[K12OSN] A little over a week left! Register for FOSSed 2009 today!

[David Trask]

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

Hi all,

The schedule is on its way to being finalized....I hope to have it done
this weekend.  In the meantime...I hope that you will take the opportunity
to register for FOSSed 2009!  We're getting ready for an awesome
conference and we want to see YOU there!  FOSSed is a week and a few days
from now...and we're ordering linens, firming up sponsors, scheduling
presenters, getting ready for the banquet and much more!  We want YOU to
be a part of it!  FOSSed is a great way to start the summer and get your
brain thinking about some cool new things you can do for next school year!
 FOSSed is June 24th - 26th at Gould Academy in Bethel, Maine.  FOSSed has
been providing excellent professional development opportunties for folks
just like you for 7 years!  Learn new ideas that can save your schools
money, increase student learning and access to technology, and revitalize
your technology offerings!  Yes!  You are entitled to professional
development!  Come, relax, and learn!  FOSSed is a unique hands-on
opportunity for you and your team. 

Daniel Howard...

We are pleased that Daniel Howard will be joining us and speaking at
FOSSed.  Daniel is a pioneer who has led the charge for technology change
in the Atlanta area schools.  You can read more about his amazing
accomplishments in this article (be sure to take note about the rise in
test scores)  http://www.linux.com/archive/feature/55632

Open 1to1 initiative

Recently the formation of the Open 1to1 project was announced.  Open 1to1
is an effort to provide technical support, expertise, professional
development and a community to help schools that are tackling one to one
netbook or laptop deployments.  You can view the announcement here and
visit the Open 1 to 1 web site here  http://www.open1to1.org.  This is an
exciting time in technology!  Open 1 to 1 aims to give folks the tools to
make their netbook/laptop deployment sucessful.  So....what does that mean
for FOSSed?  This year we'll offer several session for those who are
beginning or considering a one to one netbook/laptop deployment. 
Imaging/deployment, care and use, server technologies,
infrastructure/management....these will be addressed as part of our
offerings at FOSSed to help get you on the right track for your project! 

Sugar on a Stick!

This year we're excited to welcome Walter Bender and Caroline Meeks of
SugarLabs!  They will be showing Sugar the new operating system designed
for exploratory education and how you can have your whole educational
environment boot from a USB flash drive. From the Sugarlabs website:
"Sugar provides a simple yet powerful means of engaging young children in
the world of learning that is opened up by computers and the Internet.
With Sugar, even the youngest learner will quickly become proficient in
using the computer as a tool to engage in authentic problem-solving. Sugar
promotes sharing, collaborative learning, and reflection, developing
skills that help them in all aspects of life."  (for those who are
familiar with the One Laptop Per Child, Sugar is the interface for the
OLPC)  http://www.sugarlabs.org

Good news for ACTEM members!

At the recent ACTEM business meeting, ACTEM voted to add additional monies
to the professional development budget to accomodate anyone wishing to
take advantage of the $400 professional development benefit this year. 
Remember, the fiscal year ends June 30th, but that's just in time for
FOSSed!  ACTEM is a generous sponsor of FOSSed and encourages its members
to take advantage of this membership benefit.  The FOSSed conference is
just $495 (on campus) and $455 (off campus) and the fees include
everything!  Meals, rooms, conference....everything.  We take the worry
and hassle out of attending...you just show up and bring your enthusiasm! 
The ACTEM web site has all the details! 
http://www.actem.org/Pages/ACTEM_ProDev/index

We're flexible!

Need special payment arrangements?   Planning to be reimbursed, but can't
go without your money for very long?  Need to pay by credit card?  Need
special billing after July 1st?  Let us know...we can help!  We want YOU
at FOSSed 2009....it's that important....   :-)

Teachers, techies, integrationists, admins....we have something for
everyone!  So...please join us this year for FOSSed 2009!  Register today!

Visit our site at http://www.fossed.com for more information, flyers,
pics, and more!  Register soon....FOSSed will be here before you know it!

David N. Trask
Technology Teacher/Director
Vassalboro Community School
dtrask at vcsvikings.org
(207)923-3100
(207)923-4305 (direct)