Edcamp Organizer On Air Hangout: Sponsors and Finances

Tonight I had the opportunity to do a Google Hangout with the some great people who are part of the EdCamp movement.  The goal of the video was to provide advice to people who might want sponsor an EdCamp of their own.  I was honored to be a part of the discussion.  EdCamps have a special place in my heart and have helped me to grow as a teacher.  Watching teachers plan their own learning has also encouraged me to offer the same chance to my students.

Thoughts on #EdCampMke

Two days after attending #EdCampMKE I am experiencing what I like to call the #EdcampBump. For a period of time after any EdCamp my mind races and I start to see old lessons and the challenges that I face very differently.  The materials that I produce after an Edcamp have a very different feel to them.  Even more powerful is that the materials and content that my students produce in the weeks after I attend and #EdCamp are very different too.

One of the things that I like about the Edcamp model is that there is no institutional inertia holding them in place. They are driven by the ideas and interests, problems and concerns of the people who attend them.  There is no set philosophy that they must adhere to and no agenda that must be followed.  If the schedule does not meet your needs it is not the fault of the planners, it is on you to speak up and fix it.  For this reason I believe that in 10 years the Edcamp model will be just as relevant as it is today since it will not have to shed a previously embrace set of institutional policies and values.

Case in point was the impromptu Smackdown session that was run in the café’ late on Saturday.  It was thought up and made real.  While I was participating I was following several Google docs from the sessions that I was interested in but chose not to attend.  The Smackdown was a priority for me because of our upcoming 1:1 pilot.

Overall it is a day that I get to plan.  I set my priorities for learning. I seek out further knowledge when necessary.  It is as learning should be.  Mostly, I knew what I needed and I set out to get it but several times people in sessions made it clear to me that there where new places that I could grow.

Edcamps are a growth medium where ideas germinate and spread, where a first year teacher has as much right to share ideas and sessions as a 20 year veteran.  Edcamps foster sharing like no other PD experience I have ever attended.  Edcmaps foster a sense of community among the teachers that attend them that I have never seen replicated in another format.  Teachers helping teachers, giving everything they have to offer and sharing their passions, what could be better than that.

I could say so much more here but rather than go on and on I wanted to list some of the moments at #edcampmke that have stuck with me and mean the most.

1. The session “What has your Attention?”  Just talking about what we were passionate about.  I have a list of things to read. I left and my soul felt good.
2. Listening to Wisconsin teachers who have been through a lot and are facing some hardships put it all aside and discuss how to best serve their students with fewer resources.
3. Watching my sister-in-law experience an #Edcamp for the first time and talking about running one herself.
4. Discussing how to manage your public face and digital life on twitter and in blogs without losing who you are or the honesty of what you are saying.
5.  Talking to others from 1:1 schools about the concerns of the community and the “Why?” Behind such programs.
6. Explaining twitter to someone who had no idea it could be used for education. I remember thinking the same thing just a few short years ago.
7. And soo many more.

So thank you to the organizers of EdCamp Milwaukee for a very well run day. Thank you to all of you who shared your thoughts and passions and contributed to my growth.  Growth is life.

Reflection on EdCampss

I am fresh back from #edcamppss in Philadelphia.  I am a bit tired, a lot proud, and really energized to make what I have learned tangible in my classroom.    It’s satisfying it was to meet people who are working hard to make their classrooms a better place.  It was surreal to see an event so long in the making become real and to get the other organizers again.

I wish that I had more time to talk to all of the other attendees.  That is the downside to organizing.  You miss many of the chances to stop, chat and know the people beyond a 140 character limit.  This is my one regret from the day.

I must offer my thanks to @nesticos @dontworryteach @becky_ellis_ @irishteach @gregkulowiec and @ron_peck for all they did to make the day happen.  They inspire me beyond what they know.

I want to thank so many of the others who attended, too many to list , for sharing their work and ideas so freely.  Together we make a difference.

I really want to thank @mseideman who was for me the #edcampss rock star.  Her clearly articulated and well thought out ideas were exactly why I go to #edcamp’s .  I will follow here more closely on twitter and I really think she should moderate an #sschat in the future.

I also want to thank @jharaz for sharing a story that makes the working on #sschat and sharing on twitter worthwhile.