How Edcamps Are Like Flash Mobs

(flickr: artberri)

(Written by Diane Roberts, @robertsdrb.  This article is also posted on my blog: DiMentions)

I am currently working on planning Red Deer's first edcamp, dubbed REdcamp13 (pretty cool play on words thanks to @EbertsR and since I love flash mobs, I was struck by the similarities.  I have to admit that I have never been to an edcamp but am so impressed with #edcamp talk on Twitter that I was inspired to help bring one to my city.   Here, in my humble opinion, is how edcamp is like a flash mob.  Feel free to agree or disagree, particularly if you have edcamp experience!  :)

How Edcamp is like a Flash Mob:

1.  Flashmobs, like edcamps start with one or two people, moving to a beat, dancing to what appears to be their own drummer…at first.  The moves soon catch on and others are joining in the fun.  Edcamp, a relatively new concept in professional development for educators where the participants guide the learning, is gaining momentum.  My REdcamp13 colleagues and I know that the edcamp idea is little known or understood around these parts but we intend to shake it, boogie, learn some new moves and have fun in hopes that it will catch on with our fellow Albertans (Saskatchewanites? British Columbians?) who dare to come to our first edcamp in May, 2013.

What if your professional development looked like this?

This was written by our friend and colleague Chris McCullough (a #redcampchamp.) He is a high school teacher in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. He blogs here and tweets here. This post was originally found here.

If you've watched the video about edcamps in the original post on this blog, I hope you've come to understand a little bit about the power of intrinsic motivation and autonomy. With regards to Teacher Professional Development, this seems to be a new concept. Personally I believe many teachers in North America have forgotten how important it is to maintain the professionalism and art that is teaching.

As teachers, we have to do more than handout worksheets, and get students to fill in the answers. As an example, I recently had a conversation with a colleague who explained that a student of hers was complaining that her Social Studies school work was too hard. "Couldn't we just complete worksheets, you know, the kind where the answers are in each chapter of the textbook?" This is an interesting dilemma for a teacher; the idea that a student would complain that their assignments made them think, create, and problem solve. As Professionals it is important that teaching is much broader than handing out questions. Great teachers engage, discuss, and get their students thinking. Teacher Professional Development should be like this too. The #edcamp model is a great example of how this could work, and I truly hope that teachers throughout Central Alberta will give this kind of learning a try. Teachers love to "talk shop" and this un-conference does just that!

In life, the answer isn't always at the back of the book, and I believe when it comes to teacher Professional Development this is true too. As a profession, we can't be the students who are complaining that they have to think at school. We have to embrace our learning needs, wants, and challenges. We can't let people do this for us. If we do, then we are just technicians, we are less than professionals. Professionals always try to better themselves, so why not try #redcamp. It's local, it's free, and it may just be the kind of Professional Development you're looking for.

For further information, check out this great TED talk by Kristen Swanson.

Red Deer's first edcamp...

It's a new year, and our group of collaborators is excited about #redcamp13, Red Deer's first edcamp unconference this May 11 at Glendale Sciences and Technology School.

 video courtesy of edcamp.org

Following a series of conversations late last year, a core group of supporters for #redcamp13 emerged, and now we can get serious about planning the details. Watch for updates about our registration process, and the logistics of our event coming soon in January. Presentations at edcamps are crowd-sourced and can address any educational theme or hot button topic.

Plans will evolve quickly over the coming several weeks as we upload registration protocols and begin pondering session proposals. Watch this blog for evolving details, and by all means hit the Twitter button in the sidebar to follow our feed, or send us an email at edcampreddeer@gmail.com!

Hope to see you on May 11th at #redcamp 2013!