About 100 teachers from Fayette and the metro Atlanta area spent one of their few remaining days of summer break attending the third annual EdCampFayette hosted by Sara Harp Minter Elementary and organized by the school system’s instructional technology department.
EdCamp is a free non-conference where the rules are flipped. The agenda is prepared on site as attendees post online the topics they want to know more about, and those who have the knowledge volunteer to give presentations. Participants are encouraged to walk out of a presentation if it does not meet their needs, and they are asked to Tweet about the camp during presentations.
The presentations consisted of teachers sharing their best practices, and the resources they use, to bring technology into the classroom. Some topics included Getting Googlie with Blackboard; Learn to Make Your Own Apps for Free, No Coding Needed; No Fuss Virtual Realty; and Coding Digitally and with Toys.
Sara Harp Minter instructional specialist Jamie Vandergrift led an one-hour session on a resource she has found helpful in the classroom called Breakout EDU, a timed game that teaches critical thinking, teamwork and complex problem solving for use in all content areas. The teacher places locked boxes in the room along with riddles or problems that the students need to solve in order to come up with the combination to unlock the box and reveal mystery items inside before time runs out. Vandergrift lead 14 teachers through a Breakout game she previously played with third-graders that had them using their critical thinking skills and knowledge of double-digit numbers, as well as that of liquids, masses and gases to find solutions to unlock the boxes in 25 minutes.
Gifted teacher April DeGennaro of Peeples Elementary led a session on Puzzlets, a game that combines hands-on play with interactive gaming to teach STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) topics.
EdCampFayette took place July 23. Donors provided breakfast and lunch to participants. Kate Crawford, Angie Foerster, Lisa Dobbs, Matt Jackson, and Jennifer Kaiser of the Fayette County Schools Instructional Technology Department organized the event.
In one of the above photots, Beth Pope of Cleveland Elementary aligns numbers on a combination lock given to her by her teammates as they try to solve problems that will unlock their box with a sweet treat inside.
In the other photo, Tyler Martin (right) of Kedron Elementary and April DeGennaro of Peeples Elementary celebrate when Martin gets a right answer using the Puzzlet game.
