Yesterday was EdcampOKC at South Moore High School in Moore, OK. Once again it was a great day of visiting and learning. Now I could tell you about my sessions and what I learned, but really, that’s not the only reason why I attend Edcamps.
I woke up early to head down to Moore yesterday. By early, I mean leaving a little later than I do normally for work. After some discussions that happened on Friday evening, I knew that when I arrived that I would not be able to check in because I didn’t register. However, at Edcamps, that’s not a problem. You can register right there at the door!
Photo credit Krissy Venosdale @venspired
Once I arrived, I enjoy watching the session boards fill up! It’s exciting to see all the great things that are happening in education and that people want to share it as well as people wanting to learn about it. For the first time in many times, I did not attend the Twitter101 session.
My first session was one that I was facilitating. I called it “Passions: An Education Story”. I wanted to hear how other teachers use their passions to engage students as well as finding out the passions of the students in class. I was so excited to meet so many great Twitter minds who came in. Jody Maxey, Claudia Swisher, and Rick Cobb are all great people who I enjoy listening to and I had the chance to finally meet in person! They came in and gave some great advice. Of course, there were other great minds as well who I have known and even more who I meet for the first time.
I really enjoy the conversations that happen at Edcamps. In fact, during the second session, that’s what I did. I sat down with Tiffany Bostic and Amy Presley on the stairs and just talked about some education ideas. Just sitting with those two can just blow your minds and it’s wonderful to hear their thoughts. Of course, you have to be careful because some
times Amy can blow up the internet at work.
I guess what I’m getting at is that conferences are a great way to learn, but really, it’s a big chance to get to know other educators. Once I meet them in person and hear their voice, I can hear their voice each time in their writing in the blogs and on Twitter. It also gives me a chance to continue the great conversations that I have one Twitter and to build relationships.
When I hear someone having difficulty with a lesson or need a new idea on engaging students, I have my PLN (personal learning network) who I can turn to and ask. In fact, many times I know the exact person to turn to.
I want to thank everyone for yet another awesome day of learning and getting to know each other! I can’t wait until our next family reunion . . . I mean Edcamp to reconnect. (psst, I’m thinking about an idea for us to meet up in Stillwater soon)
Random Teacher Thoughts 
This was my first EdCamp, and it was inspiring to see and hear from so many passionate educators. I loved the idea of having OK educators do PD for other OK educators. It would be beneficial for a district to bring in three or four OK educators instead of one pricey person from out of state. Depending on the topic, a district could make PD more content specific. One of the biggest complaints I hear from teachers is that the whole district PD was not relevant to them.
I really enjoyed the last session as well. Paying high prices for people who just come and talk to you isn’t as great as having teachers from other districts coming in and actually helping the district in the needs that they currently have. Helping just a few teachers is more beneficial than taking everyone’s time.
Most definitely! The best part would be easy follow-up. If I liked something you said but needed to see it in action, I could (somewhat) easily schedule a site visit.
It was my first edcamp, and I hated having to leave early. I thought we were all going to stay late and sign each others camp t shirts.
It was good meeting you too, Anthony. I enjoyed hearing the voices and seeing the faces of so many people I’ve only previously met on my laptop.