[K12OSN] 2007 NELS/FOSSED conferences! Come and join us!

[David Trask]

Help us spread the word!  Blog...repost...whatever!  Go nuts!

The post below has a noticeable "Northeast US" slant since that's where I
originally posted, but I wanted you all to know....you're welcome.  In the
past we've had folks from FL, NC, VA, British Columbia, Quebec....and
more....so feel free and welcome to join us this year!  (I'm
lazy....didn't want to type it all over)

I also haven't mentioned much about the new conference at Gallaudet
University in Washington, D.C., but wanted you all to know that this year 
we're hosting a new conference!  The format will be similar to the others,
but we'll have lots of new presenters and sessions!  Being located in D.C.
we're hoping to have quite a few well-known sponsors and project people
with us as well.  The planning is going very well and we hope to have the
sessions pretty well set very soon.  If you would like to be a presenter
at the conference in D.C.....please contact Matt or I!  

moquist_AT_majen.net
dtrask_AT_vcsvikings.org  or copperdoggy_AT_gmail.com

If you'd like to attend....even better!  (August 5-8)  When you get right
down to it...the conference is an amazing experience for the money.  ($485
for on-campus / $435 for off-campus....and this includes all meals,
accomodations, etc and the conference!)  For more info and to register
(first read below)visit our web site at http://www.fossed.com   Techies,
admins, classroom teachers, students, consultants, vendors.....all
welcome!  We have something for everyone!  Bring a team and learn together!

http://www.fossed.com

Register early!

Previous post with the "Northeast slant" begins below:

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Hello everyone!

It's that time of year again!  Time to begin thinking about summer,
upgrades, purchases, and enriching our minds with new knowledge!

Once again, this year we're off to Bethel again for the annual conference
at Gould Academy.  Would you believe this will be our 5th anniversary! 
Five years!  Wow!  It all start with a ground swell from folks like you
who wanted to know more about Linux/Open Source alternatives and how they
could be applied to school networks and the classroom.  Here we are 5
years later and still going strong! 

To celebrate, this year we're going to have some exciting new additions! 
Last year, the addition of the "teacher track" in which classroom teachers
attended to learn more about using Open Source/Web 2.0/etc in their
classrooms was so successful, we scrambled to add another teacher track
for the UNH conference just 2 weeks later...and lo' and behold it was
full!  So...that kind of success merits some attention!  This year we'll
feature a full set of sessions for teachers!  These will include, but are
not limited to..."A Tour of Free Open Source Applications for your
classroom...try them out!" (Bryant Patten, the man who actually wrote the
book on this...seriously...he wrote a book...will be presenting), "Ok, I
have Open Source in my classroom...now what?" (taught by one of our
conference alumni who is an elementary classroom teacher), "Web 2.0,
Blogging, etc. for your classroom" (taught by Sharon Betts and Kathy
Malsbenden...popular session from last year...lots of new content for this
year)..."Moodle: Designing Online Instruction for Digital Natives"..."Open
Source applications on the MLTI laptops"...and much more!  Lots of useful
sessions to help you learn more without spending more!

This year we'll be kicking the techie side of things up a notch!  Last
year we presented a 3-day programming track that was quite
successful...especially at UNH...so we're bringing it back!  Learn how to
write simple programs and scripts that can make life a lot easier!  Learn
how to easily manage servers...deploy commands...make simple changes to
MLTI laptops...and so much more!  Have you ever wished, "If only I had a
program that could so "such and such""?  Well...learn some simple skills
and you might just be able to write it yourself! We'll have a session
entitled, "Beyond the GUI".  We'll learn all about Linux firewalls,
routers, and servers....in particular...the awesome IPCop server!  For
those of you deploying or hoping to deploy Linux/Open Source into the
classroom...we'll be exploring the new kid on the block (and an AWESOME
classroom operating system) Edubuntu.  Edubuntu brings many new and
exciting changes to the world of deploying Linux workstations and/or Linux
thin-client terminals!  We'll learn how to set up and deploy a Moodle
server.  And a new yet HUGE topic...Virtualization!  Using VMware,
Parallels, and so forth to easily deploy multiple servers on one piece of
hardware...or to make easy to deploy virtual machines for use in the
classroom!  Imagine making a virtual Windows machine or Linux machine on
one computer and then simply copying that file (yes...one file) to all the
machines in the building and VOILA!  You have deployed an entire operating
system complete with applications!  No more modifications necessary!  Come
learn more!

Ok...so that's a taste of what we're offering...and we'd sure like to hear
if there's something more you'd like to learn.  It looks like a lot of
sessions, and it is, but we'll have more half-day sessions this year so
you can attend more sessions than in years past. 

Remember...Mac, Linux, Windows?  We don't care!  We're going to cover them
all....we're talking about Open Source in our cross-platform world.  Sure,
we'll be spending quite a bit of time on Linux...especially on the techie
side, but most of the sessions involving Open Source in the classroom will
be essentially platform agnostic...so bring your Mac, Windows, or Linux
machine (laptop) and we'll show you how you can have the same applications
for everyone regardless of what kind of computer they use!

Last, but not least is the atmosphere.  You get a chance to relax, unwind,
and enjoy learning about technology.  We're a shorts and T-shirt kind of
crowd.  It's 3 days of hands-on learning.  You get a chance to talk to
other folks from other schools...share ideas...network...and more.  The
food is FANTASTIC!  Seriously, you have to see it to believe it...ask
anyone who's been.  So what're you waiting for!

Also...we'll be offering CEU's once again from USM.  So if you are looking
for some college-endorsed contact hours for recertification...this is a
great way to get a whole bunch of them out of the way!  The University of
Southern Maine has been endorsing our conference work for a few years now
and it's a great way to learn skills that you'll actually USE in your job.
 There's a small fee for processing the paperwork...and you'll get a
certificate from USM to use for your certification.

Once again at UNH this year we'll have the kids from the "Can-Do" project
working on a development sprint.  Last year it was amazing...they met with
us (the classroom teachers) on Day One to gather ideas on how to make
SchoolTool a better program...they took our ideas and made them a reality
and showed us on the last day...it was so cool!

So...where do you sign up?  Visit us at http://www.fossed.com  There are 3
conferences this year.  The grandaddy of them all...at Gould Academy in
Bethel Maine...June 19th - 22nd (arrive afternoon of the 19th to settle in
a prepare for the next morning)....our second year at UNH in Durham, NH
(subject to possible change of location in NH) July 8-11 (arrive the p.m.
of the 8th), and our inaugural conference at Gallaudet University in
Washington, D.C,(August 5-8...arrive p.m. of 5th)!

Remember!  ACTEM members can apply for $400 in professional development
funds...it's a great deal and the conference will end up costing you a
small amount in the end.  Many folks have done this in the past and it's a
great use of this ACTEM benefit!

How much?  The costs for Gallaudet and Gould are as follows:

$485 - on-campus (all meals, rooms, etc. are included!)

$435 - off-campus (only noon-time meal and snacks included)

The UNH costs are not quite ready, but will be very soon.  I will post
them as soon as their registration link becomes active.

Please register early.  Even if you don't have a PO number yet...register
and leave that part blank.  We can also accept credit cards if you wish to
pay that way.  (You will get an email from me with a link and instructions
to pay by CC) 

So...hope you can join us this year!  If you have any questions or
sugguestions...don't hesitate to let me know at  dtrask at vcsvikings.org  or
 copperdoggy at gmail.com  :-)


PS:  I just remembered....as a special session I think Maddog and Bill may
lead those of us who wish to try it in a session on how to build your own
Open Source TIVO or DVR from something like MythTV or Freevo....I've seen
one...and they rock!  You can have a free (except for the hardware) and
open source digital multimedia center for your home or school! 

David N. Trask
Technology Teacher/Director
Vassalboro Community School
dtrask at vcsvikings.org
(207)923-3100