130 New England Educators Attend EdCamp at Ethel Walker

When teachers want to become the best teachers they can be, where do they turn?

According to Sarah Edson, Dean of Academic Technology and Innovation at The Ethel Walker School, teachers are flocking in ever-increasing numbers to EdCamps.

Sarah should know; on Friday, August 14, she organized the annual EdCamp CT at Walker’s, the fifth such unconference in as many years. “EdCamps are phenomenally popular,” says Sarah. “They’re fun, they’re collaborative, and they’re completely free for attendees. Walker’s donates our facilities, and other area sponsors help cover the expenses of breakfast and lunch.”

Roughly 130 educators from throughout New England attended this year’s day-long unconference. The first order of business? To work together to create the day’s agenda. That task takes place via a row of bulletin-board dividers. Anyone who is willing to lead a class writes the name of their class on a card and tacks it to the board, and anyone who’s hoping for a class on a specific topic posts his/ her request. Within an hour, the day’s sessions, including classes such as “How to Best Use Google Classroom,” and “Using Digital Tools to Enhance Reading Comprehension,” were designed by the participants.

EdCamps are a relatively new phenomenon, which grew out of the unconference movement. Unlike a traditional conference which has a schedule set months in advance by the people running the conference, an unconference has an agenda that’s created by the participants at the start of the event; unconferences are built on collaboration and participatory learning. Instead of one person standing in front of the room talking for an hour, people are encouraged to have discussions and hands-on sessions.

Gates Foundation to Announce $2 million Grant to EdCamp

EdCamp successes have received a lot of attention. In fact, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is scheduled to announce a $2 million grant to the EdCamp Foundation on Monday. “Nobody knows teaching like teachers,” said Carina Wong, a deputy director of the Gates Foundation. “EdCamp is a promising model, and we’re thrilled to see them take the work to the next level.”

EdCamp brings teachers together to talk about the things that matter most to them, and have developed a large following. Many of the Walker’s EdCamp attendees had been to EdCamps before. According to Krystle Merchant, a history teacher at Miss Porter’s School, who said this is the third EdCamp she’s been to, one of the draws is on-going camaraderie. “It’s not a one-day experience,” says Merchant. “I’ll meet other teachers, and then we’ll continue to share information on-line. That’s definitely one of the highlights for me!”

Kim Benton, a fourth grade teacher at Wolcott Elementary School in West Hartford, said she was excited about the day, and was happy to see the familiar faces of teachers she’d met at past events.

Dan Callahan, one of the founders of EdCamps, also attended. “I’m glad to be here,” said Callahan. “This is going to be a powerful day of development. It’s great to watch it unfold.”

The Ethel Walker School is an independent, college preparatory boarding and day school for girls in grades six through 12. As part of its ongoing campus renaissance, the school is currently building the Centennial Center, a 62,000 square foot athletics and wellness facility that is scheduled to open in Fall 2016.

Visit www.ethelwalker.org for more information.

Photo courtesy of the Ethel Walker School