We're Back...

We are excited to announce that RedCamp is back again for a third year! This April 11, 2015 lots of engaged, passionate and committed educators and other who support learning will converge at Glendale Sciences and Technology School to socialize, collaborate, listen and learn form each other on topics of their own choosing. The day has proven to be a memorable one for the 275 ed-campers who have participated in the past two events.

We want to invite anyone who has a vested interest in improving the learning experience in schools and beyond! We welcome teachers, educational assistants, educational paraprofessionals, politicians, parents, students, business representatives, community agencies and anyone else who wants to talk about optimized learning. RedCamp beleives that it takes a larger effort to effectively educate kids in the contemporary world than can be adequately provided in schools operating in a vacuum. This is why we want a broad spectrum of guests to join us at our edcamp... as one participant noted last year, "the one with such a wonderfully diverse collection of people involved." We're proud of this.

Watch for more details to come as April 11 draws near. A registration link is found in the top right corner of this blog. We hope to see you "in the middle" on April 11, 2015!

One Day Away...

So the first ever edcamp in central Alberta is only a day away. Some pre-conference reflections are in order...

• It's totally amazing to me to consider that 126 people, many from out of town, and some from way out of town, have registered for a one day education conference on a Saturday that has no marquis name, brand or theme... a truly dedicated bunch of folks who just want to talk about how to make education better.
• It is really intriguing to notice such a broad spectrum of people with different backgrounds coming together at #redcamp13... it truly does take a village, as they say.
• It is so great to see a dozen pre-service teachers take the edcamp plunge. My guess? This is a highly engaged and dedicated group of teachers-to-be joining us.
• It has been interesting to watch the #redcamp13 event evolve over time in organic and transformative ways. I have come to realize once again, the power of social connection, and as part of the #redcamp planning process, I've learned about social collaboration too.
• Edcamps are a trend worth watching. Along the journey toward our event we received support from two leading web-based tech tools. Biteslide came on board with a door prize sponsorship of 10 free premium memberships and participant discounts for everyone, and Yapp provided free app creation services for #redcamp13. They called us... very cool:)
• It takes only a few engaged and collaborative people to put an edcamp together. Thanks to the locals for being those people!

So I know there will be more to say during and after #redcamp13... my hope is the tweets will be flying in multiple directions, and that the backchannel is relevant and useful to those who can't attend. I also hope participants will make use of our #redcamp13 app, and in particular to upload a memorable bunch of photos to record the day. Most of all though I hope that people attend #redcamp13 with an open mind and a sincere willingness to be vulnerable within their learning.

It's not too late to join us... pre-register at the red button registration link above, or just show up on Saturday morning... we'd be be so happy to have you join us!

Zen and the Art of the Lingering Question...

This is a guest post from Jasmine Travers-Charbonneau, Speech and Language Pathologist and #redcamp13 champ. This is her first blog... thanks so much Jasmine for contributing!

How does one "present" at an unconference?

You see, I am passionate about a number of topics: inclusion, assistive technology, literacy and communication. Having an opportunity to talk about them, learn about them, and discover new resources with others keeps me engaged in the work I do. So, when the opportunity to share and connect with educators at #redcamp13 came up, I signed up immediately, but now, I have been wondering what "sessions" and "presenting" look like at an edcamp.

The most meaningful professional learning usually revolves around answering a lingering question. With the edcamp model of identifying topics being so unique and participant driven, why would we approach "presenting" in a conventional way? Let's ask questions. Let's bring our most exciting materials. Let's be free to give our opinions, share our experiences, and wonder aloud. Presenting, then, would not be lecturing, but rather facilitating a conversation. That's not so tough!

Looking forward to seeing and learning from you next weekend.

Jasmine Travers-Charbonneau R.SLP, MSc.SLP, SLP (C)
Speech Language Pathologist
REACH, Red Deer
 jltravers@cbe.ab.ca