What's an Edcamp?

Let’s begin with a definition. In short, edcamps are:

• Free: Edcamps should be free to all attendees. This helps ensure that all different types of teachers and educational stakeholders can attend.

• Non-commercial and with a vendor-free presence: Edcamps should be about learning, not selling. Educators should feel free to express their ideas without being swayed or influenced by sales pitches for educational books or technology.

• Hosted by any organization or individual: Anyone should be able to host an Edcamp. School districts, educational stakeholders and teams of teachers can host edcamps.

• Made up of sessions that are determined on the day of the event:Edcamps should not have pre-scheduled presentations. During the morning of the event, the schedule should be created in conjunction with everyone there. Sessions will be spontaneous, interactive and responsive to participants' needs.

• Events where anyone who attends can be a presenter: Anyone who attends an edcamp should be eligible to present. All teachers and educational stakeholders are professionals worthy of sharing their expertise in a collaborative setting.

• Reliant on the "law of two feet" which encourages participants to find a session that meets their needs: As anyone can host a session, it is critical that participants are encouraged to actively self-select the best content and sessions. Edcampers should leave sessions that do not meet their needs. This provides a uniquely effective way of "weeding out" sessions that are not based on appropriate research or not delivered in an engaging format.

FOR MORE DETAILED INFORMATION

Visit the following article written by Kristen Swanson, Co-founder of the EdCamp Foundation:

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/why-edcamp-kristen-swanson