Post-Workshop Packet & Get-to-know-yous

[Addie Beseda]

Hey everyone!

Two big points if you don't want to read further:

• Please contribute your best "I wish I knew this when I was learning" resources to the take-home packet! http://etherpad.opensourcebridge.org/pt-takehome-packet
• Please let me know of any ideas you have for non-cheesy get-to-know-you activities!

I apologize for not following up on last week's curriculum meeting with a summary.  You can look at the meeting agenda document (http://etherpad.opensourcebridge.org/pt-workshop-ruby-planning-meeting-1) to see our notes, and at the end of the document is a rough schedule and list of action items, so you know who to bother if there's a certain detail that you'd like to know more about.

Two things I want to make sure to get out to the group several days in advance are the draft "Take Home Packet" and any ideas for good get-to-know-you activities / icebreakers. 

I've started an Etherpad document at http://etherpad.opensourcebridge.org/pt-takehome-packet to start populating a take-home packet.  I haven't had a chance to actually write down any of the resources I'd like to pass on to the students because I've been busy with my day job, but I want to make sure to get this link out there so others can start contributing to it without getting further delayed by me.  I've created some headers that I think are useful for grouping the resources; feel free to add your own (or provide feedback on if we're ever creating a sense of information overload, etc.)  My intent is to clean up this thing and publish it to a less volatile place, probably on Thursday night.

The goal of the document is to connect our students with additional resources they can use to continue growing their skillset after the class.  I'm hoping to connect them both with local user groups and events, but also educational resources online that are "better than a Google search would give you" on any given topic.  The sorts of gems you need to ask experienced people for.  In the case of Ruby, _why's Poignant Guide is a good example that comes to mind.  My two main goals with this document are to provide an easy way to empower our students and connect them with people who are there to help.  (I'm also a big fan of having a take-home packet for any workshop I do, even if it's not in hard-copy format - it can help combat the inevitable sieve effect that happens post-workshop.)

Additionally: I committed to helping design / figure out some get-to-know you activities for this event.  We have some open time for socializing both on Friday night and around lunchtime on Saturday.  I know all of us at the curriculum meeting felt that building a community among the workshop attendees was an important step in getting them comfortable with the community overall.  My intent is to have introductions akin to a small User Group meeting (name, why you're taking the class, and some other detail - and for instructors, why you're teaching / what you do in your day job) at the start of both days, with some small variations between Friday and Saturday to keep it fresh.  But it would be great to do something fun and slightly structured with the additional downtime.  The "Two truths and a lie" game is the only good one that comes to mind for me.

Thanks!

-Addie

[Sam Livingston-Gray]

Currently taking a class, but one get-to-know-you that's also a good
intro-to-programming exercise is the card game Fluxx. I have a few
variants that I can lend.

-Sam