The Schoenblog

And this weekend, I attended my third #EdcampNJ. This event has grown a lot, and so have I. I’ve attended too many edcamps to count in the past three years and presented at so many of them. I’ve had opportunities to connect with and learn from passionate educators in the tri-state area of NY, NJ, and CT, and all around the world.

And Saturday’s fifth annual #EdcampNJ was one of the best of them all.

A completely full parking lot at 8 AM, over 800 educators registered for the event, and having around 60 sessions to fill on the board should have overwhelmed anyone. But I’m thankful to the awesome organizing team for all of their hard work and planning. Most of all, I’m thankful for how #EdcampNJ refocused its mission on the edcamp model with a back to basics approach. Here are some of the reasons why this was one of my favorite edcamp and learning experiences yet:

There are soooo many people ready to learn at #edcampnj!! pic.twitter.com/ZZVNPnXBGJ

— Adam Schoenbart (@MrSchoenbart) November 19, 2016

3 Ways Back to Basics Made #EdcampNJ Great

1. Embraced its Size

It’s 8:30 AM on Saturday and there are 400 excited educators who won’t shut up. We’re all passionate about our work and enjoying the opportunity to connect and have some breakfast. Instead of wasting the time and energy on long speeches, drawn out prizes, and quieting crowds, I loved how the team let the learning and the participants drive the day. They embraced their huge numbers by never asking people to quiet down and proving so much space and so many learning opportunities so we never had to stop.

For example, besides a five minute introduction to the day, there were no major announcements, speeches, or moments of focus on one individual. It was about all of us. Prizes were given out to start the day and at half time instead of in a long raffle procession. And while I love the smackdown or demo slam atmosphere, it would have been tough (and maybe unnecessary) to refocus on it at the end of the day. Instead, we got to finish our learning and leave on a high note. Surrounded by hundreds of like-minded educators, there was never a lull in the learning of conversation.

2. The Schedule

#EdcampNJ made some valuable changes to the traditional schedule board process. Instead of filling up all of the sessions at the start of the day, we only filled the first two time slots. Two blocks of 40-minutes were dedicated to learning and conversation, to be followed by a half-time. In the half-time, prizes were awarded using a random name generator of attendees and we enjoyed more conversation, bagels, and coffee. Most importantly, we created the schedule for the second half of the day.

The genius of this move reflects what good professional learning needs: authenticity and ownership. Through the conversations and sessions in morning, we were able to better plan the afternoon sessions. This allowed for reflection and conversation to drive the schedule instead of pre-planned canned presentations. I’m not sure who came up with this idea--I’ve never seen it done this way before--but it had a huge impact on my enjoyment of the day.

Session board first thing this morning. This is what other looked like at the end of the day. #njed #edcampnj pic.twitter.com/SFxoLaZZNu

— Sandra Paul (@spaul6414) November 19, 2016

3. The Conversations

From the moment I walked in the building, I was surrounded by intense, passionate, and curious educators who wanted to learn and connect. With the Back to Basics theme, the organizers emphasized conversation over presentation, which was exactly what I needed. There’s a time and place for traditional presentations--as a frequent presenter and consultant, I’m not knocking them at all--but the spirit of edcamp empowers its participants to drive the session and conversation, too.

From leading a discussion on instructional coaching to participating in one about understanding professional development, I was able to choose the conversations I wanted to be a part of and decide how I wanted to participate. For the first session, I visited three different rooms where the conversations weren’t for me. Instead, I talked in the hall with some new friends and made great connections. The combination of the learning and discussing before, during, and after sessions left me feeling accomplished but relaxed--it wasn’t the traditional feeling of a “full brain” I often suffer at the end of a conference day.

@mrschoenbart and @Kennisdani are rocking their teacher leadership session. #edcampnj https://t.co/q95KykvTk7 pic.twitter.com/3h1ViG69KC

— AJ Bianco (@AJBianco) November 19, 2016

There was so much more I enjoyed about the day, and it wouldn’t have been the same without the fantastic work of the organizers. It was great to connect and reconnect with so many friends and educators. For those of you #EdcampNJ attendees who are readers, it would be great to hear your perspective of the day, too. Let’s keep the learning and conversation going.

Share your thoughts on #EdcampNJ or your favorite #edcamp experiences in the comments or on Twitter @MrSchoenbart.

• Evaluate your participation in our online discussions as a whole, including the Google Community, Today's Meet, and Twitter. How effectively did you share ideas and participate in online discussion?
• In this unit, we blended (mixed) live and online instruction and discussion. How did these online discussions help or hinder your understanding and analysis of the text and our work this week? 

Find more about our blended discussions in 3 Tools for Blended Discussion and Using Technology to Enhance Student Voice and Audience.

Below, find some student responses for their reflections to the experience of blended and online discussions.

• It wasn't any different than live conversation to be quite honest. It helped me like any regular discussion would and did not hinder my analysis. At least I don't think so.
• The online discussions were helpful in that everyone had a voice and everyone could see the many different opinions of classmates. I sometimes felt that they hindered the discussion by moving too quickly or not delving deeper into important questions, as the case sometimes was on Today's Meet.
• I didn't necessarily mind using online discussions and tools to work on this project I think they were useful to some people who don't like to talk in front of the class but have something to contribute to the discussions. 
• It helped me think about specific relationships between characters (i.e. Art and Vladek, Vladek and Anja). Whenever I heard someone saying something interesting I wanted to support their analysis or go against it and give constructive feedback. I learned a lot more about Art's purpose behind the story too. 
• I feel the online discussion gave those who would normally choose not a speak an opportunity to show their understanding of the reading. (This does not apply to me however.)
• I felt like the online discussions helped me because I participated more in those and I could read the answers again in case I didn't understand them the first time.
• The online discussions were different than just simply in person discussions. Socratic Seminars are a bit easier for me because I am not a big fan of technology. So online discussions weren't my favorite.
• The online discussion helped me understand a lot more. It helped me understand a lot more because i got to see another persons point of view that i haven't thought of, and it made me think.

Read more about our journey in reflection and self-assessment in Student Reflections and Self-Assessment and When Students Self-Assess: Sharing Reflections and Feedback.

As I read through their reflections, I’ve noticed interesting trends in the data. Almost every student’s self-assessment was within 7% of mine. Some scored higher and others lower, but we were close enough for my comfort. Their range of responses were interesting, with a variety of ideas. We intentionally practiced different tools that had difference paces, levels of depth and inquiry, and difficulty. I wanted to push students to engage and participate in new and different ways.

While some students enjoyed the speed of a Today’s Meet chat, others found it overwhelming. Some liked the depth of a Google Community post, but for some it was repetitive. Many ended up writing about similar ideas. Still, most recognized the opportunity that blended discussions give for voice and audience, noting that more students participated more often and more deeply than before. We can always do butter, but right now that’s a win in my book.

How do you promote reflection and metacognition in your classroom? How do students feel about blended and online discussion? Please share your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter @MrSchoenbart.