October Is Connected Educator Month

October 01, 2013
By Educator Innovator

cem_logoThere have never been more opportunities to share perspectives and lessons learned with inspiring colleagues from around the world. Whether it’s through social media, video conferencing, or as a reader and writer in the blogosphere, we don’t have to search anymore to hear the voices of educators. But sometimes the sheer number of possible options to connect can be overwhelming and keep us from getting started.

For any of us needing a nudge to get connected with colleagues online—or for any experienced educators looking for new options and communities—this year’s Connected Educator Month (CEM) is designed to provide lots of opportunities to get started.

As designated by the U.S. Department of Education, October is this year’s Connected Educator Month, a month-long exploration of key educational issues through online communities and networks, dedicated to broadening and deepening educator participation, as well as bringing online communities and education leaders together to move towards a more fully connected and collaborative profession. Last year’s inaugural CEM featured more than 170 organizations mounting more than 450 events and activities for more than 4 million participants worldwide.

This year’s themes for collectively building activities and learning will include:

  • Making It Count: Integrating Social Learning Into Formal PD
  • Connected Leadership
  • Personalized Learning
  • Innovating STEM and Literacy
  • From Connection to Collaboration
  • 21st Century Classroom Management

As a partner in the Educator Innovator Network, Connected Educator Month is engaging many EI Partners in this work including NaNoWriMo, EdCamp, Common Sense Media, NWP, Digital Is, Mozilla Webmaker and the Hive Learning Network. See the calendar for a list of these upcoming events and opportunities that focus specifically on connecting educators while embracing connected learning principles.

Being part of the Educator Innovator Network is a deliberate part of the planning at Connected Educator Month given the call from educators across the country that “every month should be connected educator month.” We couldn’t agree more and encourage all educators and partner organizations to explore the opportunities of Connected Educator Month and support continuing conversations about what it means to be a connected educator in support of connected learning.