[Edu-sig] PyCon poster session and Edu-sig pages

[Vern Ceder]

Hi Kirby, Andre, everyone,

Sorry for the late reply - things have been busy here...

I was also thinking we need a short mention and a link on the edu-sig
home page to some info about the PyCon education/poster session.

I haven't pitched this to the PyCon organizers yet, so we don't need to
act immediately, but I'm thinking/hoping to have something more formed
by the middle of the summer. Then we can link from the the edu-sig page 
to a wiki page on the PyCon site.

The general idea is to provide a space at PyCon for educators to show
off what they've been doing with Python, whether or not they can attend 
PyCon. This not only would raise the profile of Python in education, but 
would also give us all a target to aim for and a way of 
recording/sharing our gains.

Right now what I'm thinking about suggesting/asking for is:

1. Display space in fairly public place. I'm thinking space for posters,
a few tables for demos, some standing-around-and-talking space, etc.

2. Offer poster spots to anyone with an educational project, whether
they can attend or not. Of course, if they can attend and stand around 
their poster during a designated session time, so much the better. OTOH, 
if they can't attend they might be able to recruit a stand-in from those 
attending, and at the very least they will be able to get the word out 
about what they are doing.

BTW, I would see a "poster space" being anything from a chunk of wall 
space for displaying a couple of posters to some table space for demos, 
etc. The details of that will depend on what the PyCon organizers will 
be able (and willing) to offer.

Other ideas include graffiti posters for attendees to add projects, 
notes and comments, ala PyOhio (see 
http://wiki.python.org/moin/PyOhio2008/PosterSession), encouraging 
lightning talks, and submitting a "State of Python in Education" talk 
for consideration in the regular program.

Cheers,
Vern


kirby urner wrote:
> Another thought is maybe edu-sig page is 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
>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>
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