Today I participated in my first edcamp. I first happened upon the idea of these camps this spring via twitter, and when the opportunity to join one from my home this summer presented itself, I jumped at the chance.

Enter EdcampHome put on by some wonderful people Kelly Kermode, Karl Lindgren-Streicher, David Theriault, and Shawn White.  This was a risk for me, because it would all happen using technology that was new to me.  I had a few short weeks to make sure that I knew enough about Google+ and Google Hangouts to try it, but I wanted in on the fun!

I practiced “hanging out”, followed the video tutorials leading up to the camp, and the day arrived.  I was excited and nervous as the time approached for the experience to begin.  I was ready to see what topics presented themselves and to contribute to a productive conversation.  Many people who had attended edcamps before had mentioned the importance of putting yourself out there to facilitate a session, but that would not be me.  I was new at this, and I needed to watch one before I jumped in.

Or so I thought…

We watched the opening GHO explaining how the day would work, and then it was off to the session board to see what every one’s ideas were.  I looked for a few minutes and then in a moment of courage, I submitted a topic.  There were so many ideas going up on the virtual bulletin board, surely mine wouldn’t be one of the ones chosen, but it was.

No time to be nervous, I jumped in and facilitated a discussion on best practices in grading.  You can find the link to the GHO here.  I cannot say enough about the entire edcamp experience, both facilitating and participating in discussions.  I am very excited for the next opportunity!

Ok, so on to the soap box I go for a moment…

If we are going to model the learning experience for our students, we have to jump in.  We need to take a risk, no matter whether we are nervous or scared.  Learning is a messy process with attempts, failure, redos, and eventually success – which was admirably modeled by our leaders today.  In order to get the most out of the experience, we must contribute.  I did today, and I am better for it.  Thanks EdcampHome!