Two months ago I attended edCamp Columbus. First off, a little about edCamp . . .
The description above does not do this professional development justice. It was a great experience and just as important a quality day of learning with great educators from around the state (by the way everybody was there on a beautiful Saturday). I had the opportunity to collaborate and listen to how educators are thinking differently about the math classroom, innovative master schedules, sharing high quality open-source resources, and having a "hangout" with other edCampers from other parts of the world. With each of these sessions, I was able to bring something back to my building.edCamp Columbus is an unconference. The first Edcamp columbustook place March 3rd, 2012 at Upper Arlington High School near Columbus, Ohio. The second Edcamp Coumbus will be held March 9th, 2013 at Gahanna Lincoln School’s Clark Hall. We look forward to hosting a diverse assembly of people interested in all topics related to education. Our crowd will include teachers, parents, students, and administrators. There will be representatives from early childhood, primary, secondary, and post-secondary education. Librarians, museum curators, and everyone else are encouraged to attend.What is an unconference?
We like Wikipedia’s definition: “An unconference is a participant-driven meeting.” It’s a gathering that tries “to avoid one or more aspects of a conventional conference, such as high fees, sponsored presentations, and top-down organization.”
I'm left wondering how my colleagues and I can implement an edCamp like experience with our own professional development for staff members. Has anybody out there tried an edCamp at the building or district level?
Thanks Toby Fischer, Cara Hubbell, and whoever else played a role in designing edCamp Columbus! I look forward to it next year.
Cheers,
Aaron
