Why Ed Camp?

It puzzles me why I still talk to people about why Ed Camps are great.  I had my first Ed Camp experience last year when we hosted Ed Camp West Frankfort in my building.  I was on the planning team and I was supposed to be on duty but I found myself participating.  It is truly a great format for professional learning and networking.  I was so motivated by it that I held an Ed Camp for my students called RedCamp and the response was better than I expected.  It is easy to see why the Ed Camp format is such a favorable way to learn.

Simply put, an Ed Camp is a conference without presenters.  The participants gather to generate the topics and those ideas are placed on the board to be scheduled into rooms.  Once the schedule is set, everyone goes to the room that is hosting their desired topic.  That's where the magic happens.  Everyone is there for the same reason and dialogue is created around that topic.  Their might be people there to share what they are doing or people that need to know how to do what's being done.  There is no presenter there to dictate the content to you.  While I myself have been a presenter and I won't knock that format, I know there are times when I don't cover something in a personalized way for my attendees.  In an Ed Camp, the topics are covered as deep as need be for each person ensuring that their expectations are met.

Let me try another way to explain this experience.  Think back to a time when you were taking a graduate class and your instructor related a concept to a real administrative experience and there was that one guy that started a side topic.  His comments sent the class into a frenzy of pure engagement and Socratic discussion.  The instructor is not stopping the new dialogue because it is a teachable moment and the class activity is no longer about the syllabus, its about growth.  So much so that when its over, the class needed a break to relax.  Now imagine a whole day of that.

If you have never attended an Ed Camp, you are missing out.  Sure, I do love to sit and listen sometimes but we can all agree that educators love to give and take from other educators.  The interaction with people from outside your building or even your area can be very rewarding.  If you would like more information on the Ed Camp movement just follow this link.

If you are looking for an Ed Camp experience, the West Frankfort school district is hosting our second Ed Camp on July 11th.  We are not only having an Ed Camp for teachers, we are expanding to administrators and hosting an Ed Camp Leader at the same time.  If you would like to join us please use the links below to register.  There will be prizes and food in addition to a enriching learning experience.

Ed Camp WF 

Ed Camp Leader 

Ed Camp WF Web Page