Built on principles of connected and participatory learning, EdCamps bring together people interested in education to talk about issues that matter to them. 

EdCamp Resources

 What is Edcamp? Here are resources from Edutopia that explain a bit more about EdCamps: 

• Edcamp: Innovation in Professional Development (Getting Smart, 2012) - In this interview with Getting Smart, teacher, Edcamper, and learner Kristen Swanson describes how the Edcamp movement began.
• Why Edcamp? (Edutopia, 2013) - Swanson discusses characteristics of Edcamps, what takes place during Edcamp sessions, and the positive, personal outcomes for educators.
• EdCamp  (Bill Selak, 2012) - Teachers explain what to expect from an Edcamp in this promotional video. For more specifics about schedule and format, you may also want to check out Mike Caulfield's Common-Craft-style video, "What is an Edcamp?"

EdCamps / Research

Jeff Carpenter has done a study on EdCamps as professional development. An excerpt from the abstract: "‘Unconferences’ are a non-traditional form of professional activity defined by the absence of many conventional conference structures. One example of the unconference model is the ‘EdCamp,’ a voluntary, participant-driven form of grassroots educator professional learning. More than 600 of these events have been held worldwide since the first in 2010. This exploratory study situates EdCamps in relationship to the literature on educator professional development and teacher collaboration, and reports on data gathered from 95 participants in an Edcamp in the United States. Respondents indicated diverse motivations for their EdCamp participation, including colleagues’ recommendations, anticipated learning and the desire to network and collaborate."