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Come to the ‘un-conference’ at edCamp Northern Illinois

March 22, 2017

Area educators can now register for the fifth annual edcamp Northern Illinois (edcampNI), a free evening of professional development that offers nontraditional opportunities to share teaching techniques, discuss new classroom tools and make connections with like-minded professionals.

This innovative event will be held from 5 – 8:30 p.m. Thursday, April 27, at Kaneland Harter Middle School, 1601 Esker Drive, Sugar Grove. There will also be a special STEAM educator’s session before the event, starting at 4 p.m.

Registration is open to K-12 teachers and administrators, university faculty and teacher candidates.

EdcampNI is an “un-conference,” which means no lectures or panels are set ahead of time. Instead, the evening will begin with participants sharing what they are most excited to learn about. Breakout sessions will form in direct response to the audience’s needs and expertise.

Participants already excited to discuss a particular topic can indicate their interest using this online form.

“This is all about educators helping educators,” says Kristin Brynteson, professional development director of NIU’s P-20 Center, which helped plan the event. “Through our own experiences, we know that some of the most valuable time at a conference is in the hallways in between sessions. EdcampNI is designed to be one giant hallway discussion, sharing ideas, asking questions and learning from each other.”

A light dinner will be provided free of charge, professional development hours are available and attendees will have the chance to win door prizes provided by sponsors, including Common Sense Education, Learning Resources, Sphereo and Tesla Amazing.

Educators involved in building STEAM classrooms, exploring STEAM opportunities for their students or starting STEAM activities during out of school times are welcome to come share ideas and swap resources during the special STEAM session beginning at 4 p.m.

In addition to the P-20 Center, NIU planners for the event include the External and Global Programs Office in the College of Education and the Office of Educator Licensure and Preparation. Special thanks to Kaneland School District for hosting this year’s edcampNI.

For more information, contact Sara Finnigan at 815-753-1272 or sfinnigan@niu.edu.