[GRASS-dev] We need mentors for Google Code-In

[Helmut Kudrnovsky]

Veronica Andreo wrote
> Hi Anna,
> 
> thanks for your answer... I'll try to clarify as much as possible, though
> I'm also rather new in the matter. @Madi & @Helli, please correct me if
> I'm
> wrong
> 
> 2017-10-04 19:41 GMT+02:00 Anna Petrášová <

> kratochanna@

> >:
> 
>> Hi Vero,
>>
>> On Wed, Oct 4, 2017 at 11:24 AM, Veronica Andreo <

> veroandreo@

> >
>> wrote:
>> > Hey devs,
>> >
>> > As the subject reads: We need more mentors for Google Code-In :)
>> >
>> > GCI is a competition addressed to high-school students aged 13-17, as
>> an
>> > introduction to the open source world. They are supposed to complete as
>> much
>> > tasks as possible to win the contest. These tasks should be short
>> simple
>> > stuff (3-5 hours), but since they have to complete several to win, we
>> need
>> > to plan lots of them and be available to review what the students
>> submit
>> > rather quickly, so they can start with a new one. For that reason, it
>> is
>> > better if we are more mentors.
>> >
>> > Here is the GRASS wiki [0] with more details and a collection of ideas
>> for
>> > tasks that should then be further explained and developed in the format
>> of
>> > tasks. I think the ideas are nice and this could be a funny experience.
>> > Moreover, we could attract new generations and benefit from their
>> creativity
>> > ;)
>>
>> this is probably not very helpful response, but I am little bit
>> skeptical about this and maybe you can clarify some things. My main
>> problem is that GRASS is not the type of software you just start to
>> use and understand it right away. Even making useful screenshots
>> requires decent knowledge of the software and geospatial data/models.
>>
> 
> I partially agree... if we compare GRASS today with GRASS some years ago,
> I
> think it has become more accessible to newcomers. However, it is not the
> easiest and most straightforward GIS to start working with. Question for
> us
> could be how to make it friendlier...
> 
> On the other hand, we are the ones defining how *decent* screenshots need
> to be, for example. Do we want all these screenshots (just to grab one of
> the ideas for tasks) to be highly visible in announcements or we are fine
> with simple screenshots proving that they were able to install the
> software, create a location and display a raster map with legend? The
> first
> would be extremely useful, we always need screenshots for announcements
> and
> so on... but the second option is not bad either, if we want to gain users
> and potential developers in the future. Besides, the former might be
> marked
> as a begginer task and the latter as a more advanced one.
> 
> In any case, in GCI, the students are the ones that claim the tasks they
> want, it's not that we choose them according to their background or
> previous knowledge or experience... we might not even be selected by them
> :-/
> 
> 
>> Do you think these students have any ideas about GIS?
> 
> 
> Honestly, I do not know, most probably they don't. But most probably they
> (or most of them) do not know about the other OSGeo projects either, nor
> about other open source projects in general. That's why it is an intro to
> the open source world.
> 
> I confess I haven't spent much time thinking about this program yet, but I
>> see a
>> lot of time spent by mentors defining precise tasks without too much
>> gain.
> 
> 
> Could be... if you only think as for now and in terms of new modules or
> functionalities... but we don't know how it could go, since this is the
> first time OSGeo might participate... If we think a bit more into the
> future this might help us grow our user and potential developers
> community,
> and open source community in general
> 
> I can see this could be useful for things like designing promotional
>> materials, but not much beyond that.
> 
> 
> For sure... and IMHO we very much need that. We need screenshots, we need
> examples and images in the manuals, we need new tutorial wikis and videos,
> and so on...

no idea, if the young students know anything about GIS :-) ... on the other
hand I think, Google Code-In may be a good test case whether GRASS' entry
barrier is too high ... ;-)

in other words: download software, download sample data set, open the
software and do something should be doable ... :-)

thanks to Jeff, there is now an editable wiki: 

https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Google_Code_In_2017_Tasks

to collect task ideas.

I think also mentoring across projects may be needed.




-----
best regards
Helmut
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