Connected Educator Month [1] (CEM) kicked off on Oct. 1, and there are several weeks left of events, seminars, webinars, and more.
Participation is free, and topics range from classroom management, technology use tips, where to find resources that support technology integration, and more.
Millions of educators and others around the world have participated in hundreds of professional development opportunities as part of CEM the past two years. Originally developed by the U.S. Department of Education and its partners as part of the Connected Educators initiative, CEM offers highly distributed, diverse, and engaging activities to educators at all levels. Based on its success in 2012 and 2013, the initiative is poised to reach even more educators in 2014, through expanded partnerships and enhanced programming.
The goals of CEM include:
- Getting more educators proficient with social media to improve their practice
- Deepening and sustaining learning among those already enjoying connection’s benefits
- Helping schools credential/integrate connected learning into their formal professional development efforts
- Stimulating and supporting innovation in the field
Highlights of CEM 2013 included:
- More than 300 major education organizations, companies, or communities officially participating, including, for the first time, entire states and districts
- More than 600 national events and activities conducted officially (on the CEM calendar), many more conducted independently
- More than 1 million web pages and other online locations referencing, promoting, or discussing the event (a 300% increase over CEM 2012)
- More than 14 million educators and others reached around the world via Twitter alone (more than triple the reach of 2012)
- Recognition as one of the top educational technology news stories of both 2012 and 2013