NORTH BRUNSWICK — Hundreds of teachers, some even traveling from out of state, filled the classrooms of Linwood Middle School last month for the first Edcamp “unconference” held in the township.
There was cheering, high-fiving, picture taking, idea sharing and much, much more.
Jeff Bradbury, a music theory and music history teacher at North Brunswick Township High School (NBTHS), joined forces with Dana Sirotiak, a seventh-grade social studies teacher in the Jersey City Public School District, and Bill Wkrakower, a computer-technology teacher in New Jersey, to hold their first Edcamp unconference on Dec. 1, which ran all day.
“The topics were formed as the day went on,” said Bradbury, who said he met Sirotiak and Wkrakower at another Edcamp. “We looked at each other and we knew we wanted hold our own.”
Bradbury said that at the Edcamp unconferences, educators engage each other in various topics that they think would enhance their districts.
“There are no lead lecturers or presentations,” he said. “There are just ideas bounced around.”
Bradbury added that there was a lot of discussion regarding technology, social media, how to create websites, and the use of YouTube and Google in classrooms.
Ten students from NBTHS were also on hand to video record the day, which is part of the district’s partnership with MSG Varsity.
“There were 50 teachers who attended a 7:30 a.m. session on Twitter chat,” Bradbury said. “Also, video feed of the session was going out online.”
Sirotiak said that everything they had envisioned for the Edcamp came to fruition on Dec. 1.
“There were all levels of educators present,” she said. “It’s been six hours and they are all drained, but that is the level of how much they are engaged.”
Scott Rocco — former assistant superintendent for personnel in Hillsborough Township and the new superintendent in Spotswood as of Jan. 1 — said that as an educator, professional development and exploration by teachers are very important.
“This is an exciting way that professional development has evolved,” he said, adding that this was his second time attending an Edcamp.
In late 2009, according to the Edcamp Foundation’s website, a group of passionate, dedicated Philadelphia-area educators — most of whom had never met in person but were connected by social media — somehow found themselves together at an unconference called Barcamp Philly.
Despite the name, there was no alcohol or camping involved. There was, however, intense excitement as the day’s conference schedule unfolded and sessions got under way. By the end of the event, the educators had attended many workshops, led a few of their own, and collectively reached the powerful conclusion that they had to find a way to make this happen for all K-12 educators.
Edcamp Philly was born in May 2010. The Edcamps have since expanded, with new Edcamps being announced every week, not only in the United States, but also in countries overseas, including Belgium, Sweden, Argentina and Dubai.
The nonprofit corporation Edcamp Foundation was formed to provide organizational and financial assistance to Edcamp — organizing teams, promoting their events and helping to ensure the Edcamp unconference model is implemented with fidelity.
For more information about Edcamp, visit http://edcamp.org. Contact Kathy Chang at [email protected].