by Megan Mehta, Joshua Lemere, Bethany Gullion, Nancy Betler, Ashley Hurley & Lisa Pagano
Our Professional Learning Network, or PLN, is diverse and we teach in various capacities and in different schools throughout Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Since January 2014, we had clocked countless hours connecting through our weekly district Twitter chat, #cmsk12chat. Strategies, ideas, resources, and jokes were exchanged in 140 characters or less. We regularly shared information, asked questions, and received support from one another. We were positively impacting each other’s teaching practices without ever meeting face to face.
Through Twitter, we learned about EdCamp Elon. The idea of an EdCamp as professional development was new to most of us and we were eager to attend. An EdCamp is a free “unconference” event where participants lead the learning and discussions. It is a way to bring together educators who want to learn and share best practices. That described our group from #cmsk12chat perfectly! Ashley Hurley organized an entire group from our district to attend together. Carpools and meeting spots were planned and t-shirts were ordered!
Through Twitter, we learned about EdCamp Elon. The idea of an EdCamp as professional development was new to most of us and we were eager to attend. An EdCamp is a free “unconference” event where participants lead the learning and discussions. It is a way to bring together educators who want to learn and share best practices. That described our group from #cmsk12chat perfectly! Ashley Hurley organized an entire group from our district to attend together. Carpools and meeting spots were planned and t-shirts were ordered!
The following educators from our PLN attended:
- Ashley Hurley, a Professional Development Specialist
- Joshua Lemere, a Fifth Grade Teacher at Barringer Academic Center
- Lisa Pagano, an Academic Facilitator at Irwin Academic Center
- Megan Mehta, a Third Grade Teacher at Ballantyne Elementary
- Abbie Sudimack, a Third Grade Teacher at Ballantyne Elementary
- Bethany Gullion, a Literacy Facilitator at Elizabeth Lane Elementary
- Nicole Cathey, a Professional Development Facilitator at Carmel Middle School
- Nancy Betler, a Talent Development Teacher at Eastover Elementary
- Gail Summerskill, a Teacher at Bruns Academy
- Holly Niedermeyer, an RTI Coach
- Julie Hellerstein, from the Quaglia Institute of Student Aspirations
After arriving at Elon University, everyone gathered in a room to be welcomed by the EdCamp organizers and join in an opening session where the schedule and sessions for the day were collaboratively decided and the "rules" were shared. One of our favorite rules was "Listen to your Feet"; if a session was not meeting our needs, we were encouraged to use our two feet to find one that would.
The sessions and schedule were participant-driven. Sessions were diverse and included topics like gamification, Twitter chats, the 4Cs, and standards based grading. Most of our group attended different sessions. Collaborative Google Docs were created for each session. This was one of the best parts about the experience. Even if you did not attend a particular session, you did not have to worry about missing out! The notes are still available for people to see. The learning from EdCamp Elon continues! You can also follow the #EdCampElon hashtag on Twitter to follow the conversation. A couple of weeks have passed since the event, but participants are still talking about it.
We had the opportunity to attend two different breakout sessions in the morning followed by a catered lunch. Lunch provided us with a chance to catch up with one another and share everything we had learned. It also allowed us to connect with others and make new friends across the state.
We had the opportunity to attend two different breakout sessions in the morning followed by a catered lunch. Lunch provided us with a chance to catch up with one another and share everything we had learned. It also allowed us to connect with others and make new friends across the state.
After lunch, we were able to attend one more breakout session. The last breakout session was followed by a Smackdown, where people were given a chance to share a favorite web tool or app with the group. Raffles and door prizes were also held and many of our PLN members won goodies, such as Starbucks and iTunes gift cards, free apps, and Holly Niedermeyer even won an iPad Air!
EdCamp Elon was a fantastic learning experience! Meeting our PLN members face to face was even better than we imagined. Not only have we formed powerful professional relationships with one another, but we have also formed true friendships. Additionally, we were able to connect in person with may other members of our PLN from across the state. Many passionate educators from so many different backgrounds and experience levels got together and talked about what they knew best: teaching and learning. One of our favorite quotes is, “The smartest person in the room is the room”, and that is exactly what an Ed Camp is like. Imagine the possibilities if we could get more educators on board with this concept! This is an excellent and highly engaging form of professional development. We look forward to attending more in the future!
In fact, EdCampNC is already scheduled to take place on September 27th in Raleigh! An EdCamp for our district is in the works too. Stay tuned for more details! We would love to connect with you at a future EdCamp.
In fact, EdCampNC is already scheduled to take place on September 27th in Raleigh! An EdCamp for our district is in the works too. Stay tuned for more details! We would love to connect with you at a future EdCamp.