For the second year in a row, the United States Department of Education has made October Connected Educator Month. What is Connected Educator Month (CEM) you ask? Check out the following description from the great CEP District Toolkit created by Powerful Learning Practice:
Connected Educator Month (CEM) is a month-long celebration of community, with educators at all levels, from all disciplines, moving toward a fully connected and collaborative profession.
The goals of Connected Educator Month include:
- Helping more districts promote and integrate online social learning into their formal professional development
- Stimulating and supporting collaboration and innovation in professional development
- Getting more educators connected (to each other)
- Deepening and sustaining the learning of those already connected
The Connected Educator Month District Tool Kit
The bottom line is that our students need to know how to create Personal Learning Networks (PLN's) that will allow them to connect with others who share their passion in a particular area. For this to happen to the fullest extent possible, we need out students to be surrounded by educators who can model the practices of a connected learner.
With this in mind, I hope to profile one Connected Educator from my PLN on each school day during the month of October. To make this happen, I will be asking the members of my network to fill out a short Google Form and share a bit of information about who they are, where they are, and why they connect. Stay tuned... If you are willing to help me achieve my goal of a "Connected Educator Profile" for each school day during October, please fill out this brief form. Thanks in advance for your help!
cross-posted at www.patrickmlarkin.com
Patrick Larkin is the Assistant Superintendent for Learning of Burlington Public Schools in Burlington, MA and the former principal of Burlington High. He blogs about education at www.patrickmlarkin.com.
