Introducing the video for Edcamp Toronto,made courtesy of ABEL. It captures some of the reflections and immediate thoughts from the day. We’d love to hear your thoughts and reflections from Edcamp Toronto. Please extend the conversation in the comments!
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        | Michelle Horst captures the essence of EdcampTO 2011 with this inspiring video reflection.
We’re one week away from EdCamp Toronto 2011,and the energy around the event is starting to build. At this point,close to 150 people have committed to attending this unique one-day experience at York University in Toronto. Sponsorship is in place,the food has been ordered,the rooms are booked,and the structure of the day has,for the most part,been worked out. And while it’s too soon for the organizing committee to declare that everything is completely ready to go,the major details over which we have control have been addressed. It’s now time to turn our attention to the reason we’ve invited people to gather on a Saturday around this place we call school and this project we call education. In particular,it’s time for participants to begin thinking about the question(s) that they wish to carry with them to York University on October 15th! What are the things that excite you,concern you,intrigue you about the 21st century school? What are the things that you would like to see changed,strengthened or deepened as we move forward in our thinking about education? And,more specifically,how do you frame your thinking in terms of an engaging question? This will be the heart of the EdCamp experience! It’s not about coming and listening to someone else tell us what they’ve figured out about education. It’s not about coming to grab a pile of handouts or resources to take back to your schools on Monday morning. It’s not about providing answers. Instead,EdCamp Toronto is designed to be a professional learning experience driven by questions—your questions! Many of you have already begun to think about the issues and ideas that you would like to see discussed at EdCamp Toronto. The results of some of this thinking can be found on the EdCamp Toronto Wiki. But,this is just a beginning. We would love it if everyone coming to EdCamp on October 15 brought a question along with them to post on our organizational wall at the start of the day. I have found that the best questions are rooted in personal experience,but quickly move beyond the “me”or the “I”to get to a broader context. For example,I may be having a terrible time managing to arrive at a clear and fair evaluation for students in my Grade 6 Social Studies class,but my broader question may have something to do with the real value of the marks we assign students. I may want some ideas on making more effective use of technology with my grade 8 math students,but my question might be expanded to ask about what 21st century technology can contribute to mathematics education that other strategies and tools cannot. In my own thinking about the art of questioning,I have found it helpful to take my personal context and ask,“How can I re-frame this so that others see themselves in my question.”It’s a powerful process,one that can move us away from the “I”and into the “we”. It’s a process that can allow us to progress from discrete events to underlying issues. I think the real value of what will happen on October 15 lies in the way that the questions asked might stretch our thinking,allow us to hear alternate perspectives and leave us with new questions to carry back home. Some of what happens at EdCamp will have an immediate effect on our practice. But I suspect that the real power of the experience will be the way that the emergent conversations rattle around in our brains in the weeks that follow. The best conversations will be the ones that we don’t want to end:the ones we carry back with us to our dinner tables,our staff rooms,our personal blogs and the expanded networks that are,most certainly,bound to be one of the results of EdCamp Toronto. So,in these days leading up to EdCamp Toronto,we invite you to think about the burning questions. Write them down,share them with us or with others,and bring them along on Saturday,October 15 to York University. And if you haven’t registered yet to be part of this exciting event,it isn’t too late. We would love to include your voice,your passion and your questions in this day! When I spoke with David Wees last fall,he was just in the process of planning a Spring EdCamp conference with folks in Vancouver. After our Skype conversation ended,I immediately ran upstairs from the ManCave and announced to my wife,“Honey,I need to go to Vancouver.” Her agreement was eeither the result of her being half asleep at the time or——and I choose to believe this——she saw an imaginative sparkle in my eyes. There was something about hearing David talk about the EdCamp conference as a new model of professional learning that challenged most of the assumptions that we make about traditional conferences and Pro-D initiatives. I knew I had to get there to check it out. Closer to home,a group of about twenty of us have been planning EdCamp Toronto since the beginning of June. A series of face-to-face meetings (most of them in Toronto pubs),twitter exchanges and phone calls has led us to the point where our venue is set,our registration site is open and our early sponsorship support is strong. We’ve built as much as we can:now it’s almost time for you to come! So why bother? Why give up a Saturday in mid-October to join 299 other people at EdCamp Toronto? Here’s my top ten list of reasons why you may want to consider coming: 1. It’s new and different. Those of you who are into reading blogs and using social media are likely attracted by new and different. 2. It challenges many of the assumptions that we make about professional learning:there are no big keynote names,no fancy lunches,no lavish hotel ballrooms,publishers’ displays and no high price registration fees. 3. EdCamp recognizes your expertise. In fact,the whole concept relies on your willingness to come and share your story and your learning. 4. EdCamp raises your voice. Often educators,parents and members of the community surrounding schools are often spoken to,spoken about and spoken for when it comes to important issues involving education. EdCamp is designed to raise the voices of all participants to a level where they can be heard. 5. EdCamp has emerged from the grassroots. This initiative has grown out of a desire to imagine alternatives in education. It is not designed to communicate existing priorities and strategies. Instead,our hope is that we will discover new ones! 6. EdCamp is grounded in active conversations. Many conference attendees end up being passive participants. Topics are framed for them ahead of time,and most of the time,we just listen to someone else talk. At EdCamp,you are invited to be an active (even animated)contributor. 7. EdCamp is open to anyone interested in education. Registration to EdCamp is not limited to teachers and administrators. In fact,our planning committee is made up of parents,researchers,community organizers and social entrepreneurs. We recognize that education is a complex undertaking,one that involves all members of society! 8. EdCamp is on a Saturday. We realize that many will have family commitments to juggle,but on the flip-side traffic is lighter and the coffee always seems to taste better on a Saturday! 9. EdCamp is designed for networking. You may come with folks you know,but you are bound to discover new connections and new possibilities through the conversations you have and the people you meet! 10. EdCamp is designed to be free for participants. (Well,you will have to pay for parking at York.) Strong support from sponsors has made us confident that we can do all of this at no charge to those attending. That said,donations will be accepted at the door! So,there you have it. My top ten reasons for attending EdCamp Toronto. How about you? Why will you be at EdCamp Toronto on October 15. Register now. We look forward to meeting you. Ideally,all participants come with a topic,a question,or something to present to the group. This helps create the dynamic energy that is part of the unconference approach. A democratic process helps decide the final agenda,with the most popular and engaging topics forming the final agenda. We have started a possible list of topics for the day. Take a look –join the wiki. Propose a topic. Link to the EdcampTO Wiki We are now taking registrations for EdCampTO. Spaces are limited so please register early. Saturday,October 15,2011 from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM (ET) Date:Tuesday September 20,2011 Edcamp Toronto coorganizers will meet for the fourth planning meeting on Friday. As we get closer to the date (October 15),excitement is building. We’ll be finalizing a lot of details at this meeting and we should have announcements coming soon!
Thanks to Jennifer Chan,EdCamp Organizational Team Member and Founder of Exhibit Change,for her thinking around our efforts to establish a purpose for EdCamp Toronto. The EdCampTO organizing committee met to talk about purpose. How do 15ish people come up with one catch phrase,a hook,or even one notion of what is going to happen? I always look forward to the variety of perspectives and comments that arise in these meetings. There was certainly a range of expectations of what EdCamp was supposed to be talked about,supposed to be given and what you should get when you walk out the door. I leaned toward the idea of going with a curiosity for meeting folks interested in testing and even disrupting the current education system and pushing for new technologies and techniques. I am happy to go into EdCamp with no real goals and to walk away with nothing tangible other than meeting new people and having my mindset shaken up and for me to do the same for others. I like the way Stephen said that he left Vancouver’s EdCamp “empty handed” but with his mind full of inspiration and new contacts. And how Sean said that it was like flipboard where he has curated who he follows but as he flips through the pages day by day,he doesn’t know what new information he will find. I know that this is going to happen,as our organizing meeting already offers the opportunity to share different views towards purpose,passion and expectations and subsequently the spectrum is already being established. I think as much as we cannot all agree on one learning style,we cannot agree on one purpose either and will instead have to be content in knowing that we are coming together from a similar questioning mind. I want to encourage curiosity of learning. Inspire Yourself! Jenn The following post by edcampto organizer Heidi Siwak was originally published at Heidi’s own website:21st Century Classroom:The Amaryllis Many thanks to Heidi for allowing it to appear in this space as well. Last week a second planning session for Edcampto took place in Toronto. I must commend Michelle Soloman and Stephen Hurley and (??? I know other names need mentioning,please let me know) on the work they’ve accomplished to date. The website is up and running http://www.edcampto.org and looks wonderful. It is exciting to see progress –from conversations to ideas to something concrete. It is happening! The underlying theme of our conversations last evening centred on two elements: What exactly is our purpose and who will be our audience? It was a good discussion. Every single person at the table had a slightly different vision of the purpose and audience of edcamp. They ranged from learning how to engage disinterested and alienated learners to providing educators with practical ideas,to how to create richer learning environments to the role of technology in learning. Was one person’s idea though,more valid than another’s? No. Each person’s contribution to our discussion was relevant because it caused us to think deeply about education. This,I think,reveals the nature and purpose of edcamps. Edcamps allow diverse voices on education to be heard,rich discussion to ensue and deep thinking to take place. They are an opportunity for those who are passionate about learning to collaborate with others. Edcamps are very different from traditional professional development. There are no “experts”,but there are interested,knowledgeable and skilled groups of people willing to share their thoughts and engage in debate about education. Given that the very nature of school is about to change dramatically edcamps provide a forum for exploring how these changes might unfold and allow anyone with an interest in education to participate:educators,students,parents,industry,public schools,private schools …all are welcome. Our hook for Edcampto is still being written,however,I will leave you with phrases from our conversations to mull over. …changing visions of education …what is this place we call school? .. engagement …collaboration …community ….. conversation …technology …ideas …colearning …. do you have questions? … you’re invited to a passionate discussion on education …do you perhaps have some answers? … learners. …a conversation among equals …passion …building connections …creating a network of learners …change … sharing …learning from others …learning with others …no experts,but expertise …open …imagination …possibilities …getting rid of the hierarchy …personal learning …the role of technology …what’s relevant to you is not necessarily relevant to all …inclusion …the power of personal learning networks Together these phrases create an impression of what we are trying to prompt through Edcampto. What happens at Edcampto will be dependent upon who attends. Our overall goal though is for participants to leave at end of the day feeling excited,enriched and passionate about the possibilities for learning in the 21st century. |     Venue Sponsor  | ||
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