Why RE BarCamp Works

RE BarCamp is all about sharing what you know and learning from your peers. When ideas are contributed freely they’re added to, passed from one person to another and seem to take a life of their own. RE BarCamp is like having the very best of social media set loose right there in the same room with you, and one of the reasons why I think it works so well is the unique blends of skills and knowledge involved at each one.

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

This is the secret, “Involve me and I learn.” If you ask someone who’s attended a RE BarCamp what it was like, expect to hear some excitement along with the description. One of the things I like best about RE BarCamp is that with so many different “teachers”, you are bound to find something that meshes with how you naturally like to learn.

People generally tend to fall into four different learning styles (visual, auditory, reading/writing or kinesthetic, which is basically “learning by doing”) and are either introverts (who may prefer to learn in a smaller group) or extroverts (who love group activities and interaction). For a visual/introvert like me, the usual style of a teacher talking in front of a large classroom is not ideal. I prefer a smaller group and I’ll remember what I see or what I write, not necessarily what I hear. Whatever style suits you best, RE BarCamp is likely have your covered. Bonus points for having fun while learning — you’re likely to go over it again in your mind, tell others and feel positive about the subject, all of which will help you retain what you learned.

Each RE BarCamp is different because it relies so heavily upon the attendees to share their own knowledge, but in general you’ll find large groups for main topics, smaller groups for tutorials and even groups that form spur-of-the-moment just because someone asked a question and someone else was willing to sit down and go over the subject. Thanks to social media, people who aren’t able to attend can still learn through live streaming or by following tweets of the attendees.

If you can attend a RE BarCamp in person, DO. No matter your tech skills or your learning style, you WILL learn things you can use. Best of all, you’ll meet a bunch of people who love sharing what they know, so you’ll be able to keep the learning going.