From Teaching Open Source
Template for reaching out to teachers who might be interested in having their students participate in one of the FOSS Mentor Projects.
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[edit] Message if You Just Want to Mentor Students
Dear Pr. XYZ,
The TeachingOpenSource.org project is a collaboration hub for professors, institutions, communities, and companies to come together and help make the teaching of Open Source a global success. As part of this effort, we are reaching out to professors who might be interested in having their students work with open source communities as part of their coursework. By participating in open source, students build a portfolio of work that demonstrates their ability to dive into the middle of a large, existing, and rapidly evolving real-world project with a diverse and globally distributed group of contributors. From our own experiences as students, teachers, and employers, we believe this is a rewarding (and fun!) way to teach and learn, and a great way to prepare students for their future careers.
To that end, we have collected a list of Open Source projects that are offering to mentor students who want to learn more about Open Source. Each organization has a list of projects that your students may choose from to get started. Organizations are willing to help by mentoring students during the duration of their project assignment, and keep in close contact with you to monitor the students progress.
http://www.teachingopensource.org/index.php/FOSS_Mentor_Projects#Project_Help_Wanted_Listings
If you are interested in learning more, please contact us at .... and we will get you started.
Regards, ...
[edit] Message if you are willing to mentor professors and students
Dear Pr. XYZ,
The TeachingOpenSource.org project is a collaboration hub for professors, institutions, communities, and companies to come together and help make the teaching of Open Source a global success. As part of this effort, we are reaching out to professors who might be interested in using existing Open Source code bases for their student projects. We would also like to work with professors who have students willing to work with open source communities to release their code under an Open Source license. By participating in open source, students build a portfolio of work that demonstrates their ability to dive into the middle of a large, existing, and rapidly evolving real-world project with a diverse and globally distributed group of contributors. From our own experiences as students, teachers, and employers, we believe this is a rewarding (and fun!) way to teach and learn, and a great way to prepare students for their future careers.
To that end, we have collected a list of Open Source projects that are offering to mentor students who want to learn more about Open Source. Each organization has a list of projects that your students may choose from to get started. Organizations are willing to help by mentoring students during the duration of their project assignment, and keep in close contact with you to monitor the students progress.
http://www.teachingopensource.org/index.php/FOSS_Mentor_Projects#Project_Help_Wanted_Listings
If you are interested in learning more, please contact us at .... and we will get you started.
Regards,
...
[edit] Message if you would like to mentor professors
Dear Pr. XYZ,
The TeachingOpenSource.org project is a collaboration hub for professors, institutions, communities, and companies to come together and help make the teaching of Open Source a global success. As part of this effort, we are reaching out to professors who might be interested in using existing Open Source code bases for their student projects. We would also like to work with professors who have students willing to release their code under an Open Source license. Our ultimate goals are to enrich the teaching experience for all, and to better prepare students for their future careers.
If you would be interested in bringing Open Source to your classroom, we're here to help! If you are interested in learning more, please contact us at .... and we will get you started.
Regards, ...
[edit] Message for getting initial feedback
(DO NOT COPY/PASTE! Replace XYZ, ABC, EFG, HIJ, and ... with appropriate content for recipient/sender)
Dear Pr. XYZ,
The TeachingOpenSource.org project is a collaboration hub for professors, institutions, communities, and companies to come together and help make the teaching of Open Source a global success. As part of this effort, we are exploring how to best reach out to professors to see whether they might be interested in using existing Open Source code bases for their student projects.
In an effort to get a broad understanding of possible concerns related to Open Source software, we are collecting feedback from educators like yourself. Would you be willing to share what your concerns might be, as well as possible benefits, to having your students work on existing Open Source code bases as part of their student projects?
One of the benefits TeachingOpenSource.org provides are projects that are willing to provide active mentorship to students that choose to work on their Open Source projects. For example, the ABC project and the EFG project provide mentorship and project opportunities in HIJ, an area that you teach.
We are planning to compile all of the feedback on TeachingOpenSource.org. If you could share your opinion with us, with your permission we would like to credit you and your institution in the compiled materials. As well, feel free to forward this message to any other educators you think might be able to provide us with feedback.
Regards, ...