21 And COUNTING....

21 years old?  Not exactly, as I am nearly a month away from turning 30.  But, boy have these first few years of teaching flown by!

Today I attended my 21st #edcamp!  As an educator that has been empowered to "OWN" my learning I find this to be one of the best ways to invest in my learning-even if it means giving up a Saturday.

There are a few things that come to mind when I reflect on the value of edcamps, as I began this journey nearly three years ago now.

COLLEGIALITY & CONNECTING THE DOTS:  I have met some of the most innovative and passionate educators by attending edcamps.  These educators are not only colleagues, but I am proud to call them my friends, and they are an invaluable part of my PLN.  I make an intentional effort to meet some of my Twitter PLN at these events.  As a result my thinking has been challenged and I have grown exponentially as an educator.

 CONVERSATIONS:  One of the things I enjoy most about edcamps is that they are formed around conversations.  There is not one person dominating the conversation, nor are there fancy presentations and only one story shared.  You get to know one another and you get perspectives from people in all different roles, from various districts.  Today I was able to thank a district office administrator for coming.  I wish we had more people in those roles learning along side us.

 COLLABORATION:  I go with a mission of what I want to learn for the day.  One of the most memorable edcamps that I attended was in Wausau (Oct 2014).  There I proposed a session on TED talks as a summative assessment.  By the time the session was over, the 7 of us had created a document on how I could implement it in the classroom with most of the details filled in.  I felt confident enough to walk away and implement them in the upcoming weeks.

PAY IT FORWARD:  As educators I feel it is our responsibility to share and teach when we have opportunities to do so.  We come to edcamp to learn, but there are also times when educators would benefit from OUR expertise in the room.

THANK YOU to those of you that I have met along the way and have challenged my mindset and have helped me grow.  I would not be where I am today without these great learning opportunities!  These experiences are invaluable; you cannot put a price tag on them!

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