In March of this year I attended my first ever EdCamp in Dallastown. I drove about an hour through some snowy back roads to an event that I had never heard of before because I had this feeling...that this was where I would find my people. I had been experiencing what another colleague calls "island life", where I felt alone and isolated from my peers due to my pursuance of tech integration and new pedagogy, while others were hesitant and wary of change. That experience changed my entire perspective on teaching; I attended amazing sessions, became aware of new tech tools and authors to follow, and (most importantly) met 2 amazing ladies that I am proud to collaborate and learn with & from.
This EdCamp led us to organize our very own EdCamp- EdCamp Adams County! Three short months later, we were the ones standing in front of a library full of educators, armed with post-its and sharpies, ready to lead our troops through 3 sessions of learning and collaboration. Who would have known that we would become #edcampjunkies from that original meeting?
Flash forward to today- July 24, 2017. The three of us attended EdCamp Shippensburg, and had an absolute blast! The atmosphere of an EdCamp is like PD on steroids; teachers are there because they actually want to be, not because they are required to be! This means that the conversation is more authentic, and you get out of the experience what you put into it. The best part of an EdCamp (besides the new learning, awesome prizes and the networking) is the rule of 2 feet; basically, if you aren't jiving with the session you
picked, get up and leave! You won't offend anyone! I really like this rule because there are so many times that I have sat through sessions at other choice-based PDs and not gotten a thing out of them. Today I attended Blended/Flipped Learning, BreakOutEDU, and Flexible Seating. I left those sessions feeling reenergized and excited to get back to work on some tweaks and changes for my students. The best part about an EdCamp is the communication with other educators. I may already have experience using a specific tool, but it is a safe bet that another teacher is using it differently. I love hearing the different perspectives and uses for tools that other teachers have, and it always challenges me to rethink my own teaching strategies: "Is what I am doing the most beneficial for my students?"
I strongly urge you to visit the EdCamp Foundation's website and find an EdCamp near you! It will be well worth the time you put in :)
Have you ever been to an EdCamp? Would you like to know more? Leave me a comment below!
Emily