Released on: November 16, 2007, 7:29 am

Press Release Author: Dan Fitzgerald Weiner

Industry: Education

Press Release Summary: NYC Teacher-run Non-Profit To Host First "Unconference" for
NYC Educators

Press Release Body: (November 16th, 2007: New York, NY) Open Educator, Inc., a
nonprofit organization founded by two New York City teachers, is hosting an unusual
professional development experience for educators. The event is called EduCampNYC,
and will take place on December 1st at Columbia University Teachers College (525
120th Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam, in NYC). Registration begins at 10:00
a.m. in room 285 of Grace Dodge Hall, and workshops continue until 4:00 p.m. The
day ends with a happy hour for all attendees at the Amsterdam Café from 4:30 p.m.
until 8:00 p.m. (Amsterdam Avenue between 119th Street & 120th Street). Open
Educator TC, a student chapter of Open Educator, is the official sponsor of the
event.

"EduCamp NYC is a Barcamp-inspired gathering born from the desire by teachers,
researchers, and technology specialists in K-12 education to share and learn in an
open and powerfully-networked environment," stated Andrew Stillman, co-founder of
Open Educator, Inc. "Barcamps have traditionally been held by computer programming
communities, who meet up in bars to share the latest techniques with each other and
socialize. I went to a Drupal Barcamp as a programmer, and left thinking about how
to apply this model to education."

At EduCampNYC, the attendees are also the professional developers. Using Open Space
Technology, the agenda takes shape as people step forward and offer to lead
workshops. Anyone present can teach or attend a seminar that they find to be most
beneficial or interesting.

"In this respect, educators will be more active participants in their own
professional development, and thus get more out of it," said Jennifer Stillman,
co-founder of Open Educator, Inc. and president of Open Educator TC. "The
conversations that usually happen during coffee breaks will now take place during
the actual workshops. And, with the introduction of Open Planner, our on-line
curriculum collaboration tool at www.openplanner.org , the pedagogical conversations
can continue indefinitely."

Educators from the five boroughs of New York, as well as educators from New Jersey
will be present. To register for EduCampNYC, interested educators can simply add
their name to the EduCamp Wiki at http://www.educampnyc.org. For more information
about Open Educator, log on to www.openeducator.org.


Web Site: http://www.openeducator.org

Contact Details: Contact: Dan Fitzgerald Weiner
or Jennifer Stillman
Open Educator, Inc.
Publicist/Board of Directors Member
danielfitzgeraldweiner@tmail.com, jenniferstillman@gmail.com