Moderator: Nate Aune
Audience: If you are learning to code or teaching others how to code, or just interested in education this talk is for you
The main objective of this session is to shine light on the amazing work that members of the Python community are doing to teach the next generation of Python programmers. My hope is that their stories will provide inspiration for others to do the same. If attendees are already teaching, this session will likely lead to an enlightened discussion about best practices.
As a newcomer, learning to code can be a frustrating experience. But with perseverance and guidance, it can be fun and rewarding. Hear from leaders in the Python community who are creating safe and welcoming places for newcomers to accelerate their learning and connect with others who can help them in their journey.
What do Newcoder.io, OpenHatch, PyStar, CodeMentors, Code Scouts, CodeRaising and Boston Python Workshops have in common? They are all community-run projects that grew out of a common desire to teach the next generation of Python developers.
In this conversation we will hear from the founders of these projects and explore these topics and more in a spirited conversation:
- Who are you and why did you start your project? (see bios below)
- What inspires and motivates you to teach?
- What does the path look like for someone embarking on the journey to learn how to code? What obstacles are in the way?
- What best practices can we learn from each other? What challenges have you faced?
- How can we as a community pave the way for more people to enjoy Python programming?
Jessica McKellar is an entrepreneur, software engineer, and open source developer from Cambridge, MA. She is a Director for the Python Software Foundation and an organizer for the largest Python user group in the world. With that group she runs the Boston Python Workshop -- an introductory programming pipeline that has brought hundreds of women into the local Python community and is being replicated in cities across the US. Jessica is a veteran open source contributor and a maintainer for several open source projects, including OpenHatch and the Twisted event-driven networking engine; she wrote a chapter on Twisted for The Architecture of Open Source Applications Volume II and the second edition of O'Reilly's Twisted Networking Essentials.
Asheesh Laroia is executive director of OpenHatch and organizes workshops on bringing newcomers into open source. His technical background touches machine learning, security, and linguistics. He helped start the Boston Python Workshop for women and their friends, has been teaching Python to newcomers since 2004, including at Noisebridge and the EFF, and advises user groups on how to make their events more newcomer-friendly and gender-diverse.
Lukas Blakk's day job is Release Management for Firefox products at Mozilla but beyond that she has spent the last several years creating and growing partnerships between Mozilla and various diversity initiatives that promote open learning and removing barriers for people who might be interested in coding & working with open web technologies if it felt safe and welcoming. She is always looking for more ways to engage with people who are interested in open tech but just need a little bit of help finding their way in. These initiatives have included PyStar: Python workshops for women, running HTML5 mobile game hacking workshops with teenage girls, and most recently starting a Women Hacking Glass monthly meetup at the Mozilla SF office to get women access to this limited release early hardware.
Michelle Rowley is the founder and Executive Director of Code Scouts, a non-profit community organization that supports women as they become software developers. She has been a member of the Python Software Foundation since 2012 and has been organizing the Portland Python User Group since 2008. One of Fast Company's 100 Most Creative People in Business in 2013, Michelle advises tech companies about diversity, developer culture and hiring.
Dana Bauer is a developer and community advocate at Rackspace. She co-organizes the Philadelphia Python User Group and Hacks Hackers Philly, and she facilitates and teaches Python workshops for new coders.
Lynn Root is an insomniac software engineer for Spotify, founder of the San Francisco Chapter of PyLadies, and board member of the Python Software Foundation. I have a business degree in finance and economics, but fell in love with programming in 2011. Creator of Newcoder.io.
Brian Dant is Lead Developer at Startup Institute, based in Boston, MA. He also co-founded Code Mentors Boston, a network of in-person mentoring relationships. Brian is a self-taught Python and Django programmer.
As this is a panel discussion, there won't be a strict agenda but as moderator I will try to allow sufficient time for each topic.
- Who are you and why did you start your project? (see bios below) (10 min)
- What inspires and motivates these leaders to teach? (5 min)
- What does the path look like for someone embarking on the journey to learn how to code? What obstacles are in the way? (5 min)
- What best practices can we learn from each other? (5 min)
- How can we as a community pave the way for more people to enjoy Python programming? (5 min)
- Questions from the audience (15 min)