[K12OSN] Win an eeePC at FOSSED 2008! Join us!

[David Trask]

Win an eeePC at FOSSED 2008!

Yep!  That's right!  The fine folks from Resara who'll be providing the
networking for FOSSED 2008, will be providing a brand new eeePC to a lucky
winner at FOSSED 2008!  BUT...ya' gotta' be there to win!

FOSSED 2008 at Gould Academy is just a little over 7 weeks away!  That may
sound like a lot to some of you, but to me it's "crunch time".  If you're
planning to come we hope you'll register very soon as we need to get
everything in order to make this the best FOSSED yet!

Register today!  http://fossed.blogspot.com

Hello everyone!

It's that time of year again!  Time to begin thinking about summer,
upgrades, purchases, and enriching our minds with new knowledge...and
since this is a bit of a tough budget year...free and open source software
could really help you in the coming year!

Once again, this year we're offering the Free & Open Source Software in
Education Conference.  Would you believe this will be our 6th anniversary!
 Six 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!

I want you all to know....you're welcome, no matter where you are...we
hope you can join us!  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 also want you all to know that this year  we're hosting a
new conference in Byfield, MA at Governor's Academy!  The format will be
similar to the one at Gould Academy, but we'll have lots of new presenters
and sessions!

For specific questions and information please feel free to contact us at: 
(and seriously, don't hesitate to ask)

dtrask_AT_vcsvikings.org  or copperdoggy_AT_gmail.com

When you get right down to it...the conference is an amazing experience
for the money.  ($495 for on-campus / $445 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://fossed.blogspot.com   Techies, admins, classroom teachers,
students, consultants, vendors.....all welcome!  We have something for
everyone!  Bring a team and learn together!


Before I go into too much additional detail, I wanted to let you all know
that the FOSSED conference Session Descriptions (which is an open-ended
document) for the Gould Academy conference in Bethel, Maine has been
posted here:  (check back often)

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dfvj9xq4_142mwp2nctf    FOSSED Session
descriptions

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dfvj9xq4_145q25xp3cx   FOSSED FAQ's
(everything you wanted to know!)

To celebrate, this year we're going to have some exciting new additions! 
Two years ago, 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!  Once again,
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!" (Robert Sargent from VT...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...popular session from last year...lots of new content for this
year)..."Moodle beyond the classroom! (using Moodle for professional
development)"..."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 another notch! 
I'm REALLY excited about Trey Bachner's session on "Open source tools for
a unified help desk"!  I've seen this in action...automated
asset/inventory management (imagine populating an inventory database just
by turning on the computer and connecting to the network!)...server
monitoring...help desk...and so much more!  All Open Source and FREE. 
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 learn all about
Linux firewalls, routers, and servers....in particular...the awesome IPCop
server and the new spectacular Untangle Internet Gateway server!  (YES
it's true...now you can manage Instant Messaging and P2P traffic!)  For
those of you deploying or hoping to deploy Linux/Open Source into the
classroom...we'll be exploring how to set that up.  You'll also have a
chance to use Linux thin-client terminals...hands on...thanks to the folks
from Resara.  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  (see the link to the
Session Descriptions for more)...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!

So...where do you sign up?  Visit us at http://fossed.blogspot.com  There
are 2 conferences this year.  The granddaddy of them all...at Gould
Academy in Bethel Maine...June 25th - 27th (arrive afternoon of the 24th
to settle in a prepare for the next morning)....and our third year in
southern New England...this year at Governors Academy in Byfield, MA 
August 4th-6th (arrive the p.m. of the 3rd)!

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 Governor's and Gould are as follows:

$495 - on-campus (all meals, rooms, etc. are included!)

$445 - off-campus (only noon-time meal and snacks included)

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
suggestions...don't hesitate to let me know at  dtrask at vcsvikings.org  or 
 copperdoggy at gmail.com  :-)

IF YOU HAVE ALREADY REGISTERED PLEASE GET YOUR PO'S TO ME ASAP!  THX!  :-)






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