Teachers spend Saturday learning tech tips at first EdCamp Rome

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Teachers in the area gave up their Saturday last week to learn valuable technology tips from other teachers in a new format called EdCamp. These are volunteer learning experiences put together for teachers, by teachers where the educators share information that interests the participants. More than 120 gathered for the first EdCamp Rome held Saturday, March 21 at Rome High School.

The EdCamp was organized by Instructional Technology Specialists, Lee Green, from Floyd County Schools and Terrie Ponder of Rome City Schools. The idea was born from a presentation at last year’s GAETC, Georgia’s premier EdTech conference. “I was blown away by a session where Fayette County teachers were using the EdCamp model for professional development and how empowered they were using the process,” commented Lee Green. “I turned around in the session and saw Terrie from Rome City and we immediately started talking about how we could hold our own EdCamp here.”

At EdCamp, participants come together to learn from one another without a set list of presenters. There are session times posted but the topics and presenters are determined by the participants willing to share ideas or practices that work in their classrooms. The event was free to the participants and breakfasts, lunch and t-shirts were provided by donations from local technology companies.

Sessions included: Robotics and coding, Pop Culture in the Classroom or “I Kanye do technology”, Transformational Leadership in Technology, and many more. “The beautiful thing about this day is that we have shown two school systems what can happen when we work together to advance learning,” Green added. “There are more opportunities to learn and grow in our future as EdCamp Rome II is already being planned.”

Other organizers of the event included: Cat Flippen, from Georgia Gwinnett College; and Craig Ellison, director of technology for Floyd County Schools. Special thanks to Chris Carey of Logical Systems; Jeff Bunch, RRW; Amie Briggs, EDCO; Dr. Tygar Evans, principal of Rome High and Superintendents, Dr. Jeff McDaniel, Floyd County Schools; and Dr. Mike Buck, Rome City Schools.

Source: Rome News

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