Tag Archives: CEM

CEM ideas and opportunities

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4fingersFriday 4 for October 4

I hope that all of you out there have taken up the “challenge” of Connected Educator Month and forayed out of your comfort zone and tried something new and different in order to become a more connected teacher, administrator or coach. If you have yet to get off the mark and need a few more ideas for how you can engage in CE month, this week’s Friday 4 is just for you!

  • The New York Times has a blog called The Learning Network that just recently published a piece “What ‘Connected Education’ Looks Like: 28 Examples From Teachers All Over” that is chock full of real life examples of ways in which teachers are connecting themselves and their students to a wider audience. If you are seeking ideas for your own classroom, this is a great place to start.
  • If you are in the CT/MA area (or will be on October 18) and are looking for some quality cheap PD, consider attending the 3rd annual Westminster Teaching Symposium. This year’s topic is Collaboration and Feedback: Protocols for Teachers. This event is a great chance to extend your professional learning network and share ideas with other passionate educators.
  • Want all of the hottest news items, blog posts, videos and other items related to CE month to be delivered right to your inbox? Visit the Connected Educators Month Digest: Highlights of the day paper.li page and sign up to receive the custom newspaper. If you are unfamiliar with paper.li in general, I encourage you to check it out. It is a way cool way to create your own online newspaper on any topic you choose.
  • On every weeknight during CE month, you can join the Connected/CEM cafe from 7:30 – 8:30 PM. The cafe is described as A nightly opportunity (7:30-8:30 PM ET every weeknight during CEM) for you with award-winning online education moderator (and Classroom 2.0 founder) Steve Hargadon to spend time and interact with special guests, recap learnings from the day’s events, and look ahead to what’s next in CEM, with galvanizing conversations moving from single location chat to Twitter everywhere, while the night’s still young.

Enjoy!

 

 

October is Connected Educator Month – Are you game?

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4fingersFor those of you unaware, the month of October is officially “Connected Educator Month” in the United States. CEM was started in 2012 by the U.S. Department of Education and is “part of the Office of Educational Technology’s Connected Educators initiative, which is supporting online, social and professional learning for educators by conducting research, hosting communities, and working with the field.” (http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-kicks-connected-educator-month) 

From the Connectededucators.org website: “Online communities and learning networks are helping hundreds of thousands of educators learn, reducing isolation and providing “just in time” access to knowledge and opportunities for collaboration. However, many educators are not yet participating and others aren’t realizing the full benefits. In many cases, schools, districts, and states also are not recognizing and rewarding this essential professional learning.  This year’s event will have a special emphasis on helping districts promote and integrate online social learning in their formal professional development.”

So, you may be asking, “How do I become involved in Connected Educators Month?” It is actually quite easy and this week’s Friday 4 will provide you with 4 links to information that will help you on your path to becoming a connected educator.

  • The best place to start is actually the Connected Educators website where you can find a calendar of events that have already begun and will continue through the month of October. I encourage you to look through the calendar and find a webinar, podcast, twitter chat or discussion that is in an area of interest and take the plunge!
  • You can download a CEM Starter Kit here that includes introductions to what it means to be a connected educator and even 31 days worth of online activities you can try out.
  • Here is a blog post that was posted on the Edutopia website that offers “Ten Tips for Becoming a Connected Educator“
  • If you are really feeling adventurous and want to combine CEM with an Edcamp experience, I encourage you to sign up for and participate in the first ever Edcamp Online event that will be occurring on October 26th. If you are unfamiliar with Edcamps, here is a link to a good description of the Edcamp concept.

What are you waiting for? Become a Connected Educator this month and grow as a professional! As always, I welcome your comments or feedback. Enjoy.