Reflections of an Edcamp Attendee

At this time last year, I didn't even know what an Edcamp was, let alone other terms such as Connected Educator, Twitter chat, or professional blog.

The last twelve months have proved to change that quite dramatically.

As a newbie on Twitter (lurker) I watched some great educators tweeting about some awesome ideas last March.

At the time I didn't realize that it was #EdcampIowa.

Or that it was happening quite literally in my backyard.
In my own district.
About 15 minutes away.

I clearly was not connected to what was happening around me!


Fast forward to this weekend.

I've just completed my 4th Edcamp in 6 months.

#EdcampOmaha ~ UNO Campus, March 21, 2015
#EdcampIowa ~ Central location, Ankeny, IA ~ January 31, 2015
#NerdcampIA ~ Ankeny, IA ~ October 25, 2014
#EdcampDSM ~ West Des Moines, IA ~ September 20, 2014

The conversations I had this weekend ranged from innovative & creative ways to learn in the classroom, making global connections, creating a different classroom environment, and teacher choice in professional development. I also made some great connections with other teachers & plan to keep in touch in order to enhance our students' learning.

Similar experiences have happened at each Edcamp I've attended.

Each experience has been an opportunity to......
.....view things from a new perspective
.....learn new ideas & tools for my students and myself
.....consider changes I could make in my own classroom
.....network with other passionate educators

Why Edcamp?

Edcamp is a way to...
..... to connect the dots between the things you do and the things you didn't even know were out there.
......to share the ideas that you're passionate about.
......reflect, question, and participate in conversations.
......have a personalized PD experience.

If you've never attended an Edcamp I'd highly encourage you to do so.
It's free.
It's fun.
It's a way to share your voice.

Find your EdCamp here :)

#EdcampOmaha t-shirt 2015