Instead of holding our regular class this week, our cohort had the opportunity to attend an EdCamp. EdCamp is an organized gathering of educators from different schools, and with different roles, for the purpose of discussing a variety of education-based topics. Since this EdCamp happened via Zoom, many breakout rooms about different topics were opened and we were free to join whichever breakout room we were interested in. or wanted to discuss. We were able to switch rooms and discuss different topics, with different groups of people, any time we wished. This particular EdCamp included breakout rooms with topics like “Surviving Your First Practicum”, and “Indigenizing Curriculum”.

Quite a few of my cohorts, myself included, attended the “Surviving Your First Practicum” breakout room. I’m sure this was because practicums are one of the most stressful experiences for teacher candidates and since our cohort hasn’t experienced one yet, most of us are quite nervous about it. This breakout room was very helpful. Although most of us in the group were students, there were some teachers and professionals in the field there too. They answered many of our questions about practicums and gave us some great advice about how to make connections with students, set boundaries, actively participate, and be confident.

At first, I found the EdCamp a bit stressful because it was a whole new experience for me and there were so many people in attendance who I didn’t know, but, in the end, I really enjoyed it. Everyone was so nice, helpful, and welcoming and I received a lot of advice that will help me during my first practicum. Overall, the EdCamp was a great experience!