We are adding a new professional development opportunity to the 2016 National Charter Schools Conference schedule: unconferencing! Unconferencing, also known in the education community as ‘EdCamps’ puts power in the hands of conference attendees. The concept is growing more popular, with EdCamps popping up all over the country.
To give you a better idea of what to expect, we have asked Jamie Greason, Blended Learning Coach at Crossroads Academy Kansas City and frequent unconference attendee to share her thoughts on how you can make the most of your Unconferencing experience.
An unconference is a participant determined and facilitated experience. It’s driven by rich, organic conversation and a desire to solve problems. It promises the opportunity to collide with others who have common goals and diverse backgrounds. It’s unlike any professional learning you’ve ever encountered. And that’s why I’m so excited that you’ll get to experience it this year at the National Charter Schools Conference! There will be no pre-determined agenda. No experts in the front of the room with a slideshow. No commitment to stay in a session that isn’t working for you. That’s right, vote with your feet. If a session isn’t relevant or helpful, get up and try another one. Unconferences are all about your learning, not presentations. What’s more is that to facilitate a conversation, you DON’T have to be the expert. You just have to be willing to ask questions and be open to the fact that you aren’t the smartest person in the room– the room is. To have a successful unconference experience keep these tips in mind.
Commit: What questions, ideas, and/or problems will you bring to the table? Be brave and decide to start a conversation.
Collide: Introduce yourself to people you don’t know. Expand your network even with individuals outside your scope.
Contribute: Bring a device and get your social media tools ready. Learn out loud! Tweet, Periscope, and Instagram the conversation. Put your ideas and resources out there. You are valuable and have a lot to offer. Exchange ideas with others outside the unconference. Look for a hashtag to use during the event so what you share can be easily found.
Curate: Use a collaborative platform like Padlet or Google documents or slides. Give access to the participants that attend the unconference or a particular session so everyone can add notes and resources. Use this platform as a resource time and time again.
We encourage you to bring your business cards to Nashville and get ready for another level of networking and professional development at the National Charter Schools Conference.
Jamie Greason (@greasonj) is a Blended Learning Coach at Crossroads Academy Kansas City and has experience producing and hosting Edcamp and Edcamp Leadership in Kansas City.
