Last weekend EdCamp was held in LA and it came down with a blow! Tickets were sold out and it was a Trending topic on Twitter. I was sad I couldn't attend even though I had my ticket! But even if I didn't attend personally, I did virtually. That’s part of the wonders of technology. Following the hashtag #EdCampLA I was able to follow most of the topics being discussed on the Unconference offered on the Center for Early Education in West Hollywood. Dozens of teachers came in from different places to share and gain new knowledge of what’s becoming popular on the education field.
It was amazing how many teachers engaged in twitter conversations with persons that were attending and people that didn't have the privilege of being there. They worked as the link for transferring all the knowledge that was offered there. Many different sessions were held at #EdCampLA. Some of my favorite ones were #Evernote, #ThingsThatSuck, #iosedapp, within others. On the link bellow you can access all the resources that were given out during the four different sessions held at #EdCampLa.
EdCamp LA
For me one of the most rewarding things I got from #EdCampLA was the use of different apps in the classroom. One of the most interesting ones was Remind 101, which allows you to communicate via text or email with your students and their parents to either send reminders, or special communications, or changes within your classroom. It was on the Evernote session were I learned tricks that I didn't knew before. It was pretty practical that people were tweeting and sharing all the resources, and presenting and asking question from people on twitter. For me, it was #Eduawesome how everyone helped each other there.
One of the things I’m looking forward to dedicate a little more time reading is the posts about the 1 iPad classroom, because in most of our cases that’s how it works due to funding issues. If you do have only one iPad and don’t have the opportunity to buy an apple tv, the Reflector app would be of great help. #EdCampLA attendees were introduced first hand to the magic of the Reflector app, which is a pc or mac software that will allow you to airplay through wifi you iPad on your pc, allowing you to use a regular projector to show your classroom. Something like this can change the way you give out your lessons, changing also the way your students learn.
Another amazing thing I discovered on #EdCampLA was InstaGrok, which is an amazing new website that works as a search for research purposes. It helps the students to learn by exploring topics and connecting them with facts on an interactive map that will help them visualize all the connections. I see a lot of potential with this in the future of my classrooms, and as other teachers discover the capabilities of it, instagrok will be a success pretty soon.
I can’t wait for an opportunity to attend an event like this one in person. I hope that events like this keep coming my way because they are a great forum for professional development.
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