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I really enjoyed the EdCamp model we explored today. Many educators have success in advocating for their student’s right to choose what they’re learning. Learning in ways and about topics that interest us are bound to increase our engagement. It seems then, that professional development would benefit from this model of choice aswell.

My favourite part of this particular exercise was the interactive nature of our conversations. Rather than have a singular lecturer and acting only as a listener, we were all able to take part in the conversation. I learn best by talking things out. Even if I’m alone, talking out a concept just to myself makes me learn better. In this setting, we were able to learn from each other’s experiences. We were also able to branch out into new topics as they arose. Staying on the topic wasn’t our primary concern; rather, I was just interested in where the conversation led us. The sharing of information was placed at the highest importance.

I also enjoy that in this model you are free to roam to different conversations and you please. Whether you find the topic uninteresting or are simply interested in another conversation, you’re able to move freely and without judgement.

I’d be interested in attending an EdCamp session in the future and seeing if the model works just as well with a group that isn’t already so well acquainted with one another.

https://www.edcamp.org/

 

This course is almost entirely inquiry-based; our assignments are then catered to our unique interests. In this way, I’m able to focus on subjects I’ve always been drawn to; I can explore them in the way I have always wanted to, but could never justify the time required to do so. For a long time, I’ve been deep in the work/school spiral. Free-time is a luxury. I usually spend it asleep, trying to avoid my next stint of bronchitis. So now that I have the option to study something just for me, I’m going to do it right.

I’ve settled on learning how to properly read tarot. I feel dramatic just typing that (in true irony, I’m currently writing this in a church). It is a study that raises opinion: interest, fear, a dismissive eye-roll. Still, I am unapologetic in my fascination and excited to see where it takes me.

In regards to my tech-based inquiry, things are a little less certain. I’m a language arts lover so I’m naturally drawn to the idea of digital storytelling in the classroom. More specifically, I’m curious as to how it may be able to make poetry a more accessible form of writing. Gone are the elitist days of tall-hatted men meeting in parlours and defining poetry for the world. Though still a dreaded subject for many, poetry has reached new popularity for teens with the emergence of YA focussed collections, a bustling spoken-word community, and the uber-popular bestseller, Rupi Kaur.

With this being said, I’m interested in tapping into this interest through technology with programs such as poetry generators and online magnetic poetry. Somehow, I hope to find a way to make poetry fun. Is it an impossible task? Maybe. I’ll find out soon enough.