I attended my first EdCamp last week.
The best way I can describe it is as a big learning love-fest where people
(teachers, librarians, administrators, tech coordinators, etc.) show up to
share, collaborate, problem-solve, listen, and discuss.
I wasn't sure why I attended other than
I heard this was the coolest thing to hit professional development since people
began fashionably calling it "PD." After attending three sessions (and
the informal BBC get together after), I walked away with 3 major lessons that I
can use in my classroom:
1. Take ownership of your learning.
The major premise of EdCamp is that
there are no lectures/presentations set up in advance. I was greeted in the
morning by a table filled with fabulous goodies, a gigantic whiteboard with
session times and room numbers blocked in a table, and huge neon
post-it's.
Participants decided if there was a
session they wanted to lead, or a problem they wanted to discuss, and put it up
on the board. Hitting my magic bravery button, I placed a post-it on the board
inviting people to a technology in the classroom discussion during session 3.
Then I picked out two additional sessions to attend (created by other
participants).
Take-away: Wouldn't it be cool to test
out this concept with a unit? Have students create topics they wish to research
further and let the groups sort themselves out by interest.
2. Be open to learning unexpected
lessons.
The first two sessions I attended -
Flipping the Classroom and Blogging in the Classroom - did not meet my
preconceived notions for what I expected to learn. However, they were both
packed with great information. So I took notes on applications and techniques
which might prove useful in my classroom sometime down the road.
Take-away: As teachers, we plan our
units with specific goals in mind. However, there are times when the actual
application of the lesson goes in a different direction. Learning is not always
a linear process, so be open to opportunities to adjust your unit expectations
to meet the real learning happening with your students.
3. Be brave enough to lead the discussion
AND to ask questions about what you don't know
Although I walked into EdCamp intending
to be a passive participant, I led a session in the afternoon on technology in
the classroom. Surrounded by fabulous professionals who had been in this
profession longer than me, it was a nerve-wracking standing up and offering my
so-called expertise on the topic. What if they laughed? What if everyone
already knew everything I knew, thus making my presentation useless? Turns out,
my fears were unfounded!
As I shared, it was exciting to realize
how much I had learned about this topic in the past few years. Furthermore, as
I posed questions to the group, I learned about new resources, and how to use
some existing ones in new or better ways. Being open to sharing what I didn't
know allowed me the opportunity to meet awesome people who offered best
practices too. One very cool teacher spent an hour of her time after the
session answering my questions and sharing her resources. (I think we are
becoming besties for life!) If I hadn't been brave enough to lead the
discussion, these opportunities might not have presented themselves.
Take-away: Students should be given
opportunities to become experts and share with their classes. People always say
that you learn the material best when you teach it to someone else. So why
aren't we helping students to have this same opportunity for learning?
I plan to attend more EdCamps. Fun, innovative, and collaborative, they are great models for the future of classroom experiences.
