A First Time Attendee at Edcamp KC

We all started in the auditorium and honestly it initially felt a little like a pep rally. It was a surprise but refreshing. It is wonderful to see our profession move forward with professional development.

For so many years professional development for educators has not followed the model we want teachers to follow in the classroom. We want teachers to plan for engaging lessons that provide opportunities for critical thinking. Our professional development should model this as well. Yes, this is outside our comfort zone, but we need to challenge and push each other. We need to ask each other tough questions, get each other thinking and see what is out there.

Today at #edcampKC I enjoyed conversations about technology, student behavior, the power of positive feedback and rethinking professional development. Clinton School District shared some great ideas about different professional development strategies that are based on staff choice. There was also a great session for administrators and leaders thanks to the facilitator John Schuler. These leaders shared the importance to keeping the focus on the curriculum objectives with all of the new technology headed our way. They also shared ways they have utilized the edcamp format in their district. In addition to the sessions I attended I read several tweets from other staff members about student edcamps. Several staff members are already brainstorming how they could make this work in our school. EdcampKC is a great way for educators to make choices based on their professional development needs. It is an upbeat environment with educators that are passionate about their craft. If you get the chance I recommend that you give EdcampKC a try.