Yes, OF COURSE we’re going to do Padcamp again this summer!
Stay tuned for more information!
Yes, OF COURSE we’re going to do Padcamp again this summer!
Stay tuned for more information!
If you are planning to join us at 3PM (EDT) webinar today, please head over to the BigMarker Demo room (http://www.bigmarker.com/demo) beforehand to make sure everything is good to go regarding your browser and other hardware. Then you’ll be ready to click http://www.bigmarker.com/edcamp/live for the event! Thanks all!
So you want to host your own edcamp?
Awesome!
Join a collection of experienced edcamp organizers for a lively discussion about planning, marketing and holding your own edcamp. Discover tips, how-to’s, gotchas, resources and ideas to help make your event one that participants will RAVE about.
Point your web browser of choice to http://www.bigmarker.com/edcamp/live on Saturday, September 10th at 3pm and be prepared to learn a lot!
See you there!
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for making the first-ever (as far as we know) PadCamp – our tablet focused unconference – such a huge success!
Before I go any further … thank you Galloway Township Public Schools for hosting us … thank you, our sponsors, for the great prizes and for offsetting most of our meal costs … thank you, my fellow organizng team members for your general awesomeness … and thank you, Atlantic City Press for covering our event!
It was just a week ago that we gathered in the gorgeous cafetorium at Galloway Township Middle School (our gracious host) with a carload of breakfast goodies, a blank schedule wall, and the hope that enough people would show up to actually have enough to talk about for an entire DAY.
I have to be honest: we had no idea how it would go. (We had a pretty good idea, but no one knew for sure what to expect.)
When it was all over, more than 140 people – a whopping 80% of those who registered – spent the day at 32 thought-provoking sessions, all envisioned, proposed and led by participants themselves on that day.
It’s magic, I tell you. 100% pure, unadulterated, “unconference” magic!
What Went Well
What Could Have Been Better
All things considered, at the end of the day, we all agreed that PadCamp had gone exceptionally well – and as one organizer (who shall remain nameless!) put it – shockingly well!
Where do we go from here?
While there is already talk about our next event – which may come sooner than 12 months from now, we’re not sure yet – PadCamps are already springing up in other parts of the country, like Dallas, Long Island, Upstate New York, and San Francisco. Stay tuned – follow us on Twitter!
But there is something much larger at stake here. Something we, the organizers, are passionate about. Something we feel is necessary, important and achievable, and that is for UNCONFERENCES to REVOLUTIONIZE traditional DISTRICT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.
Consider this: of the 140+ attendees, several schools, including Somers Point, Linwood, and Galloway – sent entire TEAMS of people to our event. One district – Perth Amboy Schools, under the direction of Superintendent Janine Caffrey – went even further, giving their team EIGHT HOURS OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CREDIT for attending PadCamp:
So why don’t more districts adapt / adopt / implement the unconference model? Unconferences (PadCamps, EdCamps, TeachMeets, etc.):
C’mon, folks! You know what we need to do!
-kj-
To view the article, click here or on the photo above.
Photo of the front page (courtesy Jennifer Dare):

The latest pics in this set are the ones I took today – to access the Flickr Padcamp Group and contribute your own, click here!
What a day!
Our event was not perfect, but by most accounts, it was EXCELLENT.
On behalf of the organizers, allow me to say it was our pleasure making it happen.
Now, if you would, please refer to the image on the left.
PadCamp wouldn’t even exist if no one attended.
More in the way of a proper reflection still to come!
Today’s the day! Thank you for being a part of this adventure. We start at 8:30, will enjoy breakfast and conversation while we build the session schedule through 9:45, then we’ll have a few introductory words. Our first session will be at 10:00 am. It’s going to be an incredible day of sharing and learning! Here are some quick links:
Click here for the Session Schedule (opens in a new window)
Event wiki (session details, if discussion leaders care to provide them!): http://padcamp.wikispaces.com/
Here is our Lvestream channel (click here to open it in a new window). Once we start broadcasting, the video should appear!
Tomorrow’s the day! Are you excited? Ready to learn? Share? Make new friends, talk about teaching & learning in a relaxed atmosphere, explore technology, enjoy some free food, maybe win stuff?
Here are some thoughts about maximizing your PadCamp fun factor: