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NKY Education Council’s 4th Edcamp coming; teachers, administrators, school leaders set agenda


On March 25, the College and Career Readiness Action Team of the Northern Kentucky Education Council will bring together over 350 educators from the region to share best practices and discuss topics related to education at the fourth annual Northern Kentucky Edcamp.

Edcamp is an innovative approach to professional development that allows teachers, administrators and school leaders to discuss topics most relevant to their work. Participants determine what is discussed when they arrive at the event; event sessions may include topics such as parent engagement, using technology in the classroom, developing teacher resources, and STEM initiatives. Attendees of the event lead the sessions rather than outside experts.

Tribune photo from a former Edcamp

The event is free to participants and will be held at Lloyd Memorial High School in Erlanger.

A committee of volunteers comprised of local educators and community partners coordinated the first Northern Kentucky Edcamp in 2014 as a method of providing teachers and administrators with an innovative approach to professional development. Seventy-five people from the Northern Kentucky region attended that event, which has grown to over 300 educators participating annually with a waiting list.

“As a teacher, as a principal, and as a person, I love the opportunity to design my own professional development based on my needs,” shared Erika Bowles, principal at Longbranch Elementary. “I have loved every Edcamp I’ve ever attended, but perhaps the most influential session I’ve ever attended was by Heather Warrell, who showed a packed room full of educators how to create a paperless school.  I have implemented so many of her ideas at our school, including a paperless, closed website for our school employees as a one-stop shop for all information they could ever want or need about our school.  It has increased productivity and communication at our school.”

“Edcamp is powerful because it recognizes the knowledge and expertise of educators,” noted Polly Lusk Page, Executive Director of the Northern Kentucky Education Council. “The conversations that occur during the sessions provide meaningful professional development on an individual level, which ultimately impacts student learning.”

The Edcamp concept was created by a group of educators in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 2010 as a form of free professional development that expanded conversations occurring on social media platforms. Communities around the world have successfully implemented Edcamps based on this first model.

For further information, follow the Northern Kentucky Edcamp on Twitter (or #EdcampNKY).

The Northern Kentucky Education Council is the backbone organization for alignment of education initiatives in Northern Kentucky. The Council serves as a catalyst for collaboration, change and progress to attain regional education goals in Boone, Campbell, Gallatin, Grant, Kenton, and Pendleton Counties.

From Northern Kentucky Education Council


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