barcamp has begun!

Posted on May 21, 2011 by gently

we’ve got sessions in progress already, and the full schedule (with a link to live note-taking in many sessions) is up at http://2011.barcampportland.org

So You’re Coming to BarCamp Portland 5

Posted on May 20, 2011 by Christie Koehler

We want you to have the best time possible at BarCamp, so we have a few suggestions and reminders for you. Read through our attending page to learn how to get the most out of BarCamp.

Where

BarCamp Portland will take place at the First Unitarian Church’s Eliot Center (1226 SW Salmon St)

When

The activities begin on Friday, May 20th, at 6:30pm. Come hang out and socialize with other participants at the Eliot Center until 9pm.

Saturday the doors will open at 9am which allows for plenty of time to grab a pastry with some coffee and chat before the unconference kicks off. At 10am there will be a short welcome and introduction. Then participants can propose their sessions and put them up on the schedule board. We’ll have until 9pm Saturday to give presentations, socialize, and brainstorm ideas for BarCamp 6.

Schedule

Friday, May 20th

6:30pm – 9pm – Socializing

Saturday, May 21st

9am: Registration & Mingling
10am: Kick-off & Scheduling
11am: Session 1
12pm: Session 2
1pm: Lunch
2:30pm: Session 3
3:30pm: Session 4
4:30pm: Break
5pm: Session 5
6pm: Wrap-up
7pm: More Sessions & Mingling
9pm: Clean-up

Sessions

There are seven rooms for unconference sessions. There will be two rooms with projectors available. If you would like to use one for your session, just be sure to post your session to one of those rooms.

Although sessions are usually 45-minutes, longer sessions may be proposed. If a session needs to be extended there is plenty of space available for a conversation or presentation to move to if another session needs to get started.

Lunch

Lunch on Saturday is being sponsored by BarCamp Tour and we’ll be serving delicious Lebanese food from Nicholas Restaurant. There will be plenty of vegetarian and vegan food to go around.

Haven’t RSVP’d yet?

There’s still time, go do it now.

Family-friendly Activities at BarCamp

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Christie Koehler

Hey, Portland techie parents! Want to come to BarCamp but wondering how to include your kids? We have good news for you. We’ll be running a couple of family-oriented sessions during the unconference. The agenda will be pretty loose, but here are some of the activities you and your children might do, depending on equipment availability and repair:

Program an Arduino-based robot together using an easy graphical language.
Record a song together.
Build interactive cartoons with friendly programs like Scratch or Alice.
Play a silly physics-based game like Numpty Physics
Anything else you want to bring along and share

Bring your enthusiasm (and a laptop if you’ve got one). We can’t wait to see you and your families at BarCamp! Don’t forget to RSVP if you haven’t already.

Please Join Us At BarCamp Portland 5!

Posted on May 12, 2011 by jim

There will be an opening social Friday evening, May 20 from 6:30 to 9pm, and sessions all day Saturday, May 21 — scheduling starts at 9am, the sessions will run from 10am until 9pm.

Please RSVP now if you haven’t already. We really need to get a general idea of how many people will be attending, so we can plan accordingly.

Want to know more? Read on!

If you haven’t been to BarCamp in Portland before, here’s the skinny: BarCamp is an unconference. The location is set up ahead of time; participants gather in the morning and schedule sessions. Active participation is encouraged throughout — sessions are discussions rather than lectures. Powerpoint slides and scripted presentations are discouraged. Come ready to find out more about your favorite topic, and share your knowledge with other geeks.

Unlike many technical conferences, BarCamp isn’t focused on a specific topic. Instead, people in the technical community come together and talk about whatever interests them. Even though the schedule isn’t set ahead of time, some popular activities tend to appear at every Portland BarCamp:

Werewolf games
Technology and bicycles
Social networking (virtual and physical!)
Novel applications of new technology
Low-level and high-level programming
Textiles
Meeting new people and planning new *camps

We have many great tips for getting the most out of BarCamp Portland 5.

Know all about BarCamp Portland? Here’s what’s new this year:

This year we’re part of Barcamp Tour (background), which will provide some take-home souvenirs for participants, plus we’ll be giving away books from O’Reilly. So, don’t forget to bring something with you to take home goodies in!

How is this all possible?

Mostly due to people like you — your employers sponsor us; you create the sessions and the discussion that makes our community vibrant and keeps it growing; and you help us run these entirely volunteer-staffed events. (It’s not too late to help out! On-site volunteers are still needed.)

Thanks especially to our already-committed sponsors:

Sponsorships (Corporate and Individual) are still available — help us feed an army of hungry geeks! Email sponsor@legionoftech.org to learn more.

Thanks for participating in BarCamp Portland. We’ll be posting more great information at barcampportland.org in the days leading up to the event, so make sure to check that out.

See you at BarCamp!

Barcamp Portland 5 needs you!

Posted on March 10, 2011 by gently

Barcamp Portland 5 is just around the corner and we need help making the event happen!

If you or someone you know works for a company that would like to contribute financially to the event by sponsoring contact us at sponsor@legionoftech.org.

For everyone who’s unemployed, underemployed, or just likes to help, we’ve got the job for you! From marketing and web design to food donation solicitation to day-of beer and food service, there’s plenty to be done. A free event this excellent only happens when people like you get involved in making it happen. Plus, how often do you get a chance to work an event where all the attendees are interesting and you get fed for free?

Our most urgent current needs are a graphic designer to help update the barcampportland.org site, and design fliers and sponsorship request materials–if you can help with that, email us now!

Our first volunteer meeting, during which you’ll get first pick at the most popular volunteer jobs, is next Monday, March 21st at 6:30pm (calagator link). We’ll meet up over free pizza and beer at the Lucky Lab Tap Room on North (not Northeast) Killingsworth at Concord to discuss how we can make this Barcamp even more awesome than the previous 4.

If you can’t make it, don’t worry. There will be other meetings, so please subscribe to the Barcamp Portland planning google group to stay on top of other meeting dates and put your effort where your mouth is, as we announce volunteer needs.

Please join us to be part of the discussion and most importantly, part of the event!

Thanks!