It is hard to believe that almost six months ago, Baltimore hosted its first ever Edcamp Baltimore. November 10, 2012 brought over 75 educators together to one space to engage in professional development that was almost unheard of to educators before 2010. As organizers, we feel so fortunate to have spent the day learning with you.
Edcamp Baltimore in 2013 promises to be better than before-- if that's even possible. We hope to continue the rich and deep learning experiences of 2012, but we also hope to continue to create and organize an environment conducive to the best learning possible. As educators, we constantly strive for what makes a strong learning environment for our students. In a 2010 Connected Principals blog post, George Couros writes that the following elements are key to an optimal learning environment:
- students need to feel safe
- students need to feel cared for as people
- opportunities for fun
- opportunities for individualized learning
- opportunities for students to understand their learning and be guided further in their learning
- opportunities to be leaders
- opportunities to reflect
How lucky are we that edcamps provide participants with all of these opportunities? As we grow as learners, we grow to be better in our craft, in order to better teachers and leaders.
Stay tuned for more information as Edcamp Baltimore 2013 revs up!
-The Edcamp Baltimore Organizers