EduGeek Conference 2012 - What/who would you like to see?

[Dos_Box]

It's that time fo year again, BETT is behind us, our feet and voices have recovered, and we're starting planning for our annual conference. We have set a provisional date for the 7th June, and will hopefully be in the same, rather pleasant, location as last year. What we need from you is some suggestions as to what/who you would like to see there as regards to speakers and activities. We already have some pencilled in (who we shall keep under our hats for now), but would very much like to hear your ideas, so please post them here and once we have a few that you all agree on I can start to knock on doors to get things moving. Edited February 10, 2012 by Dos_Box

[Oaktech]

if you could have someone from microsoft turn up for a Q&A on their licensing system, that'd just be super...

 

Ps, as a pretty recent edugeeker, whats the venue for this so i can book the time off and make myself available!

[HallX]

if you could have someone from microsoft turn up for a Q&A on their licensing system, that'd just be super..

 

What makes you think anyone at Microsoft understands the licensing system

[Oaktech]

What makes you think anyone at Microsoft understands the licensing system

 

 

 

Then we are all doomed. I'll get ready for the lawyers.

[Dos_Box]

if you could have someone from microsoft turn up for a Q&A on their licensing system, that'd just be super...

 

Ps, as a pretty recent edugeeker, whats the venue for this so i can book the time off and make myself available!

 

The venue will be here: Westleigh Conference Centre - University of Central Lancashire

I would suggest you also book yourself into here (a short distance away and very easy to find if you are driving) for the night, or indeed 2 nights depending on how much you like to socialise!: ibis Preston North hotel: Book a hotel in PRESTON

 

All of these details will be published nearer to the date in a much better laid out format, but until we confirm everything please do not book yet or contact us about attending.

[featured_spectre]

How about booking me. I have nothing to contribute but would be fun

[GREED]

Looking forward to actually being allowed to go this year (silly previous employer)...

[Dos_Box]

Anymore (in case you missed it this morning)?

[Oaktech]

@nephilim

 

[GrumbleDook]

Practical - What to do when replacing middleware in a primary school

Geeky - 10 ways to do SysAdmin things on a tablet : offerings for iOS, Android and Win8

Blue Sky / Discussion : if we believe that Royal Mail is a good thing and that a letter should cost the same no matter where it goes, why then are we squabbling about the different costs for broadband?

Panel : Monty Python vs the Fast Show ...

Implementation : Generic models for BYOD, including WiFi / filtering / logging / policies / etc

[enjay]

I'd be interested in hearing from some people who have done 1:1 deployments of student devices. Laptop leasing schemes were all the buzz 10 years ago, but I don't think many people have done them recently; now we're starting to talk about it again as we look to netbooks and, more commonly, iPads.

 

I know some of the pitfalls and problems associated with a move to tablets, and understand that it is a shift of practices not just equipment, but I don't really know how big a shift or which areas see the biggest change. I also know that common sense and logic say "wait for Windows 8", however I can't help but worry that Windows 8 is another ME or Vista, and what we actually want is Windows 9, but I don't really want to wait that long.

 

I should emphasise I would want this talk to be from someone at the school (network manager, IT Co-ord, Assistant Head, etc) on how they actually went about it from first asking "hey, what about iPads?" to a year after implementation, and not from a company who reckons they can do it and has "lots of other schools" as customers.

[enjay]

Another interesting topic - possibly too teacher-y than geek-y (I don't know the format of the Conf, sorry) - would be about electronic marking and assessment, both recording and sharing.

[Dos_Box]

I'd be interested in hearing from some people who have done 1:1 deployments of student devices. Laptop leasing schemes were all the buzz 10 years ago, but I don't think many people have done them recently; now we're starting to talk about it again as we look to netbooks and, more commonly, iPads.

 

I know some of the pitfalls and problems associated with a move to tablets, and understand that it is a shift of practices not just equipment, but I don't really know how big a shift or which areas see the biggest change. I also know that common sense and logic say "wait for Windows 8", however I can't help but worry that Windows 8 is another ME or Vista, and what we actually want is Windows 9, but I don't really want to wait that long.

 

I should emphasise I would want this talk to be from someone at the school (network manager, IT Co-ord, Assistant Head, etc) on how they actually went about it from first asking "hey, what about iPads?" to a year after implementation, and not from a company who reckons they can do it and has "lots of other schools" as customers.

 

Anyone here done this and care to volunteer?

[apearce]

I'll come and speak about Windows 8 and Windows 8 server or anything else microsoft.....but not licensing ;-)

[glennda]

How about another talk from @tom_newton which was made 5 mins before he stood up

 

But personally i would like to see more promotion of linux (although i think luns mentioned open source stuff last year??) and how easily it can benefit schools (and that its not that hard!)

[PiqueABoo]

Practical - What to do when replacing middleware in a primary school

 

There's a standard recipe? [Threads on here when the middleware is CCx tend to trigger a lot of myths]

 

Geeky - 10 ways to do SysAdmin things on a tablet : offerings for iOS, Android and Win8

 

Re-title that "10 displacement activities for SysAdmins"?

 

Implementation : Generic models for BYOD, including WiFi / filtering / logging / policies / etc

 

Etc. = devices and VMs for Learn Programming[tm] are minor variations of BYODs.

[Dos_Box]

There will be some open source 'Linuxy stuff' going one, and in a way I think all attendees will like

As for Tom, I'll ask him nicely tomorrow IIRC, a bag of magic beans was his price last year.

 

How about another talk from @tom_newton which was made 5 mins before he stood up

 

But personally i would like to see more promotion of linux (although i think luns mentioned open source stuff last year??) and how easily it can benefit schools (and that its not that hard!)

[tom_newton]

How about another talk from @tom_newton which was made 5 mins before he stood up

 

But personally i would like to see more promotion of linux (although i think luns mentioned open source stuff last year??) and how easily it can benefit schools (and that its not that hard!)

 

Oi, I'll have you know that most years my talk is constructed in the car on the way over! Actually last year I managed a bit of powerpoint even.

[Little-Miss]

Oi, I'll have you know that most years my talk is constructed in the car on the way over! Actually last year I managed a bit of powerpoint even.

 

Whilst driving?

[tom_newton]

Whilst driving?

 

That would be dangerous, on at least 2 grounds Whilst Gav was driving, which is only as dangerous as it always is being in a car with Gav...

[enjay]

I'll come and speak about Windows 8 and Windows 8 server or anything else microsoft.....but not licensing ;-)

 

Cynic mode on - isn't it a bit early for anyone non-MS to talk much about Windows 8, and anyone MS wouldn't be able to be honest/objective about it...

[Oaktech]

Cynic mode on - isn't it a bit early for anyone non-MS to talk much about Windows 8, and anyone MS wouldn't be able to be honest/objective about it...

 

think that was the point... talk with more authority on something that doesn't really exist yet, than something that is established but super obscure!

[enjay]

think that was the point... talk with more authority on something that doesn't really exist yet, than something that is established but super obscure!

 

I wouldn't class IOS as "super obscure", and Android is merely obscure at worst. The only people who can talk with authority on Windows 8 are (unless I'm mistaken) Microsoft employees, so aren't exactly doing to give a rounded view of the pros and cons of it, nor could they talk much about the school side of it, merely the technology.

[Oaktech]

what i am trying to say here, is that original poster would rather talk about something that is brand new, not released fully and not well understood, and something they are probably not qualified to speak about, rather than talk about licensing which, whilst established, is renowned as being difficult to get your head around.

 

I fear there was a big dollop of sarcasm that you missed from the original poster.

[enjay]

I fear there was a big dollop of sarcasm that you missed from the original poster.

Possibly. That's not like me to miss sarcasm!