Several weeks ago I had the privilege of attending Edcamp USA at the US Department of Education. Here’s a quick overview of the day (including some comments from yours truly):

A few people asked me afterward: “What did you learn?” In reflecting on the day, I think I learned very little in terms of new content: I didn’t walk away with a new app I’m dying to use, an innovative approach I hadn’t considered before, or a strategy I tested out in class that Monday.

Instead, I made connections. I took a walk with an educator from Florida and connected over giving students voice within and beyond the classroom. I sat with a circle of Edcamp organizers and connected over the challenges and joys of bringing teacher-driven professional development to our communities. I listened to Department of Education staffers who encouraged us to reach out to them with ideas and solutions to best serve all our kids. I brainstormed with a teacher around how to best support his students to create lasting community impact in a class connecting service learning and social studies.

All of these connections interlaced and overlapped, and I felt buoyed by the connected energy of a couple hundred educators who traveled from across the country for one reason: we want to support our students.

While Edcamp in a fancy location was awesome, the day also reminded me that Edcamp anywhere is Edcamp everywhere, and what Edcamp is about is relationships and connections. Relationships and connections: what better to be at the heart of a movement of educators?