Friday, January 13, 2012

Are EdCamps Too Technocentric?


Image by Scott Warren

As I prepare mentally for #EdCampStL next month I think about what I would like to see offered for break out sessions. I think that there is real opportunity to have conversations about curriculum, discipline, and teaching methods, but I worry that most of these conversations will somehow revolve around technology.

I understand that many of us that are aware or becoming aware of these opportunities find out about them online or from others who are online. I would suspect this skews the audience towards those that prefer to use technology in the classroom. Does this intimidate other teachers attending? I suspect we are missing very large groups of teachers because they don't know about the events yet, or they are scared off by the perceived attention toward technology.

Is this true? If so, what can we do to involve more diverse groups of teachers?