> I've been thinking on and off about OSCON, and I'm not sure what I'd > submit if I were to submit anything. I could submit an "experience > report"-style talk regarding our FOSS integration attempts over the > past year, but beyond that, my brain is a bit empty of ideas. > > Thought I'd throw that out there. Back to digging towards the surface...
Matt, I think you might do an especially keen job on something like "why your FOSS project is REALLY HARD for me and my students to get involved with." We talk so much about how FOSS is "open to everyone" and you can "just jump in," but that's the people who "made it" talking - outside that community a lot of people think it's terrifying to get started with or otherwise not worth their time[0]. I'd love to see something akin to Talking About Leaving [1] for FOSS projects. There's little - if any - investigation as to what happens to the folks who try to get involved and fail, and what makes the difference. --Mel PS: For those of you still thinking about OSCON, http://teachingopensource.org/index.php/OSCON_2011#Example_TOS_Abstracts_from_OSCON_2010 may serve as an inspiration. [0] And sometimes they're right. FOSS isn't a hammer with which to hit all nails. [1] http://www.amazon.com/Talking-About-Leaving-Undergraduates-Sciences/dp/0813389267 - "[students who made it through an undergraduate STEM courseload vs those who did not] did not differ by individual attributes of performance, attitude and behavior. They had the same array of abilities, motivations and behaviors. What distinguished the survivors from those who left was the development of particular attitudes, coping strategies and serendipity." _______________________________________________ tos mailing list tos@teachingopensource.org http://teachingopensource.org/mailman/listinfo/tos
