Join us at SqueakFest '04

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:

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: