Squeakfest 2009

Hello everybody,

This is Marta from Porto Alegre - Brazil.

 It is time to continue to plan and decide things about Squeakfest 2009. My colleagues and I have been talking and we are enthusiastic to hold a gathering in Porto Alegre on July 23rd to 25th ( Thursday to Saturday).  Another International Conference about  IT for Ed  - WCCE -world conference in computers for education  is going to take place near Porto Alegre in the following week - July 27th to 31st.  We thought that some of the people coming for Squeakfest would  get interested in attending WCCE and vice versa.

Please visit their website - www.wcce2009.org.  I think this conference is very relevant to our community.  It is still possible to submit papers if you are interested!  The deadline is December 31st.

The Squeakfest would be a gathering for teachers, educators and school coordinators --  a time for Etoy fun and a general get together. We will certainly plan for the participation of some researchers and students as well, but the goal of the conference  would be for participants  to share how they are using Etoys,  or plan to use it, share ideas, experiences, material and  strengthen Etoy community bonds. We would also welcome teachers and reps from OLPC schools from Latin America and the Caribbean and if possible, from other countries. 

Wouldn’t it be awesome?!

Children from Luciana de Abreu School would certainly  attend, present their Etoy projects and, as they are used to doing at conferences, take pictures and interview you guys with their XOs!

What do you think about it?

Let me know your ideas…

Is the time of the year good for you?

Do you know this WCCE? ( I’ve never hear about it before!  Isn’t it a huge coincidence?!  We have been considering Squeakfest 2009 in Porto Alegre since Jan, and then this WCCE is going to be hold in here too?! )

Well enough questions for just one email!!!!

I hope to hear from you during the weekend!

All the best,

Marta Voelcker

Randal, Jecel and all,

June is also possible, but, I was thinking how Smalltalk Conference and how  FISL atmosphere relate to the Squeakfest that I had in mind (similar to Chicago 2007)...

I have limited experience, but the way I see things, the currently biggest challenge for E-toys growth is not on its code, is not related to software, but to teachers and schools reps. It is related to communicating what for, and how to, use it inside schools.

In this context, making a metaphor with sports, let's say... with NBA - I see the developers/programmers as the wise and experienced coaches, and I see the  teachers as the players. They are those who score, who make it happen inside the classroom - I would like to see them becoming the stars, shining in this context!

The name Squeakfest made history already, and so we plan to keep it, but in fact, the idea is not about squeak-the programming language- the idea is gathering together to share experience and plans  about E-toys.

Talking about e-toys I am particularly motivated about 2009 - the landscape had never been so proper to make it growth. Taking growth as explained by

David Cavallo's in his paper - Models of growth — towards fundamental change in learning environments - ... as the terms replication and scaling are themselves problematic and misleading.  I see 2009 proper for growth because OLPC has already delivered XOs in schools in many countries; technology price had go down also in developing countries…    But schools  will need initiated teachers, teachers active in e-toys community, to make it happen.

 Maybe,  relating Squeakfest with a big  software conferences might scare teachers…

In the other hand, making Squeakfest  close to an IT for Education conference (WCCE) is probably going to increase attendance of teachers and people from education area.

Let me know your thoughts,

Marta

-----Mensagem original-----
De: Randal L. Schwartz [mailto:[hidden email]]
Enviada em: sábado, 22 de novembro de 2008 10:42
Para: Marta Voelcker
Cc: [hidden email]; [hidden email]; 'Susana Seidel'; Edson Lindner; 'Daniela Hoffmann'; [hidden email]; Léa Fagundes - UFRGS (Léa Fagundes - UFRGS); 'bruno sperb'; 'Mônica Estrázulas'
Assunto: Re: [Squeakland] Squeakfest 2009

>>>>> "Marta" == Marta Voelcker <[hidden email]> writes:

Marta>  It is time to continue to plan and decide things about Squeakfest

Marta> 2009. My colleagues and I have been talking and we are enthusiastic to

Marta> hold a gathering in Porto Alegre on July 23rd to 25th ( Thursday to

Marta> Saturday).  Another International Conference about IT for Ed - WCCE

Marta> -world conference in computers for education is going to take place

Marta> near Porto Alegre in the following week - July 27th to 31st.  We

Marta> thought that some of the people coming for Squeakfest would get

Marta> interested in attending WCCE and vice versa.

Please also note the addition of an entire 3-day Smalltalk Mini-Conf within

FISL 10, a mere three weeks earlier within the same city!  How much

smalltalking can Porto Alegre handle? :)

--

Randal L. Schwartz - Stonehenge Consulting Services, Inc. - +1 503 777 0095

<[hidden email]> <URL:http://www.stonehenge.com/merlyn/>

Smalltalk/Perl/Unix consulting, Technical writing, Comedy, etc. etc.

See http://methodsandmessages.vox.com/ for Smalltalk and Seaside discussion