This week I participated in a CEP 811 EdCamp “unconference”. EdCamps are held across the country inspiring teachers to promote and open discussion about educational topics without the “sage on the stage” format. Instead of one lecturer spending hours preparing, participants simply think of topics a day, or even a few hours, beforehand. This spontaneous, open discourse allows teachers time to explore questions and concerns and share resources and ideas with one another in a collaborative, non-threatening environment.
Since I am completing CEP 811 online, our EdCamp gathering was held online via Google Hangouts. I really enjoyed the opportunity to pose questions to fellow educators and get their valuable feedback. My peers fostered thoughtful discussion and shared great resources, which I hope to spend time exploring before the new school year begins. What was most eye-opening was discovering the unique teaching environments each of my peers comes from.
I have had teaching experiences in three different schools. While each school had their unique qualities, for the most part they resembled each other in that lap top carts and/or computer labs were the only ways to access technology. It was valuable to hear my CEP 811 classmates share their experiences with one-to-one devices and flipped classrooms. These discussions encouraged me to consider the benefits and drawbacks of such educational environments. With grants, it might be possible for me to try both of these in my classroom, and I appreciated the information the presenters provided.
I think this type of conversation is a great form of professional development because it is just that- a conversation. While I appreciate any and all professional development opportunities, I have to admit it is easy to lose focus when one lecturer is speaking for several hours at a time without much interaction with the audience. Additionally, district-mandated PD does not always focus on the burning questions educators have. In an EdCamp style conferences, teachers get to directly address their struggles and questions by gaining insight from other educators in the same position.
For example, my district provided TI-Nspire graphing calculator PD (10 hours), and I took two courses (107 hours total) on my own to learn how to incorporate this technology in my classroom. That adds up to a little over five continuous days of training with this calculator. While I certainly gained a lot of valuable knowledge from these training sessions, I was surprised to find the most meaningful learning experience was trying to work through an activity with my math department. One coworker would show us this quick way to clear the calculator. Another would show us an easy way to write sequences to fill in data on a spread sheet. My coworkers were able to identify road blocks they encountered and share solutions with the rest of the department. To me, this would be the same spirit of an EdCamp where teachers collaborate and help one another.
Teachers are so often seen scrambling trying to prepare lessons, document growth, utilize the building’s resources, sponsor clubs, etc., that we have so little time to actually sit down and talk about our experiences with our lessons, ways we foster growth, ways we incorporate technology, and the success of the extracurriculars we run. An EdCamp conversation would simply give coworkers the time that we never have to share our knowledge with one another.
Collaboration at EdCamp Philly
While there are so many benefits to EdCamps, there are a few things I would do differently when organizing my own EdCamp for others. First, my “unconference” was unfortunately limited to Google Hangouts because my peers come from all over the state/country. This made sense for our situation. However, I think it is extremely important to have the authentic personal interaction so that technological glitches such as hearing feedback or microphones not working don’t interfere with this connection. Additionally, it is challenging to create an open discussion rather than a lecture-style presentation, but I think that is the true heart of the EdCamp experience. If this conference were face-to-face, it would be easier to have different presenters discuss overlapping ideas at the same time and contribute to an even deeper conversation and exploration of the topic at hand.
Logistically, to organize an EdCamp, I would use social media such as Twitter and/or Facebook to promote the event. I would have people RSVP to gain an idea of how many collaborators would be involved in the conference. This would help me determine the building space that we would need and how we could avoid costs for using the space. Additionally, I would have to organize a rotation of speakers in rooms and make sure there were enough separate spaces for separate topics to be explored.
Overall, I had a wonderful EdCamp experience. I think it is important for educators to use their coworkers and peers as a main component of their professional learning network. We all have great ideas, thoughts, and questions, which should be explored rather than kept silent in a lecture hall.
References:
Jarrett, Kevin. (2012, April 12). Feelings on Professional Development (EdCamp Philly 2012 Survey). [image]. Retrieved August 5, 2014, from https://www.flickr.com/photos/kjarrett/7070474227/
Jarrett, Kevin. (2012, May 19). Edcamp Philly 2012-8029. [photograph]. Retrieved August 5, 2014, from http://www.flickr.com/photos/kjarrett/7230356108/
*Note: All images were used under the Creative Commons license
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