Scheduling of sessions

[Stray]

Suggestion:

1. All participant led sessions will be the same length, with strict timing as we practiced at the last full TH.
2. We'll open with a session led by Helen, and some warm up stuff as always.
3. We'll split the pairing sessions across Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, with group-hack Thursday evening. (Pairs & hack working on a pre-determined detail of OS project stuff rather than the usual Game of Life style problem).
4. Taught sessions will be Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday morning.
5. Taught session order will be allocated at random at the end of Monday. So the timetable will show that session 3 is at a particular time, but you won't know whether you are doing session 3 until Monday.
6. No swapping.
7. Exceptions to the random allocation:
   • New attendees get slots on Thursday morning
   • If we want taught sessions on Monday (due to numbers), we'll pre-allocate these to the most appropriate topics
8. Lightening talks on Thursday afternoon - as previously, topics assigned by (secret) request with 1 hour to prepare in groups.

My hope is that the jeopardy of having to do your session on Tuesday morning will mean that we're all forced into being ready before we arrive - which might reduce the exhaustion factor.

Madness or a good idea?

[redannick]

Good idea. There's enough for our brains to be doing without last minute presentation work.

[neilmanuell]

I think that this is a good idea.

One thought - is it best to have first timers at the end, so that they can feel ill all the way through, or have them on the second day, sandwiched in the middle?

[Stray]

Cheers - and yes, I did ponder that one (where should first-timers go) for a while - for exactly the reason you pointed out.

In the end, I concluded (but am open to persuasion otherwise!) that first timers need long enough both to 'get it' and then to make changes to what they were planning based on that. I think the more time they've had to get to know us, the less nervous they'll be?

They also need a chance to get to know their mentors and then to get some input into their sessions (if they want it) - and I don't think they'd be able to do all that by Tuesday night, which is what would be needed if they were doing Wednesday sessions.

I wasn't thinking they'd go totally last - they'll be the first sessions on the Thursday, with some old-timers going after them... but of course it all depends on numbers - and also who the new peeps are. I think Dave and Martin felt pretty relaxed last year, but others might be more nervous - though maybe we should pick that up and give them plenty of support in the run-up too?

[tam203]

I was rather nervous the first time but more so before I arrive then after I think. Also I did get some great help from @redannick and @angerelle which I think improved my presentation.

Random order sounds good.

Looking forward to the pair and hacking on an OS project but slightly unsure how it's going to work but 100% sure it's worth trying.

Yay more lightning talks, also I hope we can slip a few rounds of developer pictionary in again :)

[neilmanuell]

What about some rule hacking monopoly, a la @richardlord ?