This Saturday, March 21, Grafton will host its second annual EdCamp. I am excited to be part of this amazing team of organizers and wanted to share a few highlights before we kick off the event Saturday morning.

The EdCamp Format

For those who have never been to an EdCamp you might be surprised to see that there is no schedule when you arrive. Initially, we will commence in the auditorium, go over a few logistical pieces, and then build the schedule. We will be explaining our schedule building first thing in the morning. We will have two schedule building sessions, one in the morning, and one after lunch.  To lead a session you don’t have to have a session or slide deck prepared. An EdCamp session can be…

A question

A debate

A conversation

A presentation

A workshop

An EdCamp session can be whatever you want it to be. Additionally, an EdCamp session does not need to include technology or any apps. Also, if you find yourself in a session and feel that it’s not right for you or you simply want to get to as many sessions as possible, it is completely fine to leave one session and find another.

Parking

You can park anywhere in our high school parking lot. There should be plenty of spaces for all attendees.

Social Media

We will have a social media booth in our commons area throughout the day. This booth will serve several purposes throughout the day and we hope it helps everyone connect and share resources. We will use the hashtag #edcampgrafton throughout the day for Twitter, Instagram, etc. If you tweet or post to Instagram, use this hashtag. Additionally, we will have a photo booth in our social media area, a video section, and an analog Twitter board. Make sure you take a few minutes on Saturday to stop by the social media booth.

Raffle and Prizes

We will be raffling off several prizes throughout the day and at the end of the day. We have some great giveaways from our sponsors as well as 2 Chromecasts and our grand prize, an iPad Mini. Participants must be in attendance to win these prizes.

What did you learn

In place of the traditional “App Smackdown” we will be offering a different approach to the closing session of the day. Essentially, we want to hear about what you learned and how you plan on incorporating what you learned today into your classroom practice.

If you have any questions up until the event, please Tweet me at @andycinek 

Join us for EdCamp Grafton on March 21, 2015 at Grafton High School, Grafton, MA.

EdCamps are free professional development led by Educators for Educators. Learn more at edcamp.org! EdCamps are designed to be learner driven and collaborative and interactive.

Join us for:

• FREE (thanks to our generous sponsors!)
• 6 PDPs
• an informal, self-directed learning opportunity about education
• collaboration with educators from all over southern New England
• you to share your experience and strengths by offering a session
• free breakfast and lunch
• a raffle and demo slam at the end of the day

To learn more about what an EdCamp is, watch this short video:
[youtube{http://youtu.be/I7DwCI7j0Bg]

EdCamps are a participant driven Professional Development. Come enjoy a day with colleagues from the area and beyond. Arrive with an idea for a session that you would like to lead or with the anticipation of a full day of learning. A session might explore a technology tool, a discussion about best practices, Common Core, an app, or a collaborative presentation with multiple facilitators.

During the first hour, you will have time to meet other teachers. There will be an empty session board where you and all attendees can post session titles.

Over the course of the day, you will have the opportunity to attend up to four sessions. The rule of an EdCamp is to “vote with your feet”. If a session doesn’t meet your needs, simply get up and move on to another room.