For Immediate Release – September 22, 2006
TECHFEST at Carl Sandburg College set to be a great success!
Technology Professionals from Monmouth College, Knox College, Western Illinois University and Carl Sandburg College as well as private businesses, the Illinois Department of Economic Opportunity, invite you to a celebration of technology uses in Western Illinois. “TECHFEST 2006” will be held at Carl Sandburg College from 1 to 4:30 pm on Friday, September 29, 2006. Attendance is free and there is no prior registration required.
TECHFEST 2006 is being sponsored in part by the Western Illinois Technology Source (http://www.witsonline.org/) a technology advocacy group for the West Central Illinois Region. TECHFEST 2006 will kick off at 1pm at the Crist Student Center with a short welcome to the event by each of the three participating colleges and Western Illinois University. After the welcome event organizers will hold a small press conference for interested parties.
Be sure to arrive by 1:30 to enjoy a wide variety of break out session. Each ½ hour break out session will be offered twice. There are nine topics offered this year including; internet safety, job searching on the Internet, free and open source software, digital photography tools, how to buy a computer (buyer awareness), Smart Board technology, e-mail marketing, video conferencing, and using E-bay.
Also throughout the TechFest there will be area students on hand to demonstrate and answer questions about new and exciting technology for the consumer market including; instant messaging, Google Earth, MMOG, IPOD/MP3, Wikipedia, and MySpace. These demonstrations are the perfect time to find out about the technologies that are making headlines.
TECHFEST 2006 will also showcase some of the innovators in the region who develop and utilize technology every day. The three colleges and one university participating are bringing exhibits to demonstrate some of the technology they are developing and using on campus and in the community. In addition there will be exhibitors from the medical field demonstrating new technology such as spinal scanning equipment and portable ultrasounds. Internet ordering and e-marketing will be showcased and participants will learn hands-on how they can order dinner or groceries. Alternative fuels are on everyone’s lips but the TECHFEST is your opportunity to learn about Ethanol and Wind Energy!
TECHFEST 2006 has also received a wide variety of door prizes including software and technology books that will be given away at the event. Be sure to sign up at the registration desk to be entered in the electronic pool for the drawings! Also be sure to try your hand at the floppy disk toss and check out the history of technology display.
This year’s host, Carl Sandburg College, has established a website for TECHFEST 2006 at: http://www.sandburg.edu/TechFest2006/. The fiscal agent and sponsor for TECHFEST 2006 is the Workforce Investment Office of Western Illinois.
For more information on the upcoming TECHFEST 2006, please contact Linda Lee Blaine, Director of Prairie Tech Learning Center, at 309-734-1068 or llblaine@wiedp.org.
