Welcome to EdCampLdr 

Edcamp Leadership is:
1) It's FREE; 2) Learner-driven; 3) Collaborative; 4) Interactive; 5) Focused on personalized professional learning; 6) For leadership teams, school leaders, teachers and community-builders; 7) Occurring in a marathon of 35 sites across the globe; 8) All about learning: high-tech, low-tech, and no-tech.

EDCAMPLDR AT RIVERHEAD HIGH SCHOOL

 (July 11, 2016 – Riverhead, NY) During summer vacation, lots of kids go to camp and so do some adults. Several teachers and administrators from the Riverhead Central School District and close to 200 participants from around the island and tri-state area converged on Riverhead High School to attend EdCamp.  Participants were comprised of every position within the education profession - from superintendents to pre-service teachers still in school.  With 35 sites around the world convening simultaneously, the Riverhead camp meeting was the largest EdCampLdr in NYS and one of the most populated EdCamps in the country!  Participants from over 50 school districts came together at Riverhead High School on Monday, July 11th, to participate in EdCamp. Check out the tweets on Twitter at #edcampldrny and on the twitter feed on the RCSD District website. (The next EdCamp on LI is scheduled for October 1st in Massapequa!)

​Wondering what happens at EdCamp?

EdCamp is an "unconference" whereby educators come together to share, learn and explore every aspect of education.  There is no agenda,  but participants come forward and lead sessions on anything of interest. Before and after a time to gather and greet each other in the cafeteria over coffee and pastry, teachers, community-builders and administrators clustered around a wall of blank sheets of paper. Several people stepped up to the wall and wrote a question or topic on one of the sheets located across from a classroom number and under three time periods. In this simple step, the topics for the half-day of EDCAMP sessions were determined. All the campers gathered in the auditorium and after a brief explanation of how EdCamp functions, they returned to the hallway to write in more topics of interest.  

Choose a Session – Feel Free to Move On to Another Midway

Educators then had to decide on the sessions they wished to attend and headed off to a classroom. The person who wrote the question or interest area began the conversation and acted as a coordinator, but after that, it was all about conversation and sharing.

Some of the Topics covered at EdCamp --

Rocks or Sucks? -- Discussing important educational issues by taking a side and defending it. Topics included diversity and testing.
Come learn about NBA Math Hoops -- Using games in the classroom to teach math and social studies.
Google Classroom -- Using Google applications in the classroom to make lessons, assignments and assessments.
Equity Teams -- Encouraging collegiality, building networks and finding resources to support diverse learning and diverse learners.
Supporting Teaching & Learning with Diverse Learning Populations -- Exploring social issues, such as  covert racism and segregation in school communities, in the classroom. Finding literature and resources to use in the classroom.
Differentiated Leadership: Building Trust, Relationships, and Mindset -- How do we build that foundation of trust? Administrators building relationships for collegiality to occur.
Digital Badging and Professional Development – Encouraging participation in PD through recognition. Participate and earn a badge.
Let’s Discuss the ENL Co-Teaching Model: How’s It Going? What’s Working? What Isn’t? – Need the time to meet together in grade level groups to coordinate teaching. Finding the time for ENL prep time together is important. 
Designing Effective Assessments w Blooms and WebbDOK  / Digital Assessments / Taking Risks in the Digital Age / And More

EdCamp Session —"20th century teachers teaching 21st century learners"

Tom Whitby, a veteran of 50 sessions of EdCamp, efficiently summarized EdCamp as an event which proved Andragogy rather than Pedagogy is the best method of engaging adults in the learning process.
 
“Adults learn through collaboration and the best form of collaboration for adults is conversation,” shared Mr. Whitby. “The best type of professional development for educators has three components: input, collegial conversation and a ‘learning event’ that they can apply immediately.”
 
In the session he initiated, Mr. Whitby started a conversation on the difference between ‘sit and get–twentieth century teaching’, which he felt doesn't always work for twenty-first century learners, and new methodologies to engage today's students. 
 
“Many of us are products of a 20th century education," noted Mr. Whitby. "We were taught the teaching methods of 'control and compliance'--you tell students what they need to know and they sit and listen. We need another method. Twenty-first century learners have the technology to go out and guide their own learning and so do you. Use your colleagues – develop a professional learning network. Through social media, we can connect with hundreds of people. Social media has opened up the educational conversation and can provide us with new pathways to learning and sharing.”
Then Mr. Whitby presented the question, “What do you think a 21st century educator is or does? “
 Comments about components  of 21st century teaching included:
- It gives students hands-on learning opportunities.
- It offers students choices to engage their passions and interests.
- It allows students to demonstrate their knowledge through their own projects.
- It involves discussion, teacher-led or student-driven.
​
RCSD Director of Professional Development Michael Hugelmeyer summarized EdCamp this way --
A team of directors and administrators from Riverhead attended the EdCamp last year at Hampton Bays and we really enjoyed the experience.  The spontaneity and collegiality there was inspiring and infectious.  We kept in touch and we agreed to host EdCamp at Riverhead this summer. We worked with Dennis Schug, Hampton Bays Middle School Principal, and Scott Garafalo, a Hampton Bays teacher, to host the event.  Both are very passionate educators, with a great knowledge of pedagogy and a keen understanding of how to use social media and technology to promote teaching and learning.  They are assets to our profession!
​
Mr. Huglelmeyer concluded, "EdCamp is a great vehicle to aid in the educational process and I am proud that we at Riverhead were a part of it!"   ​