Preservice teacher? Practicing teacher?EdCamp is the place to be!

As a preservice teacher I was nervous and unsure what to expect going to my first Edcamp in the Fall of 2015. What I came to find was that Edcamps are both fun and informative, with a very relaxed and welcoming feel.

The Edcamp provided me with the opportunity to meet extremely dedicated teachers and learn what tools they are utilizing to engage the students in their classrooms. This was coupled with intelligent discussions on how all of us teachers can approach certain situations and become better educators. All of the sessions are hands on and are derived from everyone's interests. Attendees write down what they are willing to facilitate as well as what they would like to know and the session board for the day is created on the spot based on the most popular topics and who is willing to facilitate them. Additionally, the concept of the power of two feet (the idea that you can leave a session at anytime if you feel as though you could get more out of another session) is welcomed instead of frowned upon. This helps to make the experience even more fulfilling.

With everyone taking notes in the google doc that is set up for each session, you are able to get information from every talk even if you can't make it to all of them. At the end of the day everyone comes together for the drawings for prizes which is always exciting to see what books and technology you can end up with to use with your kids.

I enjoyed my experience at my first Edcamp so much so that I attended my second Edcamp in the Spring of 2016. This time since I knew what to expect I was excited to interact with familiar faces from my last Edcamp as well as build new connections. Unlike last time where I only sat in on sessions, this time I was able to co-facilitate a session and inform others on tools that they could be using in their classroom.

All in all, Edcamps are a great way to learn new things and meet new people without the stuffy feel of a traditional conference setting. I feel as though more teachers and preservice teachers should start attending them regularly!