What is an Edcamp and Why Should You Go?

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EdCamp: The Un-Conference

Submitted by Karen Hyers,
MCTM High School Vice President

I love attending conferences. Deciding which theme (or themes) will be my focus. Reading through the session descriptions to optimize my session choices and find key presenters. Mapping out my days. My concrete sequential side feels more comfortable when I have a plan to follow.

Then a colleague suggested that I attend EdCamp Math and Science MN 2014. I asked about the conference theme. Anything math and science. I asked about the session grid. It would be created during the EdCamp. Huh? Nothing to prepare in advance; no presentation to bring. This was definitely going to be a different experience, and I could see why it was called an Unconference.

Staying true to myself, I did my research. The first official EdCamp was in 2010 in Philadelphia. The idea has spread and they have been held across the US and in multiple countries. EdCamps flip the model of a traditional conference where the teacher is the passive participant, receiving the information that the speaker has prepared. Instead, the teacher participants determine the sessions for the day based on their needs and interests at that time. The participants drive the conversations.

The basic tenets of an Edcamp (from the edcamp.org website):

  • Free
  • open to everyone
  • created by participants on the day
  • sessions facilitated by anyone
  • reliant on the “law of two feet” that empowers everyone to find a session that meets their needs
  • vendor-free events

I was intrigued and I was in.

The first EdCamp I attended was wonderful. The model really worked. A diverse session schedule was built with many participants suggesting topics and volunteering to host conversations. The sessions were themed discussions with everyone sharing their experiences, their challenges, their successes, their questions. The session facilitator was not expected to have any prepared presentation, or even any expertise in the area being discussed. Each session created a live google document that could be referenced in the future, so the learning could continue and connections could be developed. The sense of being an active contributor was empowering.

I have become an EdCamp fan. I have attended EdCamps based on STEM, technology, and general pedagogy. Events have been within my building, my district or open to anyone who wanted to travel to the venue. EdCamps have helped me to find colleagues with similar interests and stay connected via Twitter.

If you have never attended an EdCamp and are looking to rejuvenate your personal professional development, start with edcamp.org and look for an opportunity near you.

Better yet, attend EdCamp Math & Science MN on October 21st 2016, 9 AM to 3 PM at a new location, Prior Lake High School. Register here: www.edcampmsmn.org and follow on Twitter #EdcampMSMN.