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"Later this week, some of the leading minds behind modern professional development will gather in Florida for the second Miami Device event. Last year's inaugural Miami Device drew a global audience of educators and thought leaders looking for inspirational ways to tackle professional development. For its second year, the event's organizers have increased the scope with four keynote speakers. ConnectIT blogger Eric Patnoudes recently sat down with Miami Device's host, Felix Jacomino, to discuss the origins of the show and the new offerings at this year's event."

The first time I heard of Open Space Technology was in 2013 at the initial meeting of the Teacher Resistance and Action Network, a group of teachers and education practitioners who had gathered under the guidance of Dr. Thomas Poetter of Miami University to discuss how to teach responsibly in the age of high-stakes testing. My friend and mentor, Kevin Lydy, had invited me to attend what was billed as a non-conference. It was a life-changing experience, not only because of the great conversations that I had with fellow educators, but also because I learned about a technique that I'd never heard of before: Open Space Technology. Some Edutopia readers may be familiar with Edcamps, which are, in fact, based on (and utilize) OST. Edcamps, however, are geared toward collaborating across schools and districts, while this post will focus on using OST within a school (or even your own classroom) to realize similar benefits.