Upcoming Edcamp PD Events

Manor New Technology High School (just east of Austin, TX) will be hosting the second Edcamp Manor this Saturday. Putting it all together is Chris Fancher (@cfanch), a Math/Engineering Teacher at the high school and a friend of the Collaborize team since we met him at SXSWedu back in March.  Collaborize Classroom is sponsoring the event this Saturday so attendees can expect some cool surprises including Collaborize Classroom wristbands and more. If you are an educator, student or parent who lives around Austin, TX or will be in town visiting, stop by Edcamp Manor for a great day of FREE Professional Development, collaboration and fun!

On November 5th, Colt Briner, VP & General Manager and myself will be flying into Kansas City, MO to attend Edcamp Kansas City. Kyle Pace (@KylePace), an Instructional Technology Specialist, will be hosting the second annual EdcampKC. We are beyond excited to see him and some of our other #EduFriends that we haven’t seen since ISTE 2011 in Philadelphia.

There are so many reasons why anyone in the education industry should be attending as many Edcamps as possible, but instead of reinventing a list, I simply cultivated some of my favorites. Here are my Top 10 Favorite Reasons To Attend An Edcamp from various blogs:

1. It is free.
2. Hierarchies do not exist at an Edcamp. Regardless of his or her perspective, each participant’s ideas and contributions are equally respected.
3. Teachers, administrators, parents, students, and community members are all welcome!
4. You are interested in learning about and sharing innovative ideas and practices in education.
5. You are tired of expensive conferences led by people who are out of touch with classrooms and what teachers actually need.
6. You love receiving information that can immediately be applied in your classroom and professional life.
7. You know that the future of professional development relies on teacher-to-teacher collaboration.
   • Students tend to learn best in relaxed, collaborative environments when they feel as if they are truly being listened to. Well, teachers learn the same way.
8. Each Edcamp schedule is set by the attendees the day of the event. This makes the talks topical and relevant to the attendees, maximizing the learning opportunity for everyone.
9. Connect in person with people you know online. Are you on Twitter or want to be? Here is your chance to meet people in your own PLN (Personal/Professional Learning Network) in real life and be able to collaborate and learn from each other.
10. Reason #10: It’s free professional development. More schools should be requiring this IMHO (in my humble opinion).

Thanks to the following blogs:

• Simple K12: 10 Reasons to Attend an Edcamp
• Aaron Akune at Educating in the 21st Century: 10 Reasons You Should Attend an Edcamp!
• Kyle B. Pace: Edcamp KC – What to expect and what to bring.
• Learning is Growing: Top 10 Reasons You Should Attend #EdCampSiouxCity
• Tech & Learning: Top Ten Reasons You Should Attend a Barcamp (especially edcamp PHILLY!) by Kevin Jarrett

To find out more information on edcamps in your area (or how to host one of your own), please visit http://edcamp.wikispaces.com/.