For this week’s blog post I will be sharing my thoughts on EdCamp and it’s benefits for a future teacher like myself. I think EdCamp would be great for teachers of all grade levels, as the knowledge learned can be tailored and applied to any grade. My pod and I discussed how having an event like EdCamp quite regularly would be extremely beneficial for all teachers, and students. When I think of a more low key version of EdCamp, I think of Pro-D days. Pro-D days are awesome, but I think a lot of the time they aren’t utilized to their full potential. My pod and I agreed that attending an EdCamp regularly would also be a great way to meet new teachers and build community relationships.

Knowledge management tools such as EdCamp can be an excellent source to curate lesson plans and collaborate on ideas. The more you touch base with other teachers and exchange thoughts on your lesson plans and class material, the more refined you can make your lessons. Overall, this is very beneficial for the students as they are going to experience a more hands on teacher who is interested in growth mindset and sharing new ways of learning. I would love to attend one of these in person, and get to know other teachers and reflect on ways to make our schools a better learning environment for ALL students.

I came across this article online that goes into a little more detail about what exactly EdCamp is and the perspective from a teacher in Toronto. He exclaims that “On its own, EdCamp Toronto was a powerful day of conversations with those who care about what is happening in our schools. But when coupled with the other EdCamp events happening across the country, it becomes possible to identify this as a movement! It’s a movement energized and enacted at the grassroots level and, if early feedback is any indication, it’s a movement that will grow, representing an alternative way of talking about education and citizenship within this place we call school.” (Hurley, 2011).

https://www.edcan.ca/articles/the-edcamp-movement/?gclid=Cj0KCQiApL2QBhC8ARIsAGMm-KHKwde0if059QjdHXKglhfCWIiyP4ciWKCGGw71vlvd_tilBDgGZKIaAn9KEALw_wcB

I also really enjoyed this short YouTube video that was very motivational to see how connected all the teachers feel when participating with other like-minded individuals. ALL of these teachers have a growth mindset and want to continue to learn and grow to create a better environment for their students.

“It’s about every teachers experience and needs, not just one teacher.”

“The EdCamp model is built on the idea that teachers can learn from and inspire one another to enhance their professional skills with the goal of improving student outcomes. EdCamps are a participatory professional development event organized by teacher volunteers in which educators lead their own learning experiences.” (YouTube, 2020).

See you next week!

Megan