Take Edcamp Back to Your School #EdcampKC Reflections

First things first.....THANK YOU Kyle Pace and Laura Gilchrist for putting together a great event. Having first hand knowledge of what it takes to put together an Edcamp I know how hard you worked.

My favorite Edcamp experiences are the connections. Touching base with those you have met before and making new connections. There is always that empty spot for those who can't make it.

Pre-Event Tweet-Up: Big success! Never seems to last long enough because everyone is tired from traveling. Worth the hour or two to connect in case you aren't able to connect the next day.

The #Edcamp Experience: After attending my first edcamp in St. Louis, I knew my teachers had to experience Edcamp. It is important that my teachers enjoy it, bring back ideas, share ideas, and have the good things they are doing validated by other great educators. Something I didn't expect were the amount of Edcamp Newbies! When Kyle asked who was attending an Edcamp for the first time, I was shocked! I hope they felt welcome. I hope they had fun. I hope they made great connections like I made over the years.

Showcasing Heads Up App:)

Sessions: The sessions were amazing! I tend to be pretty social so I wandered in and out of the first sessions. Can I just say that Chris McGee makes me laugh ALL THE TIME! He is such a high energy facilitator. Together with Brent Catlett, JP Prezzavento, Rob Lamb, Josh Allen, and all the others, you couldn't ask for a more dedicated Edcamp group to lead conversations. Yes there were ladies presenting! Kristina Peters, Jamie Faith, Michelle Baldwin, Mandy Adey and on and on! I am sure I forgot someone, sorry.

Taking Edcamp back to your school: The session I offered to facilitate was, "How to take Edcamp back to your school." With all the buzz and focus on great Edcamp experiences, how do you "do" an Edcamp? I have included the link to the document we created. (thank you former Willard grad Tanya Spillane:) You are welcome to add to it.  There is significant interest in applying Edcamp strategies to traditional PD. I also realized it's difficult to get the process started. We will continue to add to the document at future Edcamps.

The "last supper:" Or end of the event dinner. (Call it whatever.) I usually drive home and miss the "after party." Turns out my kids were accounted for and I could hang out a little longer. It was great to have relaxed conversations and get to know people even better. You always hope the people you interact with on Twitter are the real deal. This group was the real deal!

See you at the next Edcamp!