Skip to main content

EdCamp; Chicago Style

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 Swanson

So You Want to Host an EdCamp - John Schinker



Here are essential pieces that need to be accounted for in order to host a successful EdCamp
  1. Secure a facility with adequate parking, enough breakout areas, and rock-solid wi-fi.
  2. Creatively acquire sponsor support to pay for food, beverages, supplies, and door prizes.
  3. Leverage the energies of enthusiastic faculty, staff, and student volunteers to help with set-up, hosting, and clean-up.
  4. Leverage the experience of EdCamp veterans to help build out sessions, organize support materials, and keep the day on schedule.
  5. Use social media, such as Twitter, to share the learning with a wider, authentic audience.

 "Why EdCamp? - because it is a fun, free, non-commercial, self-directed learning experience for educators." - Kristen Swanson

"Why #EdCamp is so Awesome" - Steven Anderson





"I am MIND-BLOWN...this was a life changing day!"


Having been a participant, co-organizer, and host of EdCamp, it is easy to see why EdCamps are quickly becoming one of the most enjoyable and popular professional development opportunities that educators can experience. Here is a schedule for upcoming EdCamp events. See for yourself why EdCamps are so awesome!


** Special thanks to the following campers that helped make EdCamp Chicago 2014 a success**
Shawn McCusker, Joy Kirr, Ben Hartman, Stephanie Sukow, Ben Kuhlman, Sean Fisher-Rhode, Jen Krause, Alex Larson, Kathy Petko, Adrienne Stewart, Keith Sorensen, Theresa Christensen, Lynn Swanson, Gary Steiger, Mike Alther, Erika Varela, Paul Solarz, Tony Ganas, and Amanda Ganas

Related Resources


EdCamp Foundation

EdCamp Chicago 2014 - Organizer Checklist, EdCamp Foundation

EdCamp Chicago 2014 - Session Schedule, Shawn McCusker

EdCamp Chicago 2014 - Participant Evaluation Responses

EdCamp Chicago 2014 - Photo Gallery


Labels:
Location: Palatine, IL, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Self-Directed vs. Self-Determined Learning; What's the Difference?

"We need to move beyond the idea that an education is something that is provided for us, and toward the idea that an education is something that we create for ourselves." - Stephen Downes In this age of abundance of information, shifting classroom pedagogy isn't nearly enough to make learning in school more relevant and authentic for the learner. Self-directed learning ( andragogy ), and self-determined learning ( heutagogy ) are the ideals necessary in making students " future ready " to live and learn in a web-connected world. While original research applied these concepts to mature learners, it has become apparent that even young children have an abundant capacity for recognizing and directing their learning. Anyone who has observed toddlers learning how to walk and talk understand the motivation and skill development that quickly develops during these processes. Considered by some to be on a learning continuum, self-directed learning, and self-determined
Post a Comment
Read more

Board Games in the School Library: 3 Reasons Why It's a Winning Play

"Play is the highest form of research."  - Albert Einstein “Play is the work of the child.”  – Maria Montessori In our recently remodeled school media center, we have a space dedicated to active engagement in fun learning activities. Part maker space, part literacy lounge, board games are being incorporated to promote a culture of joyful learning. Whether it's a game of Rummy , Yahtzee , or Scrabble , family game night serves as a communication elixir and solidifies our domestic climate of togetherness. Shouldn't similar opportunities for interaction, challenge, and fun exist somewhere in our schools? Broken families, cultural fragmentation, and poverty are impacting opportunities for children to play. As we unpacked and tagged our new media center games, I was more disappointed than shocked by the number of students who had never played Monopoly , Boggle , or Sorry . One skeptical teacher commented, "Oh great, now we're letting students pl
2 comments
Read more

The Classroom Experiment - Strategies to Promote Engagement and Learning

Dylan Wiliam is a prominent educator in the United Kingdom. His ideas and strategies are consistently mentioned in education reform circles. On an uncharacteristically quiet evening at home, I stumbled across these BBC videos, The Classroom Experiment . Although it took nearly two hours to get through the videos, I came away thinking that the teacher is certainly the most important factor in student learning, and that student learning can be improved with persistence and a willingness to become better at failure. For those folks that feel that teachers can be replaced by technology, these videos suggest otherwise. The Classroom Experiment - part 1 (58:00) The Classroom Experiment - part 2 (59:00) Dylan Wiliam at The Schools Network Conference (38:00) Here is a summary of the strategies and changes that Dylan Wiliam instituted to increase student engagement and advance student learning. No raising of hands - use Popsicle sticks, or some other mechanism to randomize th
Post a Comment
Read more