New Sponsor Jumps On Board!

Good news travels fast! Redcamp13 received correspondence recently from Biteslide. Biteslide is a very cool and engaging platform for creating school projects online. Biteslide slidebooks are an amazing form of self-expression using images, videos, text and much more. They're really easy to use and a lot of fun too.

To support #redcamp13, and our conference delegates, Biteslide has stepped up to offer:

• 10 x free account certificates for door prizes.
• 25% discount coupon for all attendees for when they wish to purchase Biteslide.

We were thrilled to hear form Biteslide, and look forward to promoting thier service to all the #redcamp champs!

Thank you Biteslide!

Unconference recon at #edcampyyc...

Absolutely excellent job @paulgenge and crew hosting #edcampyyc... Nice job!
— Sean Grainger (@graingered) April 19, 2013

@joe_bower, @EbertsR and I attended edcampyyc in Calgary on April 19. I went because I am very much in favor of the edcamp unconference concept, but also as part of a reconnaissance mission to find out what makes an edcamp tick. Turns out what makes an edcamp tick is the people who attend.

Edcamp Calgary was my first edcamp experience. I've done my homework regarding the philosophy and format of edcamps, but didn't really know firsthand what it would feel like to participate in one. Participants represented a diverse range of experience with unconferences, and there were many 'tire kickers,' if you will wandering the halls and attending the sessions... it was cool to observe people being vulnerable with their learning; becoming participatory receivers.

  by  denise carbonell 

I witnessed teachers and others who are significantly invested in education immersing themselves in the collaborative mixing bowl to share thoughts and ideas with each other... because they could. All were there voluntarily to become part of the solution (or many solutions). The conversations were varied and complex, and all designed to create climates of improvement in teaching and learning. It seemed to me that people were there to share what they knew or thought, but also to explore what they didn't know or perhaps wanted to think differently about.

Some appeared more cautious than others, and some spoke less than others, but all were present and contributing to conversations surrounding the imperative to optimize teaching and learning environments. Thanks to organizers @paulgenge and @Armstrongyyc, I think #edcampyyg turned out exactly as it was supposed to. It turned out to be a gathering of engaged and passionate teachers and supporters of education who simply wanted to talk about their craft in a non-threatening and productive environment.

This is also what we intend #redcamp13 to be for the engaged and passionate folks who will be joining us on May 11 at Glendale Sciences and Technology School in Red Deer. We are excited to emulate the vibe we experienced in Calgary, and we're thrilled to become part of the growing edcamp culture in Alberta.

Hope to see you on May 11!   

Education is everyone's business...

There are many stakeholders in teaching and learning... individual learners, parents, extended family members, neighbors, friends, teachers, community-based service providers, coaches, counselors, therapists, health care providers... they are significant others in the lives of children.

Every child is unique; each one has a story that arrives at school with them. These are their learning stories, and they almost always include relative challenges. In order for teachers to provide care that addresses these challenges responsively and effectively, we have to get together with significant others in the communities we serve; we have to collaborate with them to provide supports and services that draw them in. We have to access the skills and knowledge that exists broadly outside the walls of our school buildings to fully support the whole growth of children.

The web of helping professionals within our communities is complex. We do the best we can, but aren't always coordinated in efficient and productive ways. We have to change this. We all have to collaborate to help kids write their own stories. Perhaps we can take a more collaborative and analytical look at the data sets that already exist in our organizations... compare notes and have more frequent professional dialog around them. Working together to analyze the learning stories, tendencies, patterns, strengths and preferences of kids has a tremendous upside if we are to effectively design instruction that suits each child's individual needs. Before we can do this well however, teachers have to understand that there is a ridiculous amount of insight we can gain from others who work with kids in different supportive contexts. We have to get collaborative.

At #redcamp 2013 we want to tap into the diverse collective intelligence that these significant other stakeholders have to offer the rest of us, and that's why we don't want to limit our education unconference exclusively to teachers and school-based personnel. If you are a significant other in the life of a child, and you feel you have something to learn or share, please feel welcome to attend our conference event on May 11th at Glendale Sciences and Technology School. If you have any  questions about the format, your role as a participant, proposed sessions or anything else, feel free to drop us a line at edcampreddeer@gmail.com.

Looking forward to seeing you on May 11th!

We have a schedule!

Redcamp13 is Red Deer and Central Alberta's first edcamp! Redcamp13 is a FREE one-day conference bringing together interested teachers, administrators, central office personnel, pre-service teachers and other interested parties to share and learn about best practices in education in an "unconference" format. This innovative format allows the knowledge and interests of those in attendance to lead conversations of growth. Feel free to bring a friend, group, learning team... anyone with a vested interest in making education better is welcome to attend!

It's important to know that registration is not required to attend #redcamp13 (walk-ups are invited), but necessary if you want this year's swag item... a very cool, commemorative FREE #redcamp13 t-shirt for the first 150 registrants!

We would like to announce our newly formed schedule for May 11th at Glendale Sciences and Technology School in Red Deer, AB.

Doors open at 7:30am (for the "early birds"...)
Mingle and enjoy coffee and continental breakfast from 7:45am-8:45am

Short information session and room assignment by organizers at 8:45am- 9:15am

Sessions start following the information session (there will be multiple conversations occurring during each session block in different rooms. Participants can move freely between sessions as they wish...)

Session #1- 9:15-10:15
Session #2- 10:30-11:30

Lunch break from 11:30pm-12:30pm (Lunch is bring your own or enjoy any of the nearby local restaurants/fast-food joints)

Session #3- 12:45- 1:45
Session #4-2:00- 3:00

Short wrap-up by organizers at 3:00
See you on May11th!