[Edu-sig] Columbus Python Workshop (and IPython Notebook)

[Catherine Devlin]

Announcing the first Columbus Python Workshop for women and their friends!
Jan. 18-19, 2013

The Columbus Python Workshop for women and their friends is a free
hands-on introduction to computer programming that's fun, accessible,
and practical even to those who've never programmed at all before.  We
empower women of all ages and backgrounds to learn programming in a
beginner-friendly environment.

Thanks to Pillar Technologies for hosting the workshop in their
brand-new office in Columbus' Short North!

The workshop is the latest in a series based on the famous Boston
Python Workshop; they've already introduced hundreds of beginners to
programming in Boston, Indianapolis, Portland, Chicago, and Kansas
City.  Now it's Ohio's turn, so spread the word!

Get more details and sign up now:
https://openhatch.org/wiki/Columbus_Python_Workshop

* Happy Ada Lovelace Day!  Traditionally, Ada Lovelace Day is
celebrated by highlighting the achievements of present and past women
in programming.  Today, instead, I'm saluting the contributors of the
future! *

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Two more aspects about this might be especially interesting to educators:

1) If you haven't looked into the Boston Python Workshop's curriculum,
you really must... it's extremely thoughtful about ramping true
beginners in gently and remembering all the instructions they need.
2) I'm planning to use the IPython Notebook in the workshop in what I
hope will be a really amazing way.  I've blogged about the beginning
of this work at
http://catherinedevlin.blogspot.com/2012/10/im-increasingly-amazed-at-ipython.html,
but now I'm pretty confident that I can and will get the doctests to
report their realtime results up to an instructor's dashboard as the
student works.  I'll post again here about that when it's ready.

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