Sprint 4 Barcamp_Reflection
In the two weeks of class, everyone designed a toolkit, and each group created a barcamp. We will run our toolkits in Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop in the tenth week. My toolkit is called Coloring Therapy, which is a combination of drawing and healing, allowing participants to temporarily relax and participate in art in their exhausting daily life. Before the toolkit starts, I will prepare diffuser and warm lighting to create a relaxing environment. At the beginning, I will introduce the toolkit and describe what we will do. I will give participants tools, such as postcards, coloring pencils and pencil sharpeners. There are already patterns on the postcards, so they don’t need to think about what to draw, they just need to fill colors in the pattern. Next, I will play music and the participants will choose the color according to the feeling of listening to the music. And then I will guide them to imagine that this is therapy, let them let go of their thoughts and immerse themselves in it. I will switch the music in the middle, and the participants may change their feelings and colors used when hearing different music. They will not be allowed to talk during the process as it would spoil the relaxed atmosphere. At the end of the toolkit, participants can share their thoughts and feelings.
How to Plan and Execute a Successful Camp
1 year to 2 months before the event:
1 Form the Planning Group, which usually ranges from two to five people and will handle the process of creating the unconference.
2 Decide what the topic of the unconference will be.
3 Find a location for the event and decide if there will be a cap on the attendance numbers.
4 Decide what kind of facilitation style will be used for the unconference.
5 Create a time limit. How long does the Planning Group want the unconference to last?
6 Decide what kind of refreshments will be needed for the event (drinks, snacks, and lunch).
7 Look for sponsors if the Planning Group needs to raise funds for the event.
1– 2 months before the event:
1 Advertise the unconference: on lists, blogs, Twitter, and Facebook, and through professional organizations.
2 Communicate the schedule and planning process to the participant list (the people who will be coming to the unconference).
3 Create a tentative schedule by deciding what kind of presentations and groups you will have and how long they will last.
4 Collect the swag for your event. If you are distributing any T-shirts, USB drives, mugs, and so on.
5 Gather a few volunteers in addition to the Planning Group. They are essential to running a smooth unconference.
1– 2 weeks before the event:
1 Print or provide name tags.
2 Gather the supplies needed.
3 Double-check the place, food order, and any other last minute supply runs.
The day of the unconference:
1 Make sure that all participants know their jobs.
2 Make sure that volunteers are on hand during schedule shifts to answer questions.
3 Have fun!
Planning The Plan
The most important element in planning an unconference is keeping your audience in mind. Often, the profession, purpose of the camp, and the level of technological knowledge will guide the decisions about planning, venue, and technology needed for the event. All of your choices will have everything to do with the intended audience.
Internet access for all is essential for the success of most unconferences. An informal poll of participants at the American Library Association’s first unconference in 2009 showed that they would have preferred open wireless to being fed lunch. For a room of bibliophiles, internet access was more important than eating. Participants want internet access for many reasons, most of which will benefit your event.
Planning for After the Unconference
The last stage of the unconference is the aftermath, or the archiving phase. If it is of the utmost importance that every scrap of data be saved from the event, be sure to choose tools that self-archive, or that save data indefinitely.
Reference
Boule, M. (2011) Mob rule learning camps, unconferences, and trashing the talking head / Michelle Boule. Medford, N.J: CyberAge Books.
You cover quite a bit of ground here Jing-Ting. I’d like to see more critical analysis in your writing about your own Toolkit. Why did you decide to focus on the theraputic? What do you think the connection might be between colouring books for adults and therapy? You will have to explore this in your final submission. Make sure that what you write is NOT simply descriptive. You give some good guidelines here on establishing a BarCamp. You refer to an American survey here regarding WiFi – what is the source you are using here? Please add the citation to this blogpost.
The blogger has considered her own workshop as well as how to promote and run a Barcamp and has outlined the steps in detail. This has inspired me to think carefully about how I should refine the Barcamp steps.
It is good that the author has documented in detail the planning method of “unconference” mentioned in the literature. But I would like to know what the author’s own conclusions and opinions are. It would be more meaningful if the author could use her own experience in the class to write this blog!
The author’s steps are very detailed, from the pre-preparation to the work on the day of the event and even after the event are listed one by one, which is very good. Coloring therapy is a very healing process, as the author said, it is a combination of painting and therapy. Hope to see more on this part, also curious why the author chose the topic of coloring therapy.