu world typographies, i.e. sigma and set notation,
>>> with concepts of iterator, types, functions etc.
>>
>> Would this be appropriate for high school students, or as a first CS course
>> for non Computer Science majors ?
>>
>> André
>>
>>>
>>> Reminiscent of 'Concrete Mathematics' though less difficult and
>>> explicitly Python based.
>>>
>>> For those training to read algebra, higher math, this is a friendly
>>> introduction (no cartoons or comics though -- gets you prepared for
>>> the somber dryness of the ambient literature).
>>>
>>> Kirby
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Edu-sig mailing list
>>> Edu-sig at python.org
>>> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
>>
>>
>