I went to my first Edcamp yesterday at Marshall Simonds Middle School in Burlington, MA. It was a small group, so probably not a true representation of what an EdCamp is like, but I loved it. We all stayed together instead of going out to different sessions due to the number of participants.
Burlington is a Google Apps for Education district and is one to one with Ipads grades 1-12! It was inspiring to hear how they put aside 25% of their technology budget for PD . They have a full time technology educator at every school and a Director of Educational Technology for the district who is not IT. He focuses on helping the teachers implement all this new technology. An amazing, long term endeavor that is paying off for Burlington, for sure!
At the EDcamp yesterday, which is another way BPS supports their teachers, educators from all around the MA area benefited from this district’s lead. I learned how to manage my twitter activity with Tweet Deck, Diigo, Feedly, and Storify. Tweet deck makes it easier to see multiple columns at once and will help, especially during chats. Diigo is a great way to archive links that you want to revisit. Feedly helps you keep track of your favorite blogs. I became familiar with Storify when I saw chats on Twitter being archived using Storify. Very cool tool!
Canva was probably my favorite new online tool that I was introduced to yesterday. I pray that it continues to be free. I plan to use this site to create beautifully designed posters for my classroom, and I may use it for my blog as well.
It was motivating to talk to other like minded teachers, librarians and tech specialists. Sometimes it feels overwhelming because there are so many great tools out there. I know to start with my learning objectives for students and then match that with tools that will enhance learning and sharing of that learning. Can't wait to go to another EdCamp!
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