What's an Un-conference?
At a traditional conference, presenters are selected ahead of time and plan a prepared lesson on a topic in which they are interested. If that’s not what you want to learn about, too bad because that’s what they are going to present.
At an un-conference, there are NO pre-planned sessions. Participants build the session board in the morning, based on the kinds of things they would like to learn and the topics they would like to discuss. This leads to sessions that are much more like discussions than presentations. (If you have ever been to an EdCamp, you have been to a type of un-conference.) Un-conferences are participant-driven, grass-roots professional development days.
Traditional Conference
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Un-conference
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Sessions planned by the organizers
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Sessions planned by participants
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Schedule set in stone ahead of time
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Schedule is designed organically on the day of the event
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Sessions are presentations by an expert
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Sessions are discussions among peers
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Presenters are selected by the organizers
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Anyone can lead a session
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How Does It Work?
At the opening session in the morning, attendees will be able to write ideas on yellow or blue cards. Writing on a yellow card means “I want to learn more about this topic.” Writing on a blue card means “I am willing to lead a session about this topic.” We will collect cards, group the yellow cards by topic, and match them to a blue card with the same topic. (If a blue card doesn’t exist with that topic, we’ll get someone to create one.) We’ll then post the cards on the session board. When all the rooms and time-slots are full, the session board is complete, and we’ll transcribe it and post it to a Google Doc so everyone can reference the program throughout the day.
In a session, the “leader” will start the conversation going, perhaps sharing some of their expertise, if relevant. The leader is NOT a presenter, is not expected to have slides or a packages presentation or activities or even any real expertise in the subject. The leader is simply the facilitator of the conversation. In the best un-conference sessions, the leader introduces the topic and never needs to speak again!
If the session turns out to be other than you expect, and it’s not meeting your needs, you should (quietly and politely) get up and go to another session. Your time is too valuable to spend in a session where you’re not learning anything.
At the end of the day, attendees will meet again in the Board Room to share ideas and lessons learned from the day, and participate in a demo slam!
Sample Session Topic Ideas (real sessions for other un-conferences):
Gamification
Divergent and Convergent Questioning
Google Classroom
Elementary Tech Tools: Apps, Sites, and More
Elementary Robotics
Differentiation
Minecraft in Education
Screencasting
Classroom Design
Flipgrid
3D Printing
Breakout EDU
Podcasting 4 All
Google Slides
English Teachers
Students and Social Media
STEAM Club (K6)
How might we re-think grades
Digital Portfolios including One Note
Grow Your PLN with Twitter
Google Forms
Geo Tools: Expeditions, TourBuilder, My Maps, Earth, etc.
Student Choice and Voice
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