I got this email through another source, it may be of interest to some of you...especially the Robotic games gang.. special needs teaching, is often much more open to innovative projects, as timetables are a bit more fluid... have a look:

For the last 4 years the Open University Robotics Outreach Group has hosted a RoboFesta-UK (http://www.robofesta-uk.orgwww.robofesta-uk.org) educational robotics open meeting in the first week of November.

Over years of running RoboCup Junior (rcj.open.ac.uk), members have found that pupils with specific learning difficulties have had particularly postive experiences of working on robotics projects and we have begun some small-scale research to investigate further.

So this years meeting will be held over two days, November 1st and 2nd, in order that we can spend a day looking at Robotics and Special Educational Needs.

Speakers are being invited at present and a programme will be available in due course.
If you have experience of working with pupils with special needs on extended creative electronics projects, you may be interested in presenting(anything from 2 minutes to 20 minutes) or providing a foyer display.

The emphasis of the event is on networking, and the atmosphere is intentionally informal. Lunch will be provided on both days, and registration is free. Organisations/companies wishing to mount a foyer display are welcome to do so.

November 1st -Robotics and Special Educational Needs November 2nd - Robotics as a Vocation/Formal Robotics Education at the Open University in Milton Keynes.

To register for either day or both, and to make an offer of a presentation, please email: robofesta@open.ac.uk with message header RoboFesta-UK Registration and including your name, affiliation, contact details and any special dietary requirements.

best wishes

Sue Johnston-Wilder
on behalf of the OU Robotics Outreach Group

robofesta@open.ac.uk
http://www.robofesta-uk.orghttp://www.robofesta-uk.org