• Blog
  • About
  • Digital Portfolio
  • Presentations
    • Ontario Summit 2019
    • Petaluma iOS Summit >
      • You Can Explain Everything and Your Students Can, Too!
      • Getting Going with Google Classroom
      • Capturing Student Ideas with Visual Apps
    • ISTE15 >
      • Connecting the Next Digital Leaders
      • Hacking the Daily 5
      • Passion-Based Learning: Genius Hour, 20% Time, and Innovation Day
    • DENapalooza Vancouver 2015
    • PITA15 Whistler >
      • Passion-Based Learning: Genius Hour & 20% Time
      • Screencasting for Visible Thinking & Learning
    • CUE15 >
      • Hacking the Daily 5 - Rockstar Jam Session
      • Digital Citizenship for the 21st-Century Citizen
    • Odyssey15
    • iOS Summit Vancouver 2015
    • 2014 Presentations >
      • ERAC IL4K12
      • CUEBC14 >
        • Learn How To Drive: Storage & Collaboration in the Cloud
        • SAMR: A Technology Integration Model for Educators
      • SFU14
      • Union SD Tech Innovation Summit
      • CUE Rockstar Manhattan Beach 2014 >
        • Learn How To Drive
        • Screencasting for Visible Thinking and Learning
        • Hacking the Daily 5
      • CA GAFESummit 2014 >
        • Learn How To Drive
        • SAMR: A Technology Integration Model for Educators
        • Passion-Based Learning
      • JET14
      • MERITCon14
      • ISTE 2014
      • CanFlip14 >
        • Screencasting for Visible Thinking & Learning
        • Passion-Based Learning
      • Vancouver GAFESummit 2014 >
        • Learn How to Drive
        • Passion-Based Learning
      • Walnut Grove - Genius Hour in Elementary
      • Odyssey 2014 >
        • SAMR: A Technology Integration Model for Educators
        • Explain Everything! Practical Uses and How-Tos for Screencasting on Your iPad
        • So You Want to Mystery Skype?
      • Roseville GAFESummit - Passion-Based Learning
  • Contact
A Tech Teacher on a Mission

Make "Things That Suck" Even Better

1/11/2014

2 Comments

 
Things that don't suck: "Things That Suck" sessions in EdCamps. 

Before I attended EdCampDelta today, I was pointed toward this post on Things That Suck sessions by Bill Selak, an awesome educator from California. Then I received a demanding tweet from Karl Lindgren-Streicher and Kristen Swanson saying that a Things That Suck session had to go down at EdCampDelta today.

Problem: I had never even been to one of these sessions before, let alone facilitating one of these conversations! But hey, why not just dive into learning something new? After all, isn't that what EdCamp is all about?
Picture
So I downloaded Bill's slidedeck of topics to cover in the session and tweaked a couple of them to be more relevant to our work in BC schools. If you didn't read Bill's post, the basic premise is that the room is divided into two camps - things in education either SUCKING or ROCKING - making clear your stance on the specific debate topic based on where you stand in the room. I did give a nod to the grey area crowd as well, where I stand on quite a few issues myself. The facilitator then would have folks justify their opinions on the topic at hand and have a friendly debate about it. Participants can move about the room as they choose based on the points coming up in the conversation.

BUT. There's always a BUT... 

Most of the participants in the room were students. In a room that was quite full, I would actually say that well over half of them were students. Some of them had NO IDEA what some of the topics even were, including topic related to technology! After having to explain a few topics to them like Technology Carts, the New BC Curriculum, Interactive Whiteboards, and ePortfolios, I made a quick realization:

WHY WAS I DECIDING WHAT TOPICS WE SHOULD DEBATE ABOUT?! 
HOW WAS THIS SERVING THE NEEDS OF THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE ROOM?!
Cue the cool idea in my head that has a lot of potential:

EdCamp is based on the idea that we should come choose our own conversations to have around professional development, right? So why not have participants select topics that they actually want to have a debate about before the session begins? It's really no big deal to discuss and throw those suggestions into a Google presentation or a Keynote in a matter of minutes as the participants trickle into the room! And voila - your conversations are tailored to the needs of the participants - it's like an EdCamp within an EdCamp! (#MetaCamp? :) I digress.)

More than that little idea, Chris Wejr later pushed me to consider that the "fence-sitters" should have to decide at some point on which side of the topic that they're going to pick to debate. Keep in mind that they can move as the discussion continues, but this promotes an increased amount of conversation and thought, even if one is forced to play devil's advocate (I did for a few topics, and it was really fun). 

Either way, our Things That Suck session was incredibly infused with ever-valuable student voice, insightful parents, and amazing educators. I had a lot of fun and learned a ton! 

Thanks to the organizers of EdCampDelta for a fun-filled day of conversation, discovery, and learning. My other three sessions were also fantastic and I just can't wait for EdCampWest and EdCamp35 coming up in the spring! 
Picture
2 Comments

    Author

    Victoria Olson
    A curious and passionate educator in Langley, BC

    Picture

    Picture

    Picture

    Picture

    Picture

    Picture

    Tweets by @MsVictoriaOlson

    Picture

    Picture

    RSS Feed


    Archives

    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2016
    January 2016
    August 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013


    Categories

    All
    Assessment
    Augmented Reality
    Balance
    Blogging
    Camtasia
    Collaboration
    Communication
    Community
    Creativity
    Design
    Edcamp
    #EdFailFwd
    Education
    Efficiency
    Elementary
    Google Teacher Academy
    Guided Math
    Intermediate
    Ipads
    Multi Age
    Multi-age
    Pln
    Primary
    Pro D
    Pro D
    Pro-D
    Reflection
    Resource
    Screencasting
    Self Regulation
    Sharing
    Tech
    Things That Suck
    Think35
    Twitter
    Video
    #YourEduStory


    Want to subscribe to this blog? Enter your email address below for automatic email updates:

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.