Edcamp New Jersey was a fun and interesting experience. I got to meet a lot of teachers from all over New Jersey and the surrounding states. This was my first EdCamp, and it really made a good first impression on me. I also go to other professional development days as well to teach teachers. However, I had never experienced a PD day this massive until now. I could literally feel the energetic atmosphere coming from the teachers as they milled around in the cafeteria and in the Makerspace in the gym. As I saw the car plates from New York and Connecticut, I realized how eager the teachers were to come to learn at EdCamp, and how some teachers came from really far away just to learn at Edcamp. I could tell that all of the teachers were really excited about improving their teaching experience and their classrooms as well.
EdCamp is definitely the best professional development day event that I have gone to so far. The event was organized really well, and I got to learn how other teachers teach. All the teachers that I met had different personalities, and that ties into how they teach. I loved this diversity. More importantly, I got to spread the mission and the community engagement and impact that my school's Makerspace has on our local community. It was really nice to be part of a team that is passionate about creating and using the Maker Mindset to help spark innovation and creativity in others.
Overall, EdCamp was really fun. Even though I didn't eat anything in the four or so hours since I was presenting almost all the time, I really enjoyed the time I spent at EdCamp. It was time well spent.
Shoutouts to Dr. MC and Dr. Aderhold for being such great supporters!
