Photo by Josh Campbell on Unsplash

Although there were no smores around a fire like a traditional camp experience, I thoroughly enjoyed attending EdCamp with my peers! I found it interesting and informative to decide, as a group, which topics to focus on and form breakout discussions around the learning commons. I am going to highlight each of the breakout discussions that I participated in and explain how they affected me as an educator.

“Home Team” Communication – The first breakout discussion I joined was on the topic of “home team” communication. This was a topic that I am very familiar with, as I routinely speak with parents or connect with them via email for my job as a swim coach. Many of the issues and ideas presented I was already aware of, but I was able to contribute to the discussion and take away two key points. First, the importance of continuous communication, perhaps in the form of a weekly newsletter, to keep parents informed. Second, being available for conversations and putting yourself out there for parents to interact with. I have not done a weekly newsletter for parents on my swim team, but I think it would be a great idea once I begin teaching and I plan to implement my own newsletter right away. Ensuring that parents are aware they can contact you is something I already do, but I want to reinforce that a line of communication is clear and available.

Working with Scratch – I briefly joined the following breakout discussion on working with Scratch. One of our cohort members is very well versed in using Scratch and was describing all of the different applications to an eager audience. I have used scratch briefly during a computer science course here at UVic, but I had not considered to implement it into my teaching. I now know that I have a colleague that I can reach out to if I ever need assistance with applying Scratch in an educational manner.

Authentic Indigenous Incorporation – The next breakout discussion that I came upon was talking about the ways in which schools could authentically incorporate indigenous ways of knowing into the curriculum. A concern many had was wanting to create authentic experiences without overwhelming community elders. We concluded that conversations needed to take place on a more regular basis, rather than only reaching out to indigenous community leaders when looking for a guest speaker or learning opportunity.

Technology in the Classroom – The final breakout discussion I attended was based around using technology in the classroom, specifically with regards to cellphone and Chromebook usage. There were many different points of view during the discussion, as some colleagues thought cell phones should not be allowed at all during class time, while others thought that they were acceptable at certain times. The idea of a healthy balance was suggested and we wanted to give students the opportunity to take short breaks using technology as long as they were using it appropriately. I personally would allow the use of technology in my classroom, but would definitely reinforce the idea of internet safety and being respectful to the learning environment.

I was happy with the time I spent at EdCamp and I am grateful for all the wonderful discussions I was able to listen to and participate in. I felt more engaged knowing I could move around the breakout groups and find something I wanted to learn more about.