NELS 2006 at Gould Academy is only a month away! Summer is fast approaching and with it is the opportunity to begin refreshing your mind and body and also your technology knowledge! While the users are on vacation (either the long school vacation or shorter vacations taken by organization or company employees) the IT folks (who never seem to get a vacation :-) ) take the opportunity to refresh the infrastructure and upgrade their skills. That's why I'm writing today. Classroom teachers, Technology Directors/Coordinators, Technicians, and others are all entitled to professional development (contrary to popular belief). All too often many folks think of the technology director, coordinator, teacher, IT guy/gal....etc...as the “go to” person when things go wrong or whatever. They are also expected to stand guard as if something will go wrong during school closing, grading, upgrades, etc. Unfortunately, this is a “reactive” way of thinking rather than a “proactive” way of thinking. This thinking also makes it difficult for IT folks to upgrade their own skills by attending professional development workshops and conferences. So!....I encourage you to “break free” and set a new tone with your staff and administration. Learn new ideas, learn about new technologies, and network with colleagues from other schools and organizations to increase your own skills that will eventually benefit everyone in your school, company or organization. So where is this all going? Once again we are offering an excellent opportunity for IT teachers, directors, coordinators, technicians...etc. to gather and learn more about some fantastic ways to better deliver services to your users. The Northeast Linux Symposium in now in it's fourth year! Now the name is a little misleading as it's not just about Linux, but about Free and Open Source software and ideas for nearly all platforms. Mixed networks are pretty much the norm in todays schools and in many companies as well. Many of the sessions we offer show you how to tie it all together with things like single sign-on, common data storage, web based technologies, and much more! Classroom teachers can learn all about some really great programs and techniques that will help them in the classroom without affecting their already slim budget. Remember...you too....need the opportunity for quality professional development! This year we're offering two great opportunities for learning and professional growth. NELS at Gould Academy in Bethel, Maine on June 17th - 20th and NELS at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, New Hampshire on July 16th – 19th. Each has a unique focus and each will offer you a great opportunity to learn in a hands-on environment among friends and colleagues. I am VERY EXCITED about some great new things that will be happening this year at NELS. First, is the new “users” track designed for end users and more specifically, classroom teachers, who use technology with their students. I, too, am a classroom teacher and I'm excited to be presenting with some really great folks who have years of experience with technology and kids. We'll be exploring a lot of the great software that is in the OSV FOSS catalog [ http://www.cybersource.com.au/about/education_FOSS_catalog.pdf ]([ http://www.cybersource.com.au/about/education_FOSS_catalog.pdf ]http://www.cybersource.com.au/about/education_FOSS_catalog.pdf) [ http://www.cybersource.com.au/about/education_FOSS_catalog.pdf ] Download the catalog and take a look at all the great free programs (Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux) that will go great in your school or classroom! Another thing I'm excited about is we have a company that will be attending NELS and using that time as a opportunity to discuss with several of our presenters and attendees about how to Open Source their product! We'll get to see first hand the process by which a software product goes Open Source! This is especially cool since many of you may actually be using this product (my school does!). At the UNH NELS we'll also get to see Open Source in action! The folks from the SchoolTool project will be holding a development sprint at NELS. What does this mean? They're coming from all corners of the globe to meet at UNH....talk to all of the attendees about what you'd like to see as a part of the SchoolTool Student Information System (on day one of the conference) and then they'll take your ideas....and put them into action to show all of us the result on Day Three! Open Source program development in action right before your eyes! That's pretty cool! So...we really hope you come and join us! It's going to be the best NELS ever and I want you to be a part of it! Visit [ http://www.nelinux.net/ ]http://www.nelinux.net for more information on sessions and registration. Register today as the first NELS is only a month away! Also remember if you are in Maine and you're an ACTEM member (http://www.actem.org)....you can apply for up to $400 in reimbursement of professional development funds! So whaddya' waiting for! :-) Hope to see you all this summer! David N. Trask Technology Teacher/Director Vassalboro Community School dtrask(a)vcsvikings.org (207)923-3100