Nocking the Arrow

When it comes to learning, sharing, and connecting with communities and networks, few activities can match the energy and effectiveness of EdCamp. From all accounts EdCamp Chicago 2014 was a rousing success. With 260 educators present, and countless others following the sessions on Twitter , it proved to be an enjoyable day of personalized professional development. I had the pleasure of co-organizing and co-hosting the event that took place Saturday May 10th, at Palatine High School . My original intent of this post was to provide advice on how to host an EdCamp, but I soon discovered the topic has been effectively documented, several times. Instead, I am reinforcing the message that EdCamps provide awesome opportunities for learning, personal networking, and professional development. Here are a few terrific resources for gaining a better understanding of what EdCamp is, as well as, how to effectively host an EdCamp. Resources for Hosting an EdCamp - Edutopia, Kristen Swanso

Our household is made up entirely of teachers and students. The six of us tend to accumulate more than our share of papers, books, and other learning paraphernalia during the work week. It's the weekend, so that means it's time for dad to organize and recycle the week's accumulated reading material. It was during this cleaning process that I came across a book that my wife had brought home from her school, Duct Tape Parenting . The book is part of a joint summer reading program for teachers and parents in an effort to reduce a recent increase in helicopter parenting . "Well, that's an interesting title.", I said aloud, as I began flipping through the pages. The premise of Duct Tape Parenting , written by Vicki Hoefle , is the emphasis of a new set of 3Rs in preparing kids for life " in the real world ". Instead of reading, writing, and arithmetic , the challenge becomes helping young people develop skills in the areas of being more... Respectful