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Tips for the MC

Before the workshop

  • Make sure the internet password is visible.
  • Review slides before starting.
  • Introduce yourself to the TAs. You will be working together all day.
  • Let the TAs know what you're going to ask them to say when they introduce themselves to the students.
  • Confirm the schedule with the lead organizer.

The beginning of the workshop

  • Make sure the internet password is visible.
  • Point out where the bathrooms are to the students.
  • Ask the TAs to stand in front of the room and introduce themselves. Suggested introductory information:
    • Name
    • Where you work
    • Why did you decide to be a programmer? OR What is the coolest thing you ever coded? (one for each day).
  • Thank the sponsors, and if there are representatives of the sponsors present, ask them to briefly talk about their company.
  • Welcome everyone. Remind everyone that coding is hard.
  • This is a self-paced workshop and there's no competition to finish quickly.
  • Emphasize that everyone asks for help, ask the TAs to raise their hands if they sometimes struggle with coding at work and need to ask for help.
  • Have the TAs hand out sticky notes, and explain that students should place them on their laptops if they want to flag down a TA.
  • Remind everyone to be nice; what is easy for them might be hard for their neighbor and what is easy for their neighbor might be hard for them.
  • Explain the Slack channel and Google Doc.
  • Explain the schedule.
  • Start the workshop!
  • Keep the slide with the internet password on the board.

Typical Installfest Announcements

  • Welcome everyone to RailsBridge
    • Encouraging people to get food if they haven’t yet
    • Find a comfortable spot
    • Log into Wi-Fi, etc.
    • At this point people may still be arriving based on when they get out of work/how far they have to travel
  • Present a "when you're done installing" slide to set expectations for the night:
    • Get up and running so that we can start on the rails curriculum tomorrow
    • learn a little bit about the command line
    • Sometimes people are confused because they don’t actually start learning ruby until Saturday
  • Thank you to the sponsors
  • Invite sponsors to the stage to talk about their company
    • What the company does
    • What their stack is
    • Are they hiring

There might be some overlap between TAs and people representing sponsors. In which case probably the sponsor intro is more about what the company does/what their stack is/are they hiring/whatever. They're also welcome to talk about why the company wanted to get involved.

  • Invite TAs up to thank and introduce them
    • Example intro:
      • Name
      • Pronouns
      • One other question
    • Possible other questions are:
      • What do you love about being in tech?
      • Who is someone who helped you on your coding journey?
    • Lead into what the role of TAs are.
      • Here for you to ask questions
      • Help you get unstuck
      • Debug with you
  • Introduce Installfest:
    • We're going to get your computers ready to code!
    • Have a slide showing where to go (docs.railsbridgeboston.org)
    • Emphasize the boston part of the URL because there is also docs.railsbridge.org which looks very similar but has very different content
  • Introduce the "Intro the command line" talk

Poll TAs: when we get about 50% of people up and running. At this point we can pause for the command line talk. The TA coordinator will know who's giving it. Then the people who are done can peace out afterwards, and those who still have installing to do can continue with help from TAs.

  • Thank the presenter and show a link to the presenter's slides (if available).
  • Keep the workshop going and let people know they can leave when they're done
    • Show a "when you’re done installing" slide
      • Encourage attendees to continue working through the install instructions
      • If they're done, they're can head home
  • Close out the night and remind everyone
    • what time breakfast will be served
    • when the workshop begins

Presentations during the workshop

  • Introduce each presenter before they speak.
  • Thank each presenter when they are done.
  • Encourage questions.

Q&A Session during to workshop

  • If the workshop is having a Q&A session during lunch, you will MC that also.
  • Ask the TAs to bring chairs to the front.
  • Have the TAs sit down in the front of the room in the chairs.
  • Stand at the podium and have the students ask questions.
  • Call upto three TAs to answer per question.
  • You are MCing so try not to answer any of the questions yourself, even if it's tempting.
  • Encourage participants to continue asking questions when the workshop is over.
  • Have the TAs move the chairs back.
  • Resume the workshop.

Midway through the workshop

  • Tell everyone to get up and stretch.
  • Get a sense of where people are in the curriculum.
    • Have all students raise their hands.
    • Begin reading the different headers of the curriculum and ask students to place their hands down when you say a part of the curriculum they have not gotten to yet.
    • Emphasize that this is not a competition. The point of the workshop is to learn at a pace most comfortable to them.

End of the workshop

  • Tell everyone the workshop is winding down.
  • Thank everyone for coming.
  • Thank the TAs for coming.
  • Encourage students to continue to use the Slack channel.
  • If you are comfortable placing your contact information on the board, place it on the board and urge the students to contact you if they have questions.
  • Tell the students about Meetup groups and other resources to continue learning.
  • Clean up the space.
  • PARTY (responsibly)! You deserve it :-)