volunteers needed for public event on april 29th (next Tuesday) promoting FOSS in schools
Michael Selva
michael_selva at ssaes.org
Sat Apr 26 18:29:15 BST 2008
I am urgently in need of 2 or 3 volunteers from the local Ubuntu
community to help out at a public event on April 29th (next Tuesday)
promoting FOSS in schools. The event is called FOSS FEST, and it is
taking place in Watertown, MA, about 1 mile west of Harvard Square.
(See the bottom of this message for full details, and http://
tinyurl.com/278q42 for a map.)
FOST FEST is the first public meeting of a new user group named
MOSSSIG--"Moving to Open Source Software in Schools". It is an
offshoot of a state-wide organization called MassCUE (Massachusetts
Computer-Using Educators), whose membership includes teachers,
technology specialists, and IT staff from schools all over the
state. MassCUE started up 25 years ago, and until now it has been
focused almost exclusively on proprietary operating systems (Windows
& Macintosh) and applications. MOSSSIG's mission is to introduce
teachers, IT folks, and school administrators to the benefits of
Ubuntu and other Open Source tools, and to assist them as they begin
to integrate FPSS into the K-12 school environment.
The target audience is teachers, IT staff, and administrators from
elementary, middle, and high schools in the greater Boston area.
I've received more RSVPs than I expected, and I need a few more hands
on deck to greet people at the door, answer questions, give away
Ubuntu CDs, et cetera. We need help between 3:00 and 6:00 p.m., but
if you can commit to at least one hour that would be fine.
If you can do it, please CALL me ASAP at 617-605-7429.
Thank you!
=================================================
MICHAEL SELVA
Technology Specialist
Saint Stephen's Armenian Elementary School
47 Nichols Avenue, Watertown, MA
phone: 617-605-7429
email: ms at ssaes.org
blog: http://baronselva.edublogs.org/
map: http://tinyurl.com/278q42
=================================================
ANNOUNCEMENT
============
On April 29th, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., St. Stephen’s Armenian
Elementary School in Watertown is opening its doors to the community
for FOSS FEST. This event will focus on Free & Open Source Software
(FOSS) in K-12 education. We are inviting teachers, IT staff, and
administrators from the greater Boston area to come and see for
themselves how FOSS can meet many or all of their educational
computing needs. Visitors will be able to "test drive" Ubuntu, Open
Office, Tux Paint, and other Open Source programs, and to learn from
local experts how to bring FOSS into your own school.
The schedule for the FOSS FEST will be as follows:
4:00 p.m. - Doors open. Visitors can "test drive" Ubuntu Linux, Open
Office, Tux Paint, and other FOSS products in our computer lab. Local
FOSS experts & educators are available for informal discussion.
4:30 – Introductory remarks by Michael Selva (MOSSSIG founder),
followed by a keynote address by Warren Luebkeman from RESARA, an
open source service provider and systems integrator from Nashua, NH
(http://www.resara.com). Mr. Luebkeman will present case studies of
schools that have successfully adopted open source solutions.
5:15 - Question & Answer session, followed by product demonstrations,
informal discussion, and a chance to browse our literature table and
pick up copies of free software
6:00 - Concluding remarks by M. Selva
St. Stephen's is located in East Watertown, 1/2 mile from the
Watertown Mall. It is accessible by public transit using the #71 MBTA
bus running between Harvard Square and Watertown Center. If you are
driving, ample parking is available on the street and in a private
parking lot across the street from the school. For a detailed Google
map, follow this link:
http://tinyurl.com/278q42.
If you plan to attend, please RSVP via email (ms at ssaes.org) or
telephone (617-605-7429).
About MOSSSIG
=============
MOSSSIG’s mission is to promote the use of Free & Open Source
technology by elementary, middle, and high schools across the
Commonwealth, and to lend support to the individuals and teams who
are pioneering this effort. In addition to our new web site, we are
also launching a specialized listserv so that teachers can obtain
help as they explore the new world of Open Source.
Free & Open Source Software is a unique approach to software
development. The human-readable source code is in the public domain
where it can be examined and improved upon by other programmers. This
has resulted in products that are developed and updated in response
to the actual needs of users, and that provide specific solutions to
problems that have not yet caught the attention of the commercial
software sector.
What is the attraction of FOSS for educators? The initial reason
that many schools move to Open Source is to save money. With no
licensing or upgrade fees, FOSS products can be deployed in a
classroom, computer lab, or an entire school at a fraction of the
cost of doing so with proprietary solutions from Microsoft and Apple.
In addition to cost savings, there are significant educational
advantages as well. FOSS encourages users to ask lots of questions,
to find their own answers, and to work with others to develop new
solutions to problems. It is therefore an excellent match for school
environments that value open inquiry and collaborative learning.
For more information about MOSSSIG and FOSS, please visit our Web site:
http://mosssig.wordpress.com/
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MICHAEL SELVA
Technology Specialist
Saint Stephen's Armenian Elementary School
47 Nichols Avenue, Watertown, MA
phone: 617-605-7429
email: ms at ssaes.org
blog: http://baronselva.edublogs.org/
map: http://tinyurl.com/278q42
=================================================
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