[Linux-aus] An Open Letter to the Open Source Community

[Janet Hawtin]

On 5/24/07, Kevin Maciunas <kevin at cs.adelaide.edu.au> wrote:

> I've just started my share of teaching the first year CS course here.
> Haven't done first year for a few years now.  I counted 15 female
> students.  This is dreadful.  Much less than 10% Glen!  (And the best
> ratio we every had here @ Adelaide is just over 40%).
>
> I give "come do maths/science/engineering" pep talks at 3 local high
> schools.  Female participation is virtually non-existent.  The only good
> thing seems to be that some of us are actually trying to do something
> about this.  The lack of female participation in this industry seems to
> be something that is becoming systemic much further up the pipeline.  We
> *ALL* own this problem, we all need to do something about trying to fix
> it.  Somehow.

Hi Kevin and crew

I am working with some teachers who are interested in using
Smalltalk/Squeak in schools as a way to begin looking at programming.
Some of them have been using GameMaker and are looking for a more open
alternative. The connection with OLPC media makes this a timely kind
of resource to make and the GUI means it is a more gentle transition
for teachers than into a code only context. It has late binding which
means students can change a variable and the running animation will
change behaviour on the fly.
(I am happy to look at other languages with this kind of GUI onramp in
future years).

I would be happy for anyone and especially women programmers to
participate in this project. I am not a programmer and would love for
there to be other women up for the limelight end of the project I
would feel phony in that context. I am good at wrangling promotional
and organisational aspects of this kind of thing but could do with
some more support from folks interested in options for learning open
technologies in schools, men and women both. The teachers include Bill
Kerr at Woodville High School and Peter Ruwoldt who is hosting the
Mount Gambier Software Freedom Day at Grant High School.

http://groups.google.com/group/sasqueak/
Is a Google Group I have started to get folks chatting about the camp
(currently aiming for March 2008 Robe in SE SA). Folks from other
states interested in doing something similar are very welcome to join
the group and share ideas if you can ignore that I stuck the SA on the
front of the group name. It means Schools and Squeak.. honest. =)

I am also looking for information about schools which are doing good
work with students where students are learning social networking
skills. Danah Boyd is coming out to talk about these issues and she
talks about participation as a means of students learning how to
manage themselves online. I am hoping to find links to schools or
examples of student groups who are doing good work in this area so I
can pass them to the person organising Danah's trip. I thought they
might be interesting for Danah, and also provide a local context for
those ideas for our local edu sector to follow up with after Danah
leaves.

Open issues and copyright are starting to be discussed in schools it
would be good to
'be there' for them when the participation kinds of models are discussed.

If you're not up for the Squeak idea feel free to suggest something
else and to talk to your local schools about what you do. I am hoping
that on all these issues just trying hard to have a good impact is
going to help.

Janet