I'm always looking for opportunitites to learn more about integrating technology into the classroom so I made the easy decision to attend edcamphome 2.0. The first ever edcamphome (July 2103), was a blast. As a participant I engaged in conversations with other Science teachers and picked up some new tools to try. When the event was over I had a headache and my eye muscles twitched - but I was pumped full of the energy that new ideas bring.
This time around I volunteered to be a session moderator. I did my homework: lower thirds were set, "day of" instructions reviewed, Google Hangout on Air settings fixed, apps were loaded. I had never moderated anything before. But I had experience using Google Hangouts and felt confident in my abilities to invite edcamphome participants to a hangout and get the discussion rolling.
For the first session of edcamphome 2.0 I chose to moderate the session "GAFE in the classroom". We were hearing about some great apps and extensions. Participants were getting into the edcamphome spirit, contributing and asking questions. And then I noticed that I never clicked on the Start Broadcast button! I imagined a look of dissapointment on David Theriault's face. Brady, the event mascot, was probably covering his dog eyes in disbelief. How could I let the edcamphome organizers down? Didn't any of the partipants notice the ON AIR button wasn't displayed? I snapped back to reality and hit the button managing to capture the last ten minutes of the session.
I had made my first mistake as a moderator. Wonderful. It meant that I was learning.
Session two was my chance to do it right. I chose to moderate "Virtual Field Trips". On my second attempt, I was relieved to see a familiar face, Scott Bedley (@TASFair) on the participant list for the session. I knew he would have plenty to add to the conversation. This time, eveything went smoothly. At the end of the session participants thanked me for moderating and I felt the stress release from my body. I had successfully moderated my first complete Google Hangout on Air for edcamphome 2.0.
Of course I had my reservations about being a moderator. I could make a mistake while tons of people were watching across the nation. If you are thinking of being a moderator for an event like this or even a small in-house event, I urge you to do it. Events like this can't happen unless people are willing to try something new and scary. In making a googleful failure, I know that the organizers of the event are appreciative of risk-takers and challenge acceptors - even when they struggle and sometimes fail because they know that person is learning. Thank you edcamphome for allowing me to stretch my learning muscles and grow as an educator and technology integrator.
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