[school-discuss] educationaLinux 2003 miniconference: Call for Papers

[Leon Brooks <leon@brooks.fdns.net>]

Please forward this release to any educational lists you're on that have a 
computer focus, and any computer lists you're on that have an educational 
focus. And anyone who wants a learning holiday in sunny Perth, Western 
Australia during the Northern Hemisphere's winter. (-:


THE CONFERENCE

educationaLinux 2003, the Education mini-conference attached to the Australian 
Linux Conference 2003, is now seeking papers and presenters for two days of 
intense learning and networking in the leadup to the LCA2003 proper.

LCA2003 promises to be a doorbuster conference, a hard act to follow (which is 
why we're running before it) and we've obtained permission to piggyback an 
Education mini-conference on it - in parallel with a Debian mini-conference - 
in the two days leading up to it.

Rolling through into the main conference gives educators involved with Linux 
that little bit of extra time with an educational focus, an extra reason for 
attending LCA2003. An educational prefix to the main conference turns up 
fresh material to hammer out in the workshops.


THE PAPERS

Even before this CFP went out, we've had some interesting papers waved at us. 
The presentations will include reports from Australian implementors fresh 
from a new rollout in the field.

We're looking to cover two main areas: Linux as seen from an educational 
perspective (Monday 27 January), and education as seen from a Linux 
perspective (Tuesday 28 January), with some overlap.

The former means presentations on opportunities, problems and experiences with 
Linux from the educator's seat, be it school IT staff, teachers or 
consultants. We're looking for educational applications for Linux and what 
needs to be done to make them better, features to build on and misfeatures to 
repair, both theory and testimony.

The latter means presentations on setting up and altering Linux to meet the 
special needs of academia, such as the ability to migrate user contexts 
between grades, ways of tuning for or dissipating load spikes from 
start-of-lesson stampedes, plans and experience with various network 
arrangements, adaptations for special-needs input devices, unobtrusive 
security hardening; go wild with your special project or experience!


THE LOCATION

The LCA2003 conference is being competently kitted out for an optimised, 
immersive networking experience; just the right balance between the 
convenience of everything-laid-on and the interest and satisfaction of 
roll-your-own. By penguinistas, for penguinistas.

The University of Western Australia is about the closest thing Oz has to real 
historical buildings; these ancient, hallowed halls are equipped with 
wireless LAN, wired sound and other modern facilities to make your visit a 
highly productive one. Accomodation is close to hand, the city centre only a 
few kilometers further away and `geek' attractions like the UCC, home of one 
of the first Coke machines on the Internet and many other digital treasures, 
are right on campus.

Perth itself has a wonderfully mild climate, is big enough to offer 
practically any facility, and small enough to still be friendly. Western 
Australia is packed with interesting things to see (from unique natural 
grandeur through impressive industry to world-class fishing and world-famous 
wineries) so an extended holiday stay is a definite option.

The main Conference ends on Australia Day. On the Sunday night you'll get to 
see some of the biggest, most impressive fireworks ever to be launched in 
Australia.


WHAT YOU NEED TO DO NOW

1. Register for LCA2003, even if you have no paper to present.

2. Notify educationaLinux that you're planning to attend.

3. If you have a paper, submit a precis and a brief bio to educationaLinux.

4. Arrange your schedule and finances so you can roll up on the day.


THE LINKS

http://plug.linux.org.au/~leonb/lca2003/papers.html  Presenters' instructions

http://plug.linux.org.au/~leonb/lca2003/             educationaLinux home

http://linux.conf.au/                                LCA2003 entry

http://conf.linux.org.au/register.html               Conference registrations

http://members.xoom.virgilio.it/mmmgroup/e-gall.html The Spanish Linkquisition