Ubuntu Vancouver: Monthly Meeting
When
- Thursday June 12, 2008 at 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM (Note that this start time is 1/2 hour earlier than our previous meetings. Show up late if you have to, but please do come.)
Where:
Free Geek
1820 Pandora Street
Vancouver
directions
Please enter by the back door, off the alley.
Activities
- Time to get very serious about answering the who, what, when, where, and why of our educational initiative.
What
What are we going to teach? Identify the first course and it's contents.
When
When do we want to be able to teach our first course? How soon can we be ready.
Where
Where are we going to conduct our courses? What equipment, material, etc. do we need.
Who
Who will give the courses, who will develop the courses. Make a list of names.
Why
Why not?
Minutes
"Time to get very serious about answering the who, what, when, where, and why of our educational initiative."
We had a very good discussion about the who, what, when, and where. Unfortunately, not much was decided. I think we finished with a clearer picture of where we want to go but not a plan for getting there.
Our best resource is the Free Geek Education Wiki page. There is already a lot of useful information on this page. I suggest that everyone should read it, and those who wish to contribute to our educational efforts create an account for themselves on Free Geek's Wiki.
Our second best resource is our email list UbuntuVancouver@kulak.ca. Let us not wait for the monthly meetings to express our opinions but try to get a sustained dialog going on the list.
I'd also suggest joining the Free Geek Education mailing list.
What
"What are we going to teach? Identify the first course and it's contents."
- Free Geek will no longer be holding a regular Windowless Wednesday. Is this something we can take over.
- Free Geek wants to retain responsibility for the adoption classes.
- There were a lot of subjects for possible classes that we could give. There is no shortage of possibilities! Some suggestions were:
- Ethics of Free Software. (I think that this should be an underlying theme for all of our courses.)
- Introduction to Ubuntu
- Free Software for non-profits and community groups
- Windows to Ubuntu transitions
- Curriculum - who can design and create the courses? This is probably the most difficult job we will do. It is also vital and I'm hoping that you who have experience with this will teach those of us who do not.
- There was some discussion on how long the courses should be. My opinion is that they should be no longer that 4 - 6 hours (one day) and that we have a series of courses to cover larger topics. Have a look at the Workshop Name Conventions page on the Wiki.
When
"When do we want to be able to teach our first course? How soon can we be ready."
- It's not in my notes but seem to recall September being suggested as a reasonable time frame.
Where
"Where are we going to conduct our courses? What equipment, material, etc. do we need."
- There is always Free Geek but it can be busy and cramped.
- Kip mentioned that there is a Linux Lab at UBC which is underutilized.
- Libraries and Community Centers have rooms available at no or low cost.
- There is also space available next door to Free Geek that Scott has offered "to host some Ubuntu/Linux-related events". I've made arrangements with Scott to have a look at the place on Tuesday, July 8 after the Free Geek meeting (about 9:00 PM).
Who
"Who will give the courses, who will develop the courses. Make a list of names."
- Lots of people have offered to teach courses but we haven't kept a list of their names. I will ask for people who want to teach to reply to an email on the list.
- What we really need are people who can put a course together! I will ask for people willing to work together on this, on the list also.
Why
"Why not?"
- There appeared to be a general consensus that there is a desire for more information about Ubuntu, Linux, and Free Software; and that some short courses were a reasonable way to make that information available.
Thank you for your indulgence,
Kim Kulak