Open Source Schools Unconference

[Tim Dobson-2]

On Monday, Becta the organisation which advises Secondary schools and
Primary schools on it's use of IT is hosting it's first Open Source
Schools Unconference.

I've known about this for quite a while but other things have taken
centre stage so it hadn't properly registered up until a few days ago.

This *IS* the best place to meet teachers and educational IT staff and
organisations sympathetic to the issues we encounter on regular basis.

DFEY as a group has been invited to the conference and I, personally,
have volunteered to do a short talk/discussion about DFEY and the issues
young people face today.

Coming to the Unconference as part of DFEY doesn't imply or require you
to talk or anything.

Anyway the key information:

When: 10:00-16:00, Monday 20th July
Where: Nottingham, NCSL's Conference Centre
Who: as many people involved in DFEY as possible.
How: I can probably arrange a lift for 3 people max, from the centre of
Manchester on Monday morning, though if you can make your own way there
you will be really welcome to attend.

What: http://opensourceschools.org.uk/unconference09

Notes with regards to transport:

Unfortunately, as I missed talking to the organisers about funding for
travel in any reasonable time, things haven't worked out how I had
hoped. I'm really sorry about this, it's a tough lesson to learn and
I've learnt it.

Anyway, thankfully, Alex Sykes - www.alexsykes.net - volunteered on
request of the organisers to take 3 of us to the event from central
Manchester - he will be traveling down anyway.

If there are 3 people in the Manchester area interested in going, I will
happily get the train (at my own cost).

If you are interested in going, I suggest posting to the list as soon as
possible and we'll see how many are interested.

This is one of the best chances to talk to teachers and IT staff about
what you do/don't enjoy about your experiences of the use of computers
in education.

Cheers everyone!

Tim

[Isabell Long]

Sadly I can't come, but with regard to costs, don't you have to pay?
I looked yesterday at the website and even though it says places are
free for all school and local authority *staff*, but looking at
http://opensourceschools.org.uk/node/5292, it says that other places,
if you're not presenting or school/local authority staff, are £55.

Just thought I'd let you know if you didn't already.

Isabell.

On 17/07/2009, Tim Dobson <[hidden email]> wrote:

> On Monday, Becta the organisation which advises Secondary schools and
> Primary schools on it's use of IT is hosting it's first Open Source
> Schools Unconference.
>
> I've known about this for quite a while but other things have taken
> centre stage so it hadn't properly registered up until a few days ago.
>
> This *IS* the best place to meet teachers and educational IT staff and
> organisations sympathetic to the issues we encounter on regular basis.
>
> DFEY as a group has been invited to the conference and I, personally,
> have volunteered to do a short talk/discussion about DFEY and the issues
> young people face today.
>
> Coming to the Unconference as part of DFEY doesn't imply or require you
> to talk or anything.
>
> Anyway the key information:
>
> When: 10:00-16:00, Monday 20th July
> Where: Nottingham, NCSL's Conference Centre
> Who: as many people involved in DFEY as possible.
> How: I can probably arrange a lift for 3 people max, from the centre of
> Manchester on Monday morning, though if you can make your own way there
> you will be really welcome to attend.
>
> What: http://opensourceschools.org.uk/unconference09
>
> Notes with regards to transport:
>
> Unfortunately, as I missed talking to the organisers about funding for
> travel in any reasonable time, things haven't worked out how I had
> hoped. I'm really sorry about this, it's a tough lesson to learn and
> I've learnt it.
>
> Anyway, thankfully, Alex Sykes - www.alexsykes.net - volunteered on
> request of the organisers to take 3 of us to the event from central
> Manchester - he will be traveling down anyway.
>
> If there are 3 people in the Manchester area interested in going, I will
> happily get the train (at my own cost).
>
> If you are interested in going, I suggest posting to the list as soon as
> possible and we'll see how many are interested.
>
> This is one of the best chances to talk to teachers and IT staff about
> what you do/don't enjoy about your experiences of the use of computers
> in education.
>
> Cheers everyone!
>
> Tim
>
>
>
>

--
Regards,
Isabell Long.  <[hidden email]>
[[User:Isabell121]] on all public Wikimedia projects.

[Tim Dobson-2]

Isabell Long wrote:
> Sadly I can't come, but with regard to costs, don't you have to pay?
> I looked yesterday at the website and even though it says places are
> free for all school and local authority *staff*, but looking at
> http://opensourceschools.org.uk/node/5292, it says that other places,
> if you're not presenting or school/local authority staff, are £55.
>
> Just thought I'd let you know if you didn't already.

Thanks Isabel, yes I'm well aware of that.

No we will get in for free, and if there was even a suggestion we'd have
to pay to attend... well, it wouldn't show them in a very good light
them for starters.

There is no cost to attend for anyone with DFEY-NW.

Tim

[Isabell Long]

On 18/07/2009, Tim Dobson <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Isabell Long wrote:
>> Sadly I can't come, but with regard to costs, don't you have to pay?
>> I looked yesterday at the website and even though it says places are
>> free for all school and local authority *staff*, but looking at
>> http://opensourceschools.org.uk/node/5292, it says that other places,
>> if you're not presenting or school/local authority staff, are £55.
>>
>> Just thought I'd let you know if you didn't already.
>
> Thanks Isabel, yes I'm well aware of that.
>
> No we will get in for free, and if there was even a suggestion we'd have
> to pay to attend... well, it wouldn't show them in a very good light
> them for starters.
>
> There is no cost to attend for anyone with DFEY-NW.

Oh wow, that's good!  Is it because you're presenting?  I'm glad, and
now it really is a shame I can't come!

--
Regards,
Isabell Long.  <[hidden email]>
[[User:Isabell121]] on all public Wikimedia projects.

[Tim Dobson-2]

Isabell Long wrote:
>> There is no cost to attend for anyone with DFEY-NW.
>
> Oh wow, that's good!  Is it because you're presenting?  I'm glad, and
> now it really is a shame I can't come!

Well partly that and partly because I think they are genuinely
interested about the opinions of young people who are interested in free
software and who are currently in the education system.

Getting feedback from those who are ultimately the ones who benefit from
the use of IT in education can only be a good thing in their minds.

The organiser, Miles Berry, http://milesberry.net/ is quite  forward
thinking & sympathetic towards DFEY.

Tim

[Isabell Long]

On 18/07/2009, Tim Dobson <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Isabell Long wrote:
>>> There is no cost to attend for anyone with DFEY-NW.
>>
>> Oh wow, that's good!  Is it because you're presenting?  I'm glad, and
>> now it really is a shame I can't come!
>
> Well partly that and partly because I think they are genuinely
> interested about the opinions of young people who are interested in free
> software and who are currently in the education system.
>
> Getting feedback from those who are ultimately the ones who benefit from
> the use of IT in education can only be a good thing in their minds.
>
> The organiser, Miles Berry, http://milesberry.net/ is quite  forward
> thinking & sympathetic towards DFEY.

Ah right.  That's great then!  :)

--
Regards,
Isabell Long.  <[hidden email]>
[[User:Isabell121]] on all public Wikimedia projects.

[x_rob]

I would come if I felt it were worth it but to be honest I don't think I'd be able to get much out of the day in itself - plus, being a student amongst teachers I'd feel a bit outnumberd and out of place.