Can we help a Canuck abroad? [Fwd: Starting a Ubuntu User's Group]

[Peter Whittaker]

Folks, I don't know how many of you read Sounder, so apologies if you
are seeing this again....

Michael Richter, a Canuck living and teaching in China, is interested in
starting a LUG for his students - refer to original email, below - and
is hoping to benefit from the experience of other LUG founders, given
that this is new to him.

I know there are several active LUG members/leaders/founders on this
list, and so thought there might be collective experience we could share
with Mike.

I'll leave it to you to decide how best to follow-up: here, in Sounder,
or both. (Directly to Mike is perhaps the least attractive option, since
the rest of us will then learn nothing.) Sounder and other Ubuntu
mailing lists can be found at https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo

Thanks all,

pww


-------- Forwarded Message --------
From: Michael T. Richter <ttmrichter at gmail.com>
Reply-To: ttmrichter at gmail.com
To: sounder at lists.ubuntu.com
Subject: Starting a Ubuntu User's Group
Date: Sun, 11 Mar 2007 14:36:31 +0800

So, my students are beginning to show an interest in Linux, seeing as
how I run it on the laptop I teach from.  As a result several of them
have downloaded and tried Ubuntu and several more are expressing
interest.  I'd like to foster this interest further as I lead them away
from the dark, desolate world of Java and ASP.NET.  As a result I'd like
to set up an Ubuntu User's Group.

I've fired off an order to shipit for 300 Ubuntu CDs for my classes so I
can give them something tangible to start with.  After that....  Well,
not being user group material, I'm not actually sure what a user group
does.  Can anybody provide suggestions (or pointers to suggestions) for
activities and such that I could put my students through to pique
interest in Ubuntu (and the broader world of Linux/FOSS)?  Some points
to consider: 
      * university students studying software (Wuhan University
        International Software School) 
      * I want to lead them away from the cloying world of Microsoft
        that dominates this country 
      * these students aren't computer-newbies, but they are almost
        universally UNIX-alike newbies 
      * most of them are 19-21 years old, but young for their age
        (typical of Chinese students)

-- 
Michael T. Richter <ttmrichter at gmail.com> (GoogleTalk:
ttmrichter at gmail.com)
I'm not schooled in the science of human factors, but I suspect surprise
is not an element of a robust user interface. (Chip Rosenthal)
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