[Squeakland] Join us at SqueakFest '04 - Chicago!!!

[Kim Rose]

Dear Squeaklanders,

The Interactive Multimedia and Early Childhood Education Programs at 
Columbia College Chicago and Viewpoints Research Institute cordially 
invite you to attend SqueakFest '04 on the summer shores of Lake 
Michigan in Chicago.

SqueakFest '04 will be Thursday, August 5, to Saturday, August 7 (two 
full-day sessions on Thursday and Friday, and a morning session on 
Saturday). There is no registration fee. We hope that all 
participants will be able to attend the entire workshop. Out-of-town 
participants should plan to arrive on Wednesday, August 4, in order 
to attend the opening session.

SqueakFest '04 is also co-sponsored by Columbia's School of Media 
Arts and School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, home, respectively, of 
the Interactive Multimedia and Early Childhood Education Programs.

We welcome participants from elementary, junior high, and high 
schools, and education programs at institutions of higher-education.

Professional development units will be available at no charge for 
public schoolteachers through Columbia's School of Liberal Arts and 
Sciences. When responding, please indicate if you are interested in 
receiving these credits. Details will follow.

SqueakFest '04 follows the first SqueakFest, held last August at 
Columbia College Chicago and judged a resounding success by 
participants. In response to the evaluations, we plan to make a few 
changes in the schedule for this year. Again, we hope to assemble a 
critical mass of folks to discuss best practices and practical 
considerations. We hope that attendees will arrive with examples and 
details of student projects, lesson plans, assessment details, 
stories, anecdotes, pedagogical approaches, and the like. What 
worked? What didn't work? Why? What can we draw as conclusions, learn 
from, and do differently (or the same) in the future. Most 
importantly: What can we learn from, and teach, each other?

This year, in addition to large and collective group sessions, we 
will conduct concurrent sessions to accommodate participants with 
varying expertise and experience utilizing Squeak and Etoys in 
practical settings, from the novice users to the advanced users.

There will be plenty of time for attendees to break out into sessions 
by subject areas, by grades, and by levels of expertise.

There will also be time for educators to provide feedback on teaching 
and using Squeak (features? interface? implementation?) to the 
developers.

A detailed program will be ready in a few weeks.

At the conclusion of SqueakFest '04, the IM Program will post and 
serve Squeak projects brought to or sent to the workshop, as well as 
other documentation.

Here are details about nearby accommodations:

Chicago Hilton: $139 per night, single, (booked at 
http://www.hotels.com; other rates available). $160/night regular 
rate. 
http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/hotels/index.jhtml;jsessionid=LCNSHYO53JCQ2CSGBIXM22QKIYFCVUUC?ctyhocn=CHICHHH
1-312-922-4400

Essex Inn: $99 per night single/double, $109 triple, $119 quad. 
http://www.essexinn.com or 800-621-6909. Mention Interactive Media 
Symposium. 1-800-621-6909.

Best Western Grant Park: $109 single/double/triple/quad. 
http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/productInfo.do?propertyCode=14120
1-800-472-6875

These hotels are within an easy four-block walk of the SqueakFest '04 site.

We can also advise you on other accommodations.

There are also a limited number (first to reserve, first confirmed) 
of rooms available at the college's Residence Center, the site of 
SqueakFest '04: $55 per night per person. Accommodations include:

Two bedrooms, with a total of four single beds.
One bedrooms, with two single beds.
Three bedrooms, with a total of six single beds.

Rooms have cooking appliances, but no utensils. Bed linens and towels 
are included, but not pillows. There is a weight room and a laundry 
room.

Reservations for the ResCenter must be made by calling 312-344-7803, 
between the hours of 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday. A deposit of half 
of the balance is due one month prior to arrival, with the balance 
due two weeks before arrival. Cancellations can be made two weeks 
prior to arrival without penalty; after that, there will be a $50 
cancellation charge. Deposits and balances can be made payable by 
check or money order to:

Columbia College Chicago Filmmakers 731. S. Plymouth Court, Chicago, 
IL 60605, Attention: Kelli Collins.

Continental breakfasts and boxed lunches will be provided at the 
SqueakFest site.

Columbia College Chicago is the country's largest arts, media, and 
communications school, with an enrollment approaching 10,000 
students, and offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees. At the 
undergraduate level, it is open-admissions, by mission and 
philosophy. It is located in Chicago's South Loop, adjacent to Grant 
Park and Lake Michigan, and is convenient to the city's many museums 
and other cultural and popular attractions.

Attendance will be limited. Reply with your interest to:

Kim Rose: Kim.Rose at squeakland.org
AND
Wade Roberts: wroberts at colum.edu


Columbia College Chicago: http://www.colum.edu

Interactive Multimedia Program home: http://interactive.colum.edu

Early Childhood Education Program: 
http://www.colum.edu/undergraduate/earlychildhood/index.html

IM/ECE partnership: http://interactive.colum.edu/partnerships_ece.aspx

Squeakland: http://www.squeakland.org

Viewpoints Research Institute: http://www.viewpointsresearch.org/


We hope to see you in Chicago!
Wade & Kim
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