"Unconference", "vote with your feet", "rocks vs. sucks", "if I could I would..." these are just a few of the things you will hear when you attend an EdCamp morning. Saturday, I attended my third EdCamp and it was another great experience. I brought my daughter with me as she is in her 2nd year of college with aspirations of being a teacher herself. I made a vague attempt to explain the day ahead but finally gave up. It's not something you can explain to someone who hasn't been there before.
The atmosphere is engaging. The dress is casual. You don't stay with your group but quickly branch out to find what inspires you.
Our first session was Twitter 101. My daughter, Kendra, was wanting to sign up and learn the basics. I was wanting to see how the presentation/discussion was laid out. In our 45 minutes, we connected with two area librarians, was introduced to Cybraryman.com and felt more confident with helping others use Twitter for PD. My daughter was hooked already. She was feverishly taking notes. She planned to present to her education class on something that she had learned from edcamp. Now, she needed to decide on what, the "unconference" atmosphere, using social media in school, or how Twitter can be used for professional development.
Our second session was a library round table discussion. The topic quickly went to the changes happening in local libraries and the relevance of a librarian position. All the time we were connecting with more teachers and adding to our professional learning community.
Our last session was an Edcamp staple, "Rocks Vs. Sucks". Topics are presented and you move depending on your opinion, the 'This Rocks" side or the "This Sucks" side. My daughter, having not moved from my side most of the day, branched out on her own and was able to give her college minded opinion about topics in a nonjudgmental atmosphere. Throughout the day my thoughts about education were stretched, challenged and affirmed. I connected with educators around the state. I have practical usable information and ideas that I can take back to my school and use on Monday morning. I laughed, tweeted, talked and listened. I enjoyed coffee, scones and even some frozen custard. And did I mention the entire event was FREE?!
Kendra and I are already looking forward to our next Edcamp experience.
The atmosphere is engaging. The dress is casual. You don't stay with your group but quickly branch out to find what inspires you.
Our first session was Twitter 101. My daughter, Kendra, was wanting to sign up and learn the basics. I was wanting to see how the presentation/discussion was laid out. In our 45 minutes, we connected with two area librarians, was introduced to Cybraryman.com and felt more confident with helping others use Twitter for PD. My daughter was hooked already. She was feverishly taking notes. She planned to present to her education class on something that she had learned from edcamp. Now, she needed to decide on what, the "unconference" atmosphere, using social media in school, or how Twitter can be used for professional development.
Our second session was a library round table discussion. The topic quickly went to the changes happening in local libraries and the relevance of a librarian position. All the time we were connecting with more teachers and adding to our professional learning community.
Our last session was an Edcamp staple, "Rocks Vs. Sucks". Topics are presented and you move depending on your opinion, the 'This Rocks" side or the "This Sucks" side. My daughter, having not moved from my side most of the day, branched out on her own and was able to give her college minded opinion about topics in a nonjudgmental atmosphere. Throughout the day my thoughts about education were stretched, challenged and affirmed. I connected with educators around the state. I have practical usable information and ideas that I can take back to my school and use on Monday morning. I laughed, tweeted, talked and listened. I enjoyed coffee, scones and even some frozen custard. And did I mention the entire event was FREE?!
Kendra and I are already looking forward to our next Edcamp experience.