its problems, I don't mean to say it doesn't. But it has helped
a community develop and stay in touch, and helped improvecomputer science education. Many of the key people who have made this success happen are writing on this wiki, but I thought this needed to be said anyway. In particular, the educators symposium has supported all kinds of innovation, emphasised ties between education, research, and industry, and has promoted reflection on education practice. I especially admire the way that organisers have worked to bring outsiders in. --RobertBiddle
In some ways the Educators Symposium could be seen as a distinct little conference. It does have its own programme, and its own refereeing. and it's more official than a workshop. But it is done in such a way as it fits in with the rest of Oopsla. Maybe this is a model for moving toward a FederatedConference. For example, maybe workshops could move to this kind of official symposium status, with an application period suffiently in advance that it could be announced at the public beginning of the annual cycle. For example, after a couple of years of a successful and growing workshop on TransubstantialProgramming in 2005 and 2006, the organisers could apply for symposium status in 2007, whereupon it would be announced as part of the official programme, just like the TechnicalProgram and the EducatorsSymposium. This might keep people and ideas at Oopsla, rather than making them migrate to new separate conferences. --RobertBiddle
I know at least one workshop organizer who is running his workshop for the third or fourth time and was annoyed that he couldn't be sure it was accepted until the end of May. He thinks he would get more people to come if he could have announced it earlier. -- RalphJohnson