[K12OSN] 2005 Linux Summer conference at Gould Academy (NE Linux Symposium)...register now

[David Trask]

Hi all!

Well...hopefully the snow days are now behind us and we can start figuring
out the end of the year.  In these days of financial uncertainty,
stretching our technology dollars may be more necessary than ever before. 
Knowledge is power...and you....my colleagues...are entitled to
professional development as well as the opportunity to network with your
peers.  So....

Building on the success of the last two years, there will be another 3
day, hands-on, Linux workshop at [ http://www.gouldacademy.org/ ]Gould
Academy in Bethel, Maine. This workshop is intended for network
administrators, techies, newbies, and others who are integrating or
considering integrating Linux into their networks or workstations. There
will be sessions for all ability levels. It is a great opportunity for
professional development in a beautiful western Maine Mountain setting.

The day long workshops are designed to allow for significant hands-on
time, allowing participants to apply what they learn on their own
hardware. In many cases, participants will leave with fully configured
servers or workstations that can then be deployed on their own networks.
Last year we implemented a series of evening “mini-sessions” on
specialized topics such as multi-media on Linux, desktop publishing, and
more. We will again be offering these sessions and are looking for
presenters. If you have a specific skill or interest...[
mailto:dtrask at vcs.u52.k12.me.us?subject=NELS%20mini-session%20information
]let me know.

Tentative session ideas:

Meet the man behind the Linux Terminal Server Project!  Jim MacQuillan is
coming to visit us!  Jim will be with us on the 20th and will deliver a
talk about LTSP and the future of Linux computing...and all the cool stuff
coming down the pike.

Samba/LDAP and the new smbldap-installer (it's now wicked easy to install!)

K12LTSP version 4.2 and beyond

Using Macs and Linux....Macs now work as Linux terminals!  Also installing
and running Linux on your Mac.

Open Source OS X apps....now you can run Linux apps on your OS X machines!

Mambo, PHPNuke, and more....setting up your own interactive web site (very
cool!)

Installing Fedora Core 3 (or 4 by then)....linux for newbies....learn how
to get around...commands to make life easier  (hopefully this will be
taught by Joel from RedHat)

SchoolTool Project (funded by the Shuttleworth Foundation) -
http://www.schooltool.org/   Tom Hoffman will be here to present and demo
SchoolTool.  SchoolTool is being developed by Open Source programmers from
all over the world.  Tom is on the SchoolTool team and is anxious to show
what it's all about!  SchoolTool is a project to develop a common global
school administration infrastructure that is freely available under an
Open Source licence.  See the site for mor info.  (Very cool)

"Making them all place nicely" - this year I have a Windows Terminal
Server network that plays right along side my Linux Terminal Server
network....I'm hoping to have at least a mini-session to discuss
integration and how to make windows play nice with Linux.  We'll also
discuss OS X, but OS X generally is easy to make "play nice".

Network security!  Big topic...

Backup strategies...did you know that there are Linux technologies to
backup almost anything...including Windows?  Building an inexpensive
backup solution.

TEaCH- Hopefully Scott Sherrill from Michigan will be able to join us and
conduct a session on TEaCH.  TEaCH is an open source tool allowing
teachers to create webpages without HTML.  Installed at the District
level, TEaCH is webbased, giving teachers the ability to create and update
their pages from any computer.

AND I'M OPEN TO MANY MORE IDEAS...SO LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN
AND I'LL SEE IF I CAN PUT TOGETHER A SESSION FOR IT.

Any questions or inquiries...simply let me know  dtrask at vcs.u52.k12.me.us



For more info and to register...go here  http://www.trasksinc.com/NELS/

***I realize that some folks have put off registering while they submit
PO's and so forth.  Please don't wait...register now...that's the only way
I can get numbers and be sure that your spot is saved (right now there are
several spots left, but don't delay too long).  Once you've
registered...then put the PO's and so forth into motion....(yes I do
realize that for some folks this takes a LONG time).  Get the PO's or
checks to me ASAP as it's just Matt and I planning this thing and we want
to have all our ducks in a row by the beginning of June.  Any
questions...let me know.  I hope to have a schedule of sessions done
within a week or two.  So get signed up so I know how many to plan for 
:-) ***

David N. Trask
Technology Teacher/Coordinator
Vassalboro Community School
dtrask at vcs.u52.k12.me.us
(207)923-3100