Mo Physics Mo Problems

  We had out 5th annual EdCamp this past Saturday and it was a very different PD experience. Due to the pandemic, we help the EdCamp virtually. That meant that anyone across the globe could attend. While we usually only have educators from out region attend, we had educators across the nation and in some in Canada attend. In addition, we had an attendee from Turkey! The conference was conducted using Zoom and Zoom breakout rooms for the sessions. The team did a great job of organization and management. I could go on, but this is my first blog post in a while and I'd like to keep it brief. Below you'll find the session board for the day with notes docs linked. We had some wonderful sessions and the notes documents house some wonderful thoughts and resources. So, I recommend checking them out. Although this EdCamp was only for the morning, there was a lot of learning to be had. We had no technology issues from our end as organizers but I can imagine participants may have had iss...

The EdCamp experience is special for many reasons. It may be your first step into sharing your experience as a professional. It may be a place to learn about something new. It may be a place for making connections with educators who share your passions. If you are and educator who is interested in solutions and taking an active role in your profession, EdCamp is the place for you. An EdCamp is an unconference in which the participants in attendance pitch the sessions for the day. Then participants choose the sessions they wish to attend. EdCamp is a place where your role could shift from session to session. EdCamp as a place to present A traditional educational conference requires presenters to submit proposals months in advance. So presenting at a conference is a pretty big commitment. It is super intimidating. It requires a bit of ego and willingness to be rejected in order to take the time to complete that proposal submission. An EdCamp provides perfect baby steps for someone...

Yesterday we held EdCamp Elmbrook 2019. It was our 3rd time putting on this event in our district. While last year we had around 120 attendees, this year we broke 200 in attendance. If you are not sure what an EdCamp is, it is an UnConference model. Attendees come to the event and propose the topics for the sessions they want. While these sessions are being pitched, the schedule for the day is being built. For each session a communal notes document is created for sharing thoughts and ideas for those in the sessions but also for those who are in other sessions or those who can't be in attendance. Below, you will find our schedule for the day along with session notes documents linked The variety of the sessions was incredible. This is due to the fact that EdCamps aren't geared to one specific population. It is not a tech conference, it is not a literacy conference, it is not an administrator's conference. It is a conference that is shaped by the needs, i...

Our 3rd EdCamp Elmbrook is coming up on March 2nd. From communication to organization, the planning of this event has required me to grow in many different ways. The biggest area of growth for me has been asking for help. Not simply asking for help from colleagues in the district. Part of hosting the event has been asking for help from potential sponsors. Seeking out sponsors used to mean going from business to business asking for donations face to face.  Or, getting a list of phone numbers and calling them one by one with a prepared script. Oh how times have changed. In the age of social media and email, it has become so much easier to reach out to and find potential sponsors. Sponsors of events no longer need to be local. The ability to connect with companies digitally has been a great boon for our EdCamp. It creates a wonderful two way street where they can help us with support for our event while we can share out their presence at our event and help build brand awaren...

As a professional I take great pride in the freedoms I have in terms of implementing state standards and designing a curriculum with the goal of reaching all learners. But these things that are expected of my. The one professional accomplishment I have been most proud of the last two years is the EdCamp I helped found in my school. It has required the work and support of many other people to make it happen. But, I realize that without my first step of putting up the following post on my blog and sharing it through our district's Google+ Community , it never would have happened. As we gear up for our 3rd EdCamp Elmbrook on March 2nd, I wanted to share some reason's why YOU should come to Brookfield Central that day and be part of the EdCamp Experience. The reason I champion the experience is for all of the great learning that I get from other educators in my content area and beyond. More than learning from them, they become a part of my personal learning network. I know that...