Tag Archives: Conferences

One Compelling Reason …

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… to attend NECC 2007.

Here’s Tom Hoffman’s proposal for the conference:

Teachers love freebies. It is in our genes. And as Americans, we value our liberty: including free speech, freedom of religion, and the freedom to organize. As free and open source software such as Moodle, OpenOffice, the Firefox web browser, and the Linux operating system begin to appear in schools across the country (and the world!), many teachers and administrators know that the software is available “for free,” but fewer realize that these free software applications grant specific freedoms to their users.

Specifically:

* The freedom to run the program, for any purpose.
* The freedom to study how the program works, and adapt it to your needs.
* The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor (students!).
* The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements to the public, so that the whole community benefits.

These freedoms are based on a compelling vision of “information ethics” sharply different than that currently taught in American schools and libraries. It is an approach based on the fundamental and concrete imperative to help your neighbors and students, rather than the abstract economic construct of protecting intellectual property on behalf of corporations and producers. Even if you don’t agree with it, you need to understand the argument behind free and open source software, one of Tom Friedman’s great flatteners.

Beyond the ethical arguments, these freedoms have great practical value to schools. Free software isn’t just a free sample. The freedom to run the program cannot be revoked or limited. The freedom to adapt the program means that a school can’t be trapped by a single vendor. Because you are free to redistribute the program, copies of all free software can be sent home with each child, or posted for download on the school website. And the freedom to improve the program allows open ended communities to form around applications like Moodle, each member adding new features to grow the whole.

Participants will learn about the origins, history and philosophy of free and open source software, as well as the Creative Commons and open content initiatives. The definitions of “free software,” “open source” and other key terms will be explored in detail. We will delineate the terms of important licenses such as the GNU General Public License and Creative Commons licenses, and discuss their significance for your school . Finally, participants will consider some guidelines for choosing licenses for their own creations.

Long live the movement.

FSOSS 2006

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Looks worthwhile for those dabbling in the open source software world.

FSOSS Call For Proposals

October 26-27th, 2006 – 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
York University Campus, Toronto

Open Source is changing the way we think about computers, culture, education, and even politics. We invite you to join the discussion about open source and its derivities, as we gather the architects of this change at Seneca College for the 5th annual Free Software and Open Source Symposium. The Symposium is a two-day event aimed at bringing together educators, developers and other interested parties to discuss common free software and open source issues, learn new technologies and to promote the use of free and open source software.

We are now accepting proposals for our Open Source Symposium. In particular, we are interested in presentations/workshops on:

– issues of interest to open source developers
– the state of open source projects
– licensing/copyright issues
– opportunities for participation in open source development
– developing curricula that uses open source software
– costs and support required to use open source software
– open source versus commercial software (Linux vs Windows, OpenOffice vs MS Office, etc)
– the broader social, legal and political implications of the open source movement
– other related open source initiatives, including such things as open learning objects, open texts, etc.

Since the attendees may also be engaged in wider ranging research projects, and so we also encourage proposals on other open source topics.

Presentations/workshops will be selected by the symposium committee, and you will be notified as soon as a decision has been made. If your proposal is accepted, you do not have to register for the symposium or pay the registration fee. Please note that we cannot defray the costs of travel/accommodation/etc for presenters.

If you have a topic that might be of interest, please visit our website at http://cs.senecac.on.ca/soss to submit your proposal (or to see a current list of presentations, workshops, and speakers).

If you have any questions/comments about presentations or this form, please email Robert Boyczuk.

TLT 2006

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I’ll be short on this post as I’m late to the scene as Rob, Dean & Heather have already done a great job covering the various sessions of this event.

I just want to say that I had an excellent experience in attending the TLT Conference in Saskatoon, and this is attributed mostly to the opportunity to converse and brainstorm with the great minds and leaders we have in Saskatchewan in the area of educational technology. It was great to catch up with people I haven’t had much time to talk to over the past year, and to hear about some of the great initiatives underway. Collectively, the conference attendees cover just about every innovation and idea imaginable and I truly believe that Saskatchewan has developed a wonderful mass of interested, dedicated, wise and powerful educators, and I’m just glad to be a part of it.

I took part in a couple of sessions, most notably a live-podcasting session with the other members of the EdtechPosse. The Posse did a session about podcasting while creating a podcast, and the produced audio can be found at the Edtech Posse website. You can also check out the wiki for the session.

As mentioned on the other members’ blogs, this was the very first time that all four members of the Edtech Posse actually met face-to-face. It’s always been great to bounce ideas and thoughts off these individuals through the podcast, and I really think we’ve discovered an innovative approach to self-determined professional development. It’s been great guys, and I am looking forward to the next podcast.

Edtech Posse Together For The First Time

Second International Enhanced Learning Strategy Showcase Of The Eastern Townships School Board

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The Second International Enhanced Learning Strategy Showcase Of The Eastern Townships School Board will be held March 27-29/06. This looks interesting, and I will likely attend to learn more about this initiative.

In March 2006 take the opportunity to visit with the only district in Canada that has a board wide one-to-one laptop program! This exciting project is in its third year with over 5600 laptops deployed throughout the Eastern Townships School Board in Magog, Quebec. (Only 1.5 hours from Montreal & 30 minutes from the Vermont border) This innovative project combines the integration of technology on an unprecedented basis supported with extensive professional development.

This combination has created a unique learning environment that has increased student achievement, empowered teachers and promoted excellence throughout. Last year’s showcase saw educators from across North America visiting classrooms and taking part in this innovative redesign of traditional learning environments.

See more here: http://www.etef.org/showcase06.htm

I am also considering attending “iPods in Education: Improving Learning With Mobile Devices” (sponsored by Apple & McGraw-Hill Ryerson) to be held March 2/06 in Toronto. However, I’m a bit worried that it will be too much of a sales-pitch from two very proprietary-minded companies.

At SACE

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I’m currently attending the SACE conference in Regina, and I’m having a blast. While I was going to blog a few sessions, I’m lucky enough to run into Rob in most places, so I’m leaving the clever commentary to him.

The keynote this morning was Stephen Downes, and he delivered yet another impressive and thought-provoking presentation. It looks like he’s already posted his presentation and has offered the audio. Great stuff. Also check out Rob’s summary.

And I also had the opportunity to see Dean’s excellent presentation on RSS for teachers. Dean is a terrific presenter, and he was able to approach the complex topic in a way that was appealing to the attendees, many who were teachers. Rob has written a great summary of this session as well.

I’m looking forward to the rest of the conference … more to come.