Edcamp Philly Session Link

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hBuRgLqiup0L90LzlgxyYCnd7giIqP5foYYL8EOFLtw/edit

What would happen if students and teachers truly understood the importance of their ideas? Instead of wondering if their ideas were any good, classroom innovators would be sharing their experiences and learning from others. Teachers at EdCamp Philly were able to do just that on Saturday as they met to discuss what was working in their classrooms and find out what other educators were doing. In the session, Ordinary to You: Extraordinary to Someone Else, Brooke and Christy got us thinking with an inspiring video by Derek Sivers, click here for video. In it he points out the we are a “bad judge of our own creations” and so need to let others see what we are working on.

Teachers are sharing in many ways. Christy shared that she began tweeting out what her plans were for the week’s activities and was surprised when other teachers asked to join her group virtually. Teachers can print out their photo-stream and create a display such as the “180 days of Awesome” wall. At one school, the administrator did away with typical faculty meetings and instead the teachers stood in a circle and shared what was working in their classes. One teacher brings her entire class to join with another class in order to share a technology lesson with that teacher in a friendly, collaborative way. One group uses an Edmodo class to share the ways they were using technology in their classrooms. What seemed insignificant to those teachers was, in fact, inspiring to others who heard these ideas. Everyone agreed that there are certain obstacles to sharing such as a lack of time and confidence. After this session, however, we were all motivated to up our efforts and find ways to facilitate sharing at our schools.