Why can't all staff development be like Edcamp? I spend hours thinking about, developing, planning and then failing to deliver great professional development. I have found more resistance to new ideas in education than ever in the last year or so and I must confess I was just about fed up. Then I attended Edcamp Houston last Saturday.
It was perfect timing for me. It reminded me that I like doing what I do. I met new people, talked with some old friends and exchanged ideas that I wouldn't have known about or heard of without this gathering. I came to work today and instead of getting angry that I had to fix another stupid printer, (How can we break them so fast?) I repaired it and then went to do something I felt worthwhile. I am reinvigorated to again share my blog, podcasts, and even work on TCCA which had been slowly falling off my radar.
Edcamps are a gathering of educators who have like ideas. They can be tech based or science based. Anything that a group of educators would like to gather and share ideas about. Originally conceptualized in the business world, they would have camps to share ideas, network and learn from peers. The edcamp concept is relatively new to the educational world. Edcamp Houston is an instructional and integration technology based camp. Educators from around the state travel to Houston to meet at the impressive Kinkaid School and share their message. It serves as a safe place for us to talk about what we are doing in classrooms, share strategies for engaging peers and formulating plans to encourage stubborn administrators to move forward.
Upon arrival everyone gathers in a commons area where you post a topic you want to talk about. Be warned that if you put up a topic you must kick off the conversation by asking questions or sharing what you are doing, or explaining your frustration. It is an awful lot like a group therapy session where discussion takes you into new ideas and down new paths that sometimes get off topic. A good moderator is helpful and you can get up and go to another session without anyone being upset. The only rules are that there are no formal presentations and try not to dominate the conversation. (Yes, I had to be careful with this one.)
It was perfect timing for me. It reminded me that I like doing what I do. I met new people, talked with some old friends and exchanged ideas that I wouldn't have known about or heard of without this gathering. I came to work today and instead of getting angry that I had to fix another stupid printer, (How can we break them so fast?) I repaired it and then went to do something I felt worthwhile. I am reinvigorated to again share my blog, podcasts, and even work on TCCA which had been slowly falling off my radar.
Edcamps are a gathering of educators who have like ideas. They can be tech based or science based. Anything that a group of educators would like to gather and share ideas about. Originally conceptualized in the business world, they would have camps to share ideas, network and learn from peers. The edcamp concept is relatively new to the educational world. Edcamp Houston is an instructional and integration technology based camp. Educators from around the state travel to Houston to meet at the impressive Kinkaid School and share their message. It serves as a safe place for us to talk about what we are doing in classrooms, share strategies for engaging peers and formulating plans to encourage stubborn administrators to move forward.
Upon arrival everyone gathers in a commons area where you post a topic you want to talk about. Be warned that if you put up a topic you must kick off the conversation by asking questions or sharing what you are doing, or explaining your frustration. It is an awful lot like a group therapy session where discussion takes you into new ideas and down new paths that sometimes get off topic. A good moderator is helpful and you can get up and go to another session without anyone being upset. The only rules are that there are no formal presentations and try not to dominate the conversation. (Yes, I had to be careful with this one.)
Lesson 1
I am not alone. I blog and their are others who blog. I do video pod-casts and their are others who video pod-cast. I have felt it important to stake out and brand my little corner of the web. So do most of the others I met. Not once did I hear a negative down-your-nose comment about not using Twitter or Facebook. I never felt that I was being lumped into a "techie" group. No one had a pocket protector, no one asked me to fix anything, and there was a nice mix of attractive, professional men and women with cultural diversity. In other words I was reaffirmed that I am not the only person who realizes that technology is not a defining factor of who I am but rather a product of my belief that using technology is an integral part of effective classroom teaching.
Lesson 2
Administration is not out to get anyone but rather so busy it is hard to always be patting everyone on the back. Many of the sessions were populated by teachers who struggled with the idea of being on the right track. Administrators don't heap mounds of praise on the teachers who were thinking outside the box, being innovative, or expanding the classroom to reach students at home. I found it very interesting when teachers could show wonderful feedback from parents and teachers about the type of engaging ideas that they use in promoting learning at all levels. It was distressing to show one positive comment from an administrator. We had to tell each other how awesome we are, validate what we are doing and encourage educators to continue with what they were doing even though they might not hear about it on campus. We had to remind everyone that an administrator might not be interacting with you because they already know how wonderful you are and they have their hands full with peers who still print their email. I know it opened me up to relaxing about a couple of concerns I had. I will just keep doing what I have been doing until they tell me to stop.
Lesson 3
The future is now. Ideas I have had for years are now becoming reality in other school systems. Teachers ranged from very experienced to one or two years in and they all had the same message. Their peers are being left behind. Most attendees had never experienced a forum like edcamp and they were thrilled with the fact that they didn't have to sit and get. They had a voice and they learned how to use it. Most asked why all PD isn't this way. Everyone left in agreement that US education is going through a massive overhaul that politicos and big business are trying to influence. Whatever the end result is everyone agreed that effective teachers who will continue to be employable, successful and happy are the teachers who continue to learn and grow as new ideas come along. Flexibility and adaptability were keywords that many claimed their peers had lost sight of. They were chasing the cheese rather than waiting on a district to tell them where the cheese was at. Hard to put into words the power of hearing a 2nd year teacher being encouraged by a retired veteran teacher about the need for our peers to get with the program.
Conclusion
We have a long way to go in getting our peers to understand that we are creating a bigger digital divide between us and the students. I was reminded that my ideas and work have value. That I am responsible for continuing to bring change where needed on my campus. This is as important in the individual as opposed to the resistant whole. Find my success where I can and above all find someone to yell "Squirrel!" when I get off topic.