This week in EDCI 336 we got to participate in an EdCamp with our class. To summarize, an EdCamp is basically a professional development opportunity for teachers to connect with others. However, the special thing about an EdCamps is that there is no pre-scheduled sessions. Everyone shows up with a topic that they are passionate about, and then the group decides what topics/sessions will occur. Educators have the opportunity to choose their own plan and path that they will take for the day.

I think that EdCamps can be extremely helpful for educators to engage with professional learning and gain applicable knowledge for their classrooms. Additionally, educators are responsible for the sessions they attend. Over the last few weeks, I had the opportunity to connect with some educators about Pro-D days. Many of the people I talked to explained how professional development days can either be really good, or really bad. Many of them stated that their best experiences have been when they had the chance to connect with their colleagues, or engage in a hands-on learning experience. I think that EdCamps can be both enjoyable and beneficial for educators.

For me, I definitely gained some interesting knowledge and information from our EdCamp. I went to a session on mental health, outdoor ed, and engaging ELL learners. I think it was really cool to engage with others and hear some of their personal stories as students, and as educators. It was nice to connect with others about similar experiences we have had in our Link2Practice, and hear some new perspectives. I really enjoyed the experience and will definitely consider engaging in something like this again in the future.

Featured Image by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash