eSchool News counts down the 10 most significant developments in educational technology during the past year. No. 9 is Connected Educator Month.
In school systems from coast to coast, tech-savvy educators experimented with augmented reality, educational gaming, and other techniques designed to enhance teaching and learning.
These are only some of the key ed-tech developments affecting K-12 schools in the past year—and we’ve got a full recap for you right here.
Here, the editors of eSchool News highlight what we think are the 10 most significant ed-tech stories of 2013.
To learn how these stories have made an impact on K-12 schools this year—and how they will continue to shape education in 2014 and beyond—read on.
(Next page: Connected Educator Month grows)
9. Connected Educator Month [1] moves to October—and builds momentum.
The second annual Connected Educator Month wasn’t slowed by the federal government shutdown that dominated news headlines during the first half of October. In fact, more educators than ever participated.
Click here [2] to access a PDF with all Top 10 stories.
Launched in 2012, Connected Educator Month is a way for the U.S. Department of Education to call attention to how online “communities of practice” can connect educators and help them learn from each other.
This year’s event moved from August to October and featured webinars and discussions on topics ranging from online learning, Massive Open Online Courses, and professional development to mobile device implementation and social networking in classrooms.
More than 330 organizations participated in this year’s Connected Educator Month, and more than 600 activities were promoted as part of the month-long celebration, said Patrick Riccards of the Collaborative Communications Group, which worked to promote the event.
Outreach efforts on Twitter alone reached more than 13 million educators, generating an average of 4.6 million impressions per day. Online, Connected Educator Month was mentioned more than 750,000 times, and more than 270,000 blog posts mentioned the event.
“These numbers shatter records generated by the very successful 2012 event,” Riccards said.
To continue the online conversations sparked by this event, you can use the Twitter hashtag #ce13.
See also:
Six ways to engage in Connected Educator Month [3]
What tech leaders need to know about online assessments [4]
School librarians are rising school leaders [5]
How administrators collaborate and connect [6]
How to support teachers for 21st century learning [7]
CTOs give their best mobile deployment tips [8]
Connected Educator Month by the numbers [9]