The document discusses the formation and purpose of the Société Informatique de France (SIF). The SIF was formed in 2012 with the goal of promoting informatics in France through coordination between organizations. It aims to advocate for teaching informatics in primary and secondary education. The SIF also works to establish informatics as a science and facilitate relations between industry and academia. Key issues it addresses include informatics in education, the digital world, and careers in the field. The SIF consists of members from universities, research institutions, and its own board.

1. La Société informatique de
France
Colin de la Higuera
fOSSA, Lille
4th December 2012
http://www.societe-informatique-de-france.fr/
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2. Small vocabulary issue
The French word Informatique covers a complex
reality, which does not match ICT, Information
Technology, Informatics or Computer Science
I will use either and all of these terms in this talk.
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3. A small presentation of the SIF
The 31st May 2012
Specif became SIF, the Société Informatique de
France
Members approved changes in rules allowing to ask
to become Association Reconnue d’Utilité Publique
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4. Is there a need for a Société
Informatique de France ?
The situation in 2011
Informatics was the only scientific subject without a learned
society
Volatility: STIC (ICT), Numérique (Digital…)… Continuity is
needed
High societal issues: primary and secondary education, digital
society, jobs and careers…
Very important: propose that speakers for informatics coordinate
their actions, positions, responses, discourses…
Structural aspect: catalyse energies for more than higher
education
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5. What does the SIF do?
Building the SIF
CNRS, INRIA, Universities
Scientific Council
International representation
Asking for ARUP status
Informatics in primary and secondary education
ISN in all series of the Baccalauréat
Convincing that computer science should be taught by computer
scientists
Informatics as a science
Other learned societies (SMF, SMAI, SFP, SEE)
Other societies in computer science
Industry
Talking to the Syntec, the Cigref, Pascaline, the Munci
Relations with open software
Observing career issues
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6. Some key questions
Informatics in education
Informatics in the digital world
Informatics as a science
Informatics, jobs and careers
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7. SIF Scientific Council
Serge Abiteboul, chair From industry
Gérard Berry François Bourdoncle
Gilles Dowek Catherine Rivière
Anne-Marie Kermarrec Gérard Roucairol
Claire Mathieu Pascale Vicat-Blanc
Anca Muscholl From the SIF board
Laurence Nigay Max Dauchet
Maurice Nivat Jean-Marc Petit
Marie-France Sagot Florence Sèdes
Colin de la Higuera
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8. Is Computer Science more
open than other sciences?
Permanent contradiction:
Using a M.. to protest against M…!
Who do I hate more?
The person who sends me a docx I can’t open
The person who refuses to open my rtf
In all universities there are a few experts, but
generally there isn’t a policy
Key problem:
Misunderstanding the problem
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9. Proposed answer #1
Open concepts are difficult to understand without a
background in Informatics
That is why teaching Informatics in secondary
education is essential
Furthermore, the teacher has to know what he is
talking about: he should be trained and qualified for
that job
[If I have to teach cooking, I can do it from the books
and teach cooking from the books ]
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10. Understanding is essential
Second reason of students for not picking CS at
University is that when they have their first course,
they believe it is too late
This is particularly the case for girls
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11. Proposed answer #2
Open Education
We all write lectures (more than we write software!)
We typically prepare our lectures by reading books
and articles and downloading stuff from the web
Then we don’t know
If we are allowed to (re)-use the stuff
If we are allowed to be filmed using the stuff
If we can distribute our courses containing the
stuff
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12. Proposal
Convince the academia to share their teaching
resources
As a side effect, they should build a non theoretical
understanding of open software issues
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13. advancing formal and informal learning through the
worldwide sharing and use of free, open, high-quality
education materials organized as courses.
What should a teacher choose?
Attribution – attribute the author
Noncommercial – no commercial
use
No Derivative Works – no changes
allowed
ShareAlike – changes allowed, but
only if you put the new work under
the same license 59
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14. Possibly
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15. advancing formal and informal learning through the
worldwide sharing and use of free, open, high-quality
education materials organized as courses.
OCW Course Growth Globally
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Slide by Meena Hwang, OCWC

16. Open education, links
www.ocwconsortium.org
http://openmooc.org/
http://www.societe-informatique-
de-france.fr/
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