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California Educational Data Processing Association |
The DataBus - Vol. 38, No. 1
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Sacramento: Annual gathering draws praises from attendees and TV news coverage.
Greg Lindner, Yolo County Superintendent of Schools
It seems like we say the following every year, however, this year it rings especially true: This was one of our best conferences ever! Over 200 members attended the conference this year and over 60 vendors. We received several comments from attendees such as the following "This was one of the best run conferences I've ever attended, I actually had to make several choices as to which session to attend." This year's conference also made history as we were interviewed for the regional news on KCRA Channel 3. They spotlighted the emerging importance of technology in schools and the need for technologists to stay informed and network with our peers - exactly what our association and conference is all about.
Another success of our conference was the enthusiastic response of our listserves. All attendees were introduced to our Edtech listserve and the power it holds as more of our members use it. Our association has the tools now to become a more powerful voice in K12 technology: a voice where we as members can solicit advice statewide from others on technical issues and products and a mechanism to do quick statewide surveys on technical issues. As the numbers of K12 technology subscribers increases so does the power of the medium. I strongly encourage you to join if you haven't already done so.
Our second annual golf tournament, hosted this year by Ncompass Systems, was also quite successful. NCompass Systems, Inc. (www.ncompsys.com) is a developer and licensor of GUI based, cross-platform client/server software systems designed for use in California School Districts. NCompass products include the FullCourse, a complete food service management system, and MainCourse, a collection of modules used in Budget Preparation, General Ledger Accounting, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Inventory, Work Orders, Personnel, Purchasing and Payroll.
The golf tournament was enjoyed by all that participated. Finishing in second place was the team of Tony Bellacera, Peggie Hayes, Roger Siler and Bruce Hayes with a minus 2 for the scramble tournament. In first place with a minus 3 was the team of Glen Farley, Ken Ferguson, Jim Bridges and Don Salvage. Finishing in last place was... Well, everyone had fun at least. Closest to the pin went to Roger Siler at 17'6". Lynn Baugher had the women's longest drive and Bruce Hayes had the men's longest drive. All prizes were donated by Ncompass for which we are very appreciative.
Next year's tournament will once again be in Palm Springs and should be even bigger and better. Please plan to sign up early, as the spots will no doubt go fast. Next year we will do things a little differently such as hiring a tournament director (too much work for me!) and assigning teams randomly so everyone has a chance to mingle with everyone else.
All in all, the conference went very well this year. This is primarily due to the efforts of your CEDPA Board. They worked long and hard throughout the year to insure the success of the conference and that CEDPA is at the forefront of technology issues in K12. Next year is shaping up to be another banner year for CEDPA, noted by our first SIG meeting and the attendance of Jeff Raikes, vice president of Microsoft North America. Our conference will once again be one you won't want to miss - and not necessarily just because it is in Palm Springs. Our Internet Room will be going through a transformation under Darryl La Gace to align more with our needs now that more of us are connected to the net. Look for more network management tools, virtual private networks, video distribution, etc. - all issues we're all starting to deal with or understand as our networks mature.
I've had a great year as president, and I think we've been able to achieve quite a bit and move our organization forward. This coming year, my role as past president will be similar to a Public Relations Officer. I intend to continue singing the praises of our organization, building our listserv participation, and working towards raising the awareness and usefulness of our organization, both with our membership and other partners.
Please visit CEDPA's website at cedpa-k12.org for association news and information about significant developments affecting K12 technologists. Also, don't forget to take advantage of the information sharing in CEPDA-hosted E-rate, Edtech, and SIG listservs.
Thanks for a great year!
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