[K12OSN] Greetings from NELS 2006!

[David Trask]

Here we are in beautiful (and a bit hot) Bethel Maine on the gorgeous
campus of Gould Academy for the 4th annual Northeast Linux Symposium. 
We've just finished Day one....and what a day it has been!  It's been
amazing.  Our demographic has changed a little bit since we now have
several classroom teachers in attendance in response to our adding a
"teacher track" this year.  The "teacher track" sessions have been the
most popular!  That is so cool!  Now we're getting the word out to the
teachers and not just the geeks.  The enthusiasm has been fantastic!  We
have noted Linux luminaries here....Jon "Maddog" Hall, president of Linux
International....Warren Togami, founder of the Fedora Project....Gideon
Romm of Symbiont and LTSP developer will be here in the morning...Paul
Flint of Edubuntu...and several others.  The conversations that are taking
place are so neat to be a part of.  The ideas flowing back and forth
across the table as nearly 30 of us were sitting around a bunch of tables
we pushed together down at the "Suds" Pub....drinking micro-brews and
talking about the future of Linux and Open Source.....very cool!  We're
eating like kings....and enjoying all the things we're learning as well as
the comraderie.  Wish you were here...

If you'd like to join us for the 2nd NELS this summer at the University of
New Hampshire (July 16-19)....all of the same folks will be
there....Maddog....Warren...Gideon....Paul...etc.  Jeff Elkner of the
Edubuntu project as well as the guys from SchoolTool will also be joining
us!  Visit the NELS site at http://www.nelinux.net   to register!

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