Why edcamp? Because. That’s why.
One day. 7 hours. People from all over arrive. Saturday morning, coffees in hand. Sessions happen. It’s an Edcamp. What is that you say?
Honest conversations. Nothing’s personal. Collaboration. New ideas. Technology in action. In the teacher’s hands. In the kids hands. Thinking about what works, changing what doesn’t. Learning is the focus. Kids are the reason we are there. Searching to improve our teaching. Our learning. Their education. Their experiences. Their lives. How to make every day their best day of learning and how to use the tools we have available to make that happen.
#edcamp is never about bulky handouts. Long, extensive bullet point filled Powerpoints. Expensive PD bills. Fancy books filled with billions of sessions. Getting a sub for the classroom. Complaining about things we cannot change. Talking endlessly about the things we have no control over. Listening to someone talk about their program that your district can purchase for $865,000. It’s never about any of that.
It’s like PD, uncut, not just “Professional Development,” but “Passion Development.” The kind where you leave not just wishing to make changes, but you start making those changes, immediately, starting the very next school day. The kind where you do a cartwheel on the way into school the next morning and shout “I loooovvvveeee teaching!” and everyone goes “Oh, no, she’s been to an edcamp again… watch out.”
Want to be inspired? edcampDallas, September 29, 2012, edcampChicago on October 20, 2012, edcampKC on November 10, 2012, edcampSTL on February 9, 2013, edcampOmaha on March 23, 2013. Want to see if one is in your area? Check out edcamp’s Wiki. Just go, sooner, rather than later. You’ll be so glad you did.
What does learning look like?
A while ago, I created this poster “A Tale of Two Classrooms.” It wasn’t meant as a statement of “Classroom B is best.” It wasn’t even meant as a statement of “Classroom A is awful.” It was meant as a representation of Classroom A and B. I know Classroom A and B quite well. Both of them are mine. The teacher I was trained to be in college? It was Classroom A. I wanted all of my kids to be the same, so my assignments would work for them all. I piled on work, did all the talking, and was the sole enforcer of rules. I was in charge of learning. Years passed, and my teaching evolved. I began to focus on building inquiry, problem solving, embedding technology, and getting kids thinking and collaborating. It changed me. I became more like Classroom B.
I look back on what I used to do and it was what worked for me at the time. But overtime, I changed. I had to deal with pressures from colleagues who thought I should be using my textbooks more, from parents who wondered why more “graded papers” weren’t coming home. I’ve had to defend that an authentic project is more rigorous than a packet of papers. Have I got it right? Of course not. We’re never finished changing. Learning is a journey. Our kids change. The world changes. We change as teachers. This morning, I made a revised version of Classroom A versus Classroom B. As someone pointed out, it’s not a black and white issue. There is so much grey and so much individual choice. I’m not saying A or B is better for everyone. I’m saying you’ve gotta think and really understand what you want learning to look like in your classroom. Then, you’ve gotta work to carry that out. Every. Single. Day. Even when it’s exhausting. Even when it goes against the “norm” of what’s always been done. We should all aim for Classroom C, the one that works for our situation, our kids, and our schools. Make a list of what you want learning to look like. A mission statement. A scribbled Post-it note. Define YOUR classroom. The one where learning is optimal and kids are inspired. That one? It’s the best.
The Lost Common Core Standard
There’s one more Common Core Standard. It’s the lost standard. It’s the one that won’t be tested until far into the future. It’s the thing we have to make sure is being taught, modeled, and encouraged every single day in our classrooms. It includes Language Arts, Math, Science, Art, History, Music and so much more. It’s contains the power to make the world a better place. It requires our kids to have the confidence to dream and the courage to do. It insures that our students are more than scores in the newspaper. It might be the lost standard, but we cannot let it become the forgotten standard.
Beyond Comfortable
How often do we do things in our classrooms because it’s the way things have always been? Because it’s what we’re comfortable with? Because it’s just what we know? Probably often. Comfortable can be a trap. I love it when I’m familiar with something, when I’m used to it. When I can predict the outcome and know the results. But, lately? I am constantly asking myself, “What is the reason for doing this?” “Is there a better way?” “Is there a better way for me to differentiate?” I’m looking at what is my ‘normal’ way of doing it and wondering what I can do differently. Then, I’m trying it. This can feel uncomfortable, stressful, like you’re going against ‘everything you learned in college’. But, it’s necessary to move forward. We likely won’t find ‘better’ by sitting in a comfortable spot. That makes it all worth it.
The Launch Pad Virtual Tour
Currently an Innovation Coordinator at The Kinkaid School. I get to play, innovate, and support teachers and kids in learning. Know that saying, "Do what you love"? Yep.
