Evolution in Professional Development: The Unconference

It is a beautiful day to participate in my very first edcamp. @EdcampMetroDC is taking place (as I type) and it has been an amazing experience. For those of you who have never participated in an edcamp experience, edcamp is an organic, participate driven workshop “built on the principles of connected and participatory learning.” The best thing about edcamp for me (so far) is its focus on creating a safe space for the sharing of participates’ questions, interests, and ideas. I find this model of the “unconference” highly effective because it provides a platform for teachers to become the experts on any given topic. Likewise it provides valuable but inexpensive professional development which can be helpful for schools if professional development dollars are scarce. After this experience, I hope to encourage my faculty to look for other local edcamp opportunities.

If you have never participated in an edcamp session, I encourage you to find one in your area. It is easy to find edcamp chatter on Twitter. tlb

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