[Fsf-friends] Fw: [seul-edu] educationaLinux 2003 miniconference: Call for Papers

[Mahesh T Pai]

Forwarding:-

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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