Edventurous

Professional learning is taking a new direction for educators. It’s going beyond professional development days and conferences to find inspiration from our peers. The first one I would like to mention are Edcamps. Edcamps are grassroots professional learning opportunities where where participants vote with their two feet, topics are derived from those who are attending the event, and topics chosen that morning are led by those who propose them. The host helps facilitate this professional learning with conference structure, facilities, and technological & pedagogical expertise. For example, I just missed Edcamp35 this weekend. Edcamps are usually held on Saturdays and a great way to meet your PLN face-to-face (F2F).

Another avenue of professional learning is IGNITE. This is where presenters tell a story in 20 slides and 5 minutes. It’s much like a Pecha Kucha. Here’s a Storify documenting a recent IGNITE session held in New Westminster, #SD40IGNITE. I totally missed this one. It SOLD OUT before I even found out about it on Twitter. This is a good problem to have. I would encourage anyone who has a story to share to inspire others to apply to speak… or facilitate an IGNITE session. This is an awesome opportunity for educators to share their stories, make connections, and meet your PLN F2F (once again). Lots of cheering, celebrating, and collaborating. These events are held in the comforts of a pub or restaurant on a weekday during the evening. If you hear of one, sign up for one and check out an IGNITE in your area.

The last type of professional learning I would like to mention is Edvent… it’s much like IGNITE, but no slides. Using a PowerPoint was optional, but this Edvent emphasized the storytelling aspect of sharing stories versus powering through 20 slides in 5 minutes. Last week, I attended #Edvent2016 in Burnaby. Here, I was soooooo inspired. First, I met Craig Mah (@craigmah) whom I co-moderate #bcedchat with 8 others. We have never met F2F but love working with this guy. It tells you how technology can bring people together. Second, I loved listening to people’s stories and their message. I was so inspired by the final speaker who shared his edu-journey of being embarrassed in school as a young child and hating it, to succeeding as a rugby player, injuring oneself to never run again, and rebuilding oneself to be a extreme marathon runner. Wow. There are no limitations when someone believes in you and YOU believe in yourself. Finally, Edvent also served as a reunion where I can meet my PLN F2F. Loved reconnecting with @KLirenman, @RosePillay1, @JKwasnicki, @GabrielPillay1, and @CraigMah to name a few… but also meeting new people.

Any opportunity where we can CELEBRATE EDUCATION, share our stories, and celebrate each other is a great way to inspire others as a way to motivate professional learning. Preparing for these events offer educators an exceptional opportunity to reflect on their practice and think about ways to convey one or two ideas about their practice to inspire others or validate them. For those facilitating the events, it’s an excellent opportunity to create a framework of possibilities for educators to connect and learn from each other. For participants, it’s just super fun to learn. Thank you to all those who are participating, facilitating, or presenting at these events. It is super awesome and YOU ARE EDU-AWESOME. #professionallearning