It has been two days since I attended EdCampChicago. Immediately afterwards my head was spinning with all of the thoughts and ideas that the day generated. It was the result of spending the day with so many passionate teachers, so full of ideas. My thoughts have slowed a little bit and I keep finding myself dwelling on a few things more than others.
When the day started, the Atrium at Stevenson High school was full of teachers but they were spread around two or three to a table. You could feel the excitement but as of yet people were not yet convinced that this was any different than your typical PD experience. That changed in about 15 minutes. By the time the topics had been proposed and the first session had begun it was clear the day would be different. I will spare you the details of the entire day and just skip to a moment when I looked around and realized that something amazing was happening.
In the midst of the final session, a new session broke out. Teachers gathered in the Atrium where we had begun so seperately and a group of 30 to 40 of us started sharing our technology knowledge. No one was offended that this impromptu session broke out. People were taking turns and contributing what they could and taking what they needed. No one had to be watched to make sure they were being productive, no one had to be in charge to keep the peace. This was crowdsourcing, collaboration and sharing as I would hope to create it in my class.
That is really point #2. We did the planning and the learning. There was not one star. I benefitted from more people's input than I could count. I gained perspective. This is really what I want my class to become. I want to let them choose more. I want them to decide how they learn and help each other in the process. I want them to feel the control that the the participants at EdCampChicago valued so much. I want magic to happen for them like it did for me. We did more than just learn about what our classes should be. We modeled it without even trying.
After pondering how natural it was, I am convinced that it is a model that can feel natural for my students.
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