What is an Edcamp?

NOTE: The stats in the video were a little out of date. Since 2010, there have been well over 2000 Edcamps around the world in over 40 countries! Why so many? Because Edcamp lets educators choose their own learning experience!

Georgetown ISD is excited to bring Edcamp to our district for the fourth year in a row and to be able to offer this collaborative learning opportunity not only to our own educators but also to anyone involved in PK-12 education via an online experience.

Here's what educators who've attended an Edcamp before have to say about the experience:

• It is bottom up--driven by the needs of the participants and focused on sharing and discussing ideas rather than presentations. - Michael Kamen, Professor of Education, Southwestern University
• I was very hesitant to attend but found myself really learning from people actually sharing what they do in their classrooms; the successes and the failures. The break out sessions were created that day by the participants. I would highly recommend attending! - Julie Graf, 1st Grade Teacher, Georgetown ISD
• It is a great place in which to problem solve with other educators, and a great place to meet other educators and build your Professional Learning Community. - Lindsay Muncy, 4th Grade Teacher, Round Rock ISD
• I learned different strategies for working with ESL students such as scaffolding and simplifying the language for them. I feel it is a great experience for teachers to be able to collaborate with each other and gain new ideas or insight on things to implement in their classrooms. - Natalie Delgado, Middle School Teacher, Georgetown ISD
• It's like a support group and a think tank all rolled into one! It's refreshing to hear that teachers at all points in their career are struggling with the same thing I am. It's also refreshing to hear solutions to problems I'm having as well as hearing brand new ideas. - Catherine Carstens, 6th Grade Teacher, Georgetown ISD
• It's a wonderful opportunity to network with other educators. As a new teacher, it was great to be a fly on the wall and glean wisdom from experienced teachers. - Tamara Guzman, 8th Grade Teacher, Austin ISD
• I got exposed to the nuts and bolts of how teachers from other schools and districts are using specific apps, technologies, etc. There were so many sessions to choose from that I couldn't get to all that I wished to attend, but that's much better than having too few sessions. I appreciated that the facilitators were most often people using these things in class every day and so had insights on how to deal with problems that I may or may not have experienced or anticipated. - Jim Meador, High School English Teacher, Georgetown ISD
• It is a great opportunity to collaborate with others from different districts and disciplines to share ideas. I also love that it is tailored to fit my needs or interests. - Hollee Braun, Secondary Instructional Coach, Liberty Hill ISD
• I gained so many take always that I can’t wait to share with the teachers I work with! - Amber Cervantes, Coach/Mentor for Induction Year Teachers, Georgetown ISD

If you're on the fence about attending an Edcamp because you've never been to one before, we encourage you to give it a try. No one will prescribe your learning for you; the choice is all yours!

For more information about the Edcamp Movement, visit https://www.edcamp.org/attend.