My experience attending Edcamp Ottawa 1 & 2
Edcamp Ottawa 1:
Edcamp Ottawa #1 (2012) was my first experience with an Edcamp. As one of the coordinating team members, we all didn’t know what to expect. It turned out that Edcamp Ottawa #1 was a huge success. A great day of collaboration, sharing and discussion. As a team, we decided that we would plan Edcamp Ottawa #2 for sure.
I learned so much at Edcamp Ottawa in 2012.
Cool apps:
Aurasma: Is an app that creates augmented reality by using images, objects and even places that can have their own Auras. Auras can be as simple as a video and a link to a web page or as complex as a lifelike 3D animation. This can be used for centres, a scavenger hunt or so many more ways. Here is a demo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBKy-hSedg8
Screen Chomper: Is a whiteboard app that records what your students write on the iPad and also records the audio. This is a great assessment tool to see what they are understanding, and you can also send it home to parents. A great idea is to give them a problem and they solve it on Screen Chomper.
Media Literacy/Digital Citizenship Websites:
MediaSmarts.ca: This is a great website with tons of resources and lessons for teachers to use when teaching media literacy. They also have lessons searchable by province, grade and subject.
CommonSenseMedia.org: This is a great website for teachers as well as parents. It has resources, lessons and professional development for teachers. It also has reviews about games, movies, TV shows, apps and books for parents to check what is ok for their child.
Tree Octopus: This is a great website to teach your students that you cannot believe everything you read.
Digital Citizenship: This is a great website developed by Jane Smith from OCDSB with many links to the above mentioned sites for media literacy as well as resources divided by primary, junior and intermediate.
Edcamp #2 (2013):
This Edcamp was more relaxed for our team because we had already had a successful Edcamp, and we knew what to expect. We were thrilled with the bigger turn out and hope that the inspiring spirit of Edcamp will spread so that year by year it continues to grow.
Here is what I learned about at Edcamp Ottawa #2:
Collaboration between Grades: I attended a session about how we can do more collaboration between grades. Some examples that were shared were a claymation project on a theme such as bullying and the older students help the younger students stay on track, share ideas and implement it. We also discussed Arts, Science, and Math Electives where each teacher (and parent volunteers) choose a subject that they are going to teach about. The students are then told all of the options, and they are allowed to choose which elective they want to go to. The groups are then multi-leveled and multi-graded between Grade 1-6. There was also a great idea shared about getting the students to decide what they want to be when they grow up. The teachers would then group together similar interests and the group would be responsible for learning more about that job/career, such as how much schooling you need to get that job and so on.
Maker Junior: Maker Junior uses “Maker” inspired projects to help kids learn about technology by combining traditional arts and crafts materials with technology such as electronic components, open source hardware and tools such as 3D-printers. Maker Junior makes technology accessible and fun, and will inspire the next generation of innovators. I’m hoping to get this in my school/class.
Agora.etsb.qc.ca: A great website with links to apps about digital citizenship through iTunesU and Inventors Workshop Series with many different kinds of workshops with lessons included.
imotionapp: A free app that lets you take many pictures and allows you to edit them together to make a movie. Perfect for Claymation movies.
Mystery Skype: I’ve been hearing about Mystery Skype on Twitter and was curious about it but never knew what it was. The concept is simple: classrooms Skype call each other and try to guess where the other classroom is located in the world. On the day of the call, students use their resources in trying to figure where the other class is calling from via Skype. To get a more detailed description and how to do mystery skype please visit this blog post: http://www.pernilleripp.com/2011/10/so-you-want-to-do-mystery-skype.html I’ve signed up so maybe we will mystery skype soon!
Global Monster Project: This is a fun project where you are given guidelines about a body part and you must include those guidelines when you build your monster. For example: you must include a black head with circle red spots. Monsters are submitted from all over the world.
Global Read Aloud: Global Read Aloud was created by Pernille Ripp, and happens once a year. You read a book that many people all over the world are reading. You can devote as much time as you wish, but it usually happens over 6 weeks. You can connect with other classes who are reading the same book and discuss it.
Sesame IO: I was so excited to bring Sesame IO to Edcamp Ottawa because it is the assessment tool I use at school and I love it. You can plan your year using the Ontario curriculum expectations, and you can also assess your students on those expectations.
As you can see, Edcamp Ottawa is such an amazing day to learn, share and collaborate. I hope to see you next year!
