EdCamp Boston 2012: A Different Way to Conference

Actually, the title is inaccurate.

The EdCamps (there have been over 90 of them so far) are actually Unconferences. There is a nice article in Edutopia which explains the theory and history of unconferences. I had my first experience with one just this past March at the NESLA Unconference in Bedford, New Hampshire. While there, the leaders had a Skype session with EdCamp director Dan Callahan. He told us about the Boston meeting for April 28 and half of the group (including me!) immediately went online with whatever device they had to register for the day. It was wonderful!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this, the basic idea is that a place and time is provided. Attendees then determine the topics to be discussed with one of them being the leader/facilitator. These sessions are then posted on a master schedule board so that everyone can see which sessions will be held in which locations at which time. This takes about 10-20 minutes, depending on the size of the group, to get the master schedule set up. If need be, it can be updated at any time. At the Boston event, the schedule was then posted online on a Google Doc which allowed the 200+ participants to check it frequently wherever they were in the building.

The wonderful aspect is that, no matter what your level of expertise, there was someone able and willing to help you. Sessions ranged from "PLNs and Twitter 101" to "Digital Photography in the Classroom" to "QR Codes and Augmented Reality" and a lunch jam session with other Librarians. There was a lot of variety. In addition, people were tweeting all day with information they were picking up so that, if you weren't in a particular session, you could still get the information at a later point.

One of the reasons I love going to professional conferences is the fact that we are actually treated like professionals! There was an acknowledgement that we DO know what we are doing and, if we don’t, we know how and where to obtain this information because we are constantly learning. We are not belittled because we admit to this need. It was nice having contact with other people from outside our own districts to let us know that we are not alone. Participants came from a variety of communities ranging from wealthy suburbs with few limitations on types of, or access to, technology to cash-strapped, large urban districts with extremely limited technological equipment and access. There is a constant atmosphere of sharing information, ideas and knowledge.  (I’d like to give a little shout-out to the youngest EdCamper ever, 6-week-old Oliver, who attended with his parents!)

I have to acknowledge the beautiful location for this unconference. We were at the Microsoft New England Research and Development Center (yes, it’s called NERD!) in Cambridge, MA in Harvard and MIT country on the beautiful Charles River. If it had been warmer, I think many people would have sat out on the patio overlooking the river. It was fun looking out from the 11th floor and watching the scullers and sailboaters practicing their skills. We sprawled out throughout the building to attend all the sessions. In addition, they provided us with a continental breakfast and a delicious lunch. Refreshments were also available all day. If someone found that there was nothing in particular for that session time, there were many couches and soft chairs in which to relax and explore some of the resources that had been mentioned at an earlier session. Wireless Internet access was SO easy anywhere in the building! (Hey, we were at Microsoft—are you surprised?) At the end of the day, many of the participants adjourned to a local pub about a block away where many continued the socializing on both professional and personal levels. The team is already planning next year’s EdCamp. If I could make some suggestions, I would like to see a few more tables and access for power cords. I know I appreciate having a table on which to write and, with everyone encouraged to bring their own technology (BYOT), there is no such thing as too much power access! I encourage everyone to consider attending this incredible day. A big THANK YOU goes to the various team members: Dan Callahan, Laura Delia, Liz Davis, Karen Jan (sorry, I didn’t get her whole name), T. Sockonosky and all the others who helped make the day a success.

You don’t have to take my word for all this. I am including some links to blogs from other attendees. There are some photographs, also. If you look at the EdCamp link at the beginning of this post, there is a listing of other EdCamps all over the world on the far right.  You can probably find one nearby on that list.

I hope to see you there!

Links to other blogs about EdCamp Boston 2012:

       • http://technicallyali.wordpress.com/2012/04/30/reflections-on-edcamp-boston-from-an-independent-school-teacher/
       • http://edcampboston.posterous.com/i-had-a-wicked-good-time-at-edcampbos
       • http://technologicalontogeny.wordpress.com/2012/04/28/a-full-meal/


Resource lists:

       • http://edcampboston.posterous.com/presentation-tools
       • Smackdown list      (This is a list of resources participants have found to be useful.)

Webinars are the New Conferences!

If you never thought you could attend a conference outside of a 50-mile distance from home, you've got another think coming!

Webinars are an exciting way to meet and network with hundreds of people you might never have had a chance to have contact.

There will be a new day of FREE webinars sponsored by Classroom 2.0, an online community to share ideas to improve classrooms.  As of now, there are over 70 different sessions with a wide variety of topics listed for presentation on April 21.  Check here for the schedule.  All sessions will be approximately 30 minutes in length, although some may go a little longer if the discussion warrants.

Check it out.  You won't be sorry!