EdCampMadWI was the first time that I had a major role in
planning an EdCamp. I was a
volunteer at others, so I was able to attend all sessions. However, this time, I had to make sure
that all of the food was set up, so I wasn’t able to attend many sessions. I was able to pop into a few sessions
and ask questions or give advice, but it was a much different experience than
I’ve had in the past. Yet, it
didn’t bother me one bit that I couldn’t participate in the discussion as much
because so many of my colleagues were there! They were in sessions sharing their knowledge and
learning. The experience motivated
them, and they finally stopped looking at me funny when I profess my love of
EdCamp. Like many others, they
felt motivated and enjoyed their day.
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Marshall High School staff members at EdCamp. I'm running around in the back somewhere. |
Since so many of my colleagues were there, the inevitable
discussion came up of how to make in-service more like an EdCamp. My principal
kept pushing back in the discussion with the main argument that at an
in-service, there is not intrinsic motivation of the teachers to learn. At EdCamp, everyone is there because
they want to be. The want to be there cannot be recreated at an
in-service. I’m not sure how much
I agree with that statement. In
one-on-one discussions, I think everyone wants to be good at their job. Teachers should be willing to learn new
things or have discussions on how to make things better. Isn’t it possible to have expectations
that they will discuss? My
principal was open to the idea, as he had a good day at EdCamp, but
accountability always seems to get in the way of meaningful in-service. If you have any ideas on this, please
leave a comment below.
This blog post wouldn’t be complete without the mention of
my awesome co-planners. Jess
started organizing during lunch at EdCamp Oskosh. She put it out on Twitter and Pernille, Kaye, and I got on
board. It was a little overwhelming to be thanked by so many of the
participants (I also got an offer to be the number caller at the next church bingo event). I’m glad that I was
able to help people come together for a day to learn from each other. Really, I should be thanking all of the
attendees because that is the power of an EdCamp. I just made sure you all were fed.