A new survey and white paper, Social Media Marketing in Education, reveals why and how the education industry uses social media. The survey, issued by the Education Division of the Software & Information Industry Association, edWeb.net and MCH Strategic Data, offers insight into the social media tactics valued most by education executives.

Social media is growing rapidly in the education sphere. In a Survey of K-12 Educators on Social Networking and Content-Sharing Tools (2009), 61% of educators reported they had joined a social network. The education industry is joining a worldwide boom in social media spending—the Forrester U.S. Interactive Marketing Forecast 2009 - 2014 projects that social media spending will increase from $700 million to $3 billion by 2014.

Because of social media's heightened role in education, the Education Division of SIIA initiated this survey to understand more about how the industry is benefitting from its use. The survey reveals that brand awareness is considered the most effective use of social media, followed by increased customer loyalty, market knowledge and insight, and providing customer support. Although marketing spend is often heavily focused on lead generation and high ROI efforts, lead generation scored lower in effectiveness for social media.

Though many organizations are seeing gains, the survey also raises awareness about the challenges of using social media in the education industry. The biggest challenge, according to the executives surveyed, is tasking staff with social media management. Demonstrating social media's more indirect benefits and generating activity are other challenges faced by education industry organizations. "Rather than generate new leads, it is proving very effective at turning our existing customers into a community that educates us as a company and in turn markets us to their personal networks," said one of the respondents.

Karen Billings, Vice President of the Education Division of SIIA commented, "The adoption of social media is growing rapidly in education. We wanted to provide our members and the education industry with some measurement of how far along companies are in developing social media strategies, and some insights into what is working most effectively."

The survey was conducted in February of 2011 via an online survey to SIIA Education Division members, edWeb.net industry contacts, MCH education industry clients, and C. Blohm & Associates clients. Completed surveys were received from over 180 education industry companies.

A free copy of the report, Social Media Marketing in Education, can be downloaded at www.siia.net/estore or at www.edweb.net.

For more information, contact Karen Billings, Vice President of the Education Division of SIIA at 202-789-4487, or by email at kbillings@siia.net; or Lisa Schmucki, founder and CEO of edWeb.net at 800-575-6015 ext 100 or by email at lisa@edweb.net.

 

Princeton, NJ - June 23, 2011 - Eden Autism Services, a nationally acclaimed organization specializing in educating children and adults with autism as well as providing workshops and training for families and educators, has recently launched two online learning communities specifically designed for teachers on edWeb.net, a professional social network for the education community.

In today's electronic environment more and more teachers are turning to social media to connect with each other, share information and resources, and for mutual support. Eden realized that social networking is a great way to expand its outreach services across the country and that partnering with edWeb.net was the perfect vehicle to make this happen.

"With the impact of social media today, we feel that it is vital for Eden be a part of this movement," says Anne Holmes, Chief Clinical Officer of Eden Autism Services. "edWeb allows us the opportunity to reach educators all across the country and all over the world."

Eden has launched two online communities entitled "Effective Teaching Strategies for Students with Autism" for grades preK-5 and for grades 6-12 which can be accessed through www.edweb.net/eden1 and www.edweb.net/eden2 respectively. In addition, through edWeb.net Eden has designed a program that includes posting lesson plans for teachers, facilitating online discussions, and presenting a series of free monthly webinars that also provide continuing education credits.

"It's gratifying to be able to provide this opportunity for Eden to share its more than 35 years of experience in the field of autism with such a large community," says Lisa Schmucki, founder and CEO of edWeb.net.

Currently, more than 2,200 members have joined Eden's online community.

When teachers join the online community they have an opportunity to introduce themselves to other members. All members of the community can post questions, start discussions on topics to get feedback from the educational experts at Eden, and also from their peers who are dealing with similar issues. It is especially helpful for those who are the only educator in their school or those who are new to the profession.

"In addition to the evaluation, consultation, training services and the 5-volume School Series Curriculum that Eden offers, we are thrilled to add yet another way to reach the autism community," said Holmes.

 

Princeton – May 18, 2011 - edWeb.net, a professional social network for the education community, has announced the creation of a coalition of edWeb.net organizations and community practitioners who are committed to growing active and engaged online communities of practice that help educators extend their personal learning and networking opportunities.

The edWeb.net Consortium for Online Communities of Practice has been created by edWeb.net in response to the goals and recommendations of the U.S. Department of Education's National Education Technology Plan and the Connected Online Communities of Practice (COCP) Project.

The National Education Technology Plan recommends that educators, "Leverage social networking technologies and platforms to create communities of practice that provide career-long personal learning opportunities for educators within and across schools, preservice preparation and in-service education institutions, and professional organizations."

The edWeb.net Consortium will consist of both non-profit and for-profit organizations that have a high level of commitment to creating online communities that facilitate peer-to-peer professional networking and learning opportunities for educators.

edWeb.net serves the professional learning and networking needs of teachers, principals, librarians, new teachers, and any cohort of educators. edWeb.net is highly acclaimed for creating a strong sense of community, high levels of engagement, and rich discussions. edWeb.net Consortium members will work together to define the best practices that make these communities successful.

The founding members of the edWeb.net Consortium include the following organizations: NASSP, the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future (NCTAF), Follett Software Company, the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), Eden Autism Services, K12TeacherStore.com, Big Deal Media, Footsteps2Brilliance, and MCH Strategic Data.

The edWeb.net Consortium will also include community practitioners. These are leading educators and industry executives who are serving as presenters, hosts, and facilitators of online communities. They are working on the front lines of connecting, engaging, and supporting educators in the growth and development of online learning networks.

edWeb.net facilitates the growth of online communities through our partnership with MCH Strategic Data, the owner of a national K-12 education database. Through the generosity and support of MCH, edWeb.net invites educators all across the U. S. to join the communities of our edWeb.net Consortium members.

The members of the edWeb.net Consortium have agreed to a set of guiding principles: to have a high level of commitment to building communities, to develop and share best practices that create a high level of engagement, and to share case study information with the COCP Project and the education community.

Online communities of practice can support a wide range of benefits for educators and provide the opportunity for collaboration with an extended range of stakeholders including retired educators, educational associations, education companies, and government and community leaders. Some of the benefits of online communities include the ability to:

• Share information and resources
• Increase professional knowledge and expertise
• Expand connections with peers and colleagues
• Learn from peers and experts
• Gain experience and comfort using technology
• Deliver professional development programs
• Plan events
• Improve communication skills
• Move forward faster with new initiatives
• Collaborate on best practices
• Identify educational needs and challenges
• Find support
• Mentor new teachers

Lisa Schmucki, founder and CEO of edWeb.net commented, “We learn so much every day from our members about the value of using social networks to help educators expand their personal learning networks. Educators are so thankful for the opportunity to connect with their peers anywhere in the country, or the world, to share information and ideas about how to improve teaching and learning. These networks help accelerate the accumulation of knowledge, the spread of ideas, and the implementation of new initiatives.”

Karen Billings, Vice President of the Education Division of SIIA added, “Our Game-Based Learning community on edWeb shows the value of this kind of heightened connectivity for our members, educators, game developers, and anyone with an interest in this emerging field. One of our key initiatives is to bring the voice of the educator to our members. Online communities are a great way to do that. We very pleased to be a member of the edWeb Consortium.”

To learn more about the National Education Technology Plan, go to: http://www.ed.gov/technology/netp-2010

To learn more about the Connected Online Communities of Practice Project, go to: http://edcocp.org

To learn more about the edWeb.net Consortium for Online Communities of Practice, contact Lisa Schmucki at 908-407-2755 or lisa@edweb.net.

 

Princeton - March 30, 2011 - edWeb.net, a professional social network for the education community, announces the launch of a new online learning community on "Game-Based Learning" that provides a forum for educators, publishers, and game developers to come together to discuss guidelines and current practices, and most importantly, to share ideas to advance this emerging field. This innovative program is co-hosted by edWeb.net and the Education Division of the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA).

The program focuses around a series of monthly webinars presented by leaders in the field of games and learning.  The webinars provide a forum for an unprecedented collaboration among a wide-range of stakeholders.  The webinar sessions will include a “live chat” for immediate follow-up discussion. An online community on edWeb.net will be for ongoing collaboration anytime, anywhere using the latest Web 2.0 tools.

Lee Wilson, the president of PCI Education and author of the SIIA report, Best Practices for Using Games & Simulations in the Classroom, presented the introductory webinar on March 29th.

Future webinars will include: “Death of Textbooks, Emergence of Games” with Dr. James M. Bower Ph.D., founder, Chairman, and CEO of Numedeon Inc.; “Educational Reform and Games” with Richard N. Van Eck from the Department of Teaching & Learning at the University of North Dakota; “How Computer Games Help Children Learn” with Game Scientist David Williamson Shaffer from the Departments of Educational Psychology and Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; “An Introduction to the World of Educational Games” with Co-founder and Lead-Designer Dan Norton from Filament Games; “Teaching Video Game Design” with founder and president Alan Gershenfeld from E-Line Media; “Learning and Assessment through Immersive Simulation of Virtual Ecosystems” with Chris Dede from Harvard University's Learning Technologies Department; and “How Games Can Create Social Learning Opportunities for Students” with Snehal Patel, CEO of Sokikom.

Lisa Schmucki, founder and CEO of edWeb.net, commented, “This unique combination of webinars together with a social networking community creates a powerful new way for educators and other members of the education community to connect and work together to help move forward faster with innovative new ideas.  We are delighted to be working with SIIA to launch this latest online community on gaming and learning.”

Karen Billings, vice president of the Education Division at SIIA, added, “The edWeb.net community supports so many of SIIA’s initiatives, from providing educators with information about using games in the classroom, to getting information from the educators.  Through edWeb.net, our members can be part of the community and hear the educators’ voice directly to learn about their questions, challenges, and rewards when they use games.”

Anyone interested in gaming and learning is invited to join the online community. Sponsorship opportunities are available for organizations that would like to be recognized for supporting this innovative online community. 

For more information about the program and sponsorship opportunities, contact Lisa Schmucki at 908-407-2755 or lisa@edweb.net.

For information about SIIA, contact Karen Billings, vice president of the Education Division of SIIA at 202-789-4487, or by email at kbillings@siia.net.  Visit the SIIA website at www.siia.net.

Princeton, NJ - January 26, 2011 - edWeb.net, a professional social network for the education community, announces the launch of a new professional development program for school leaders – Learner-Centered School Leadership: Creating a Culture of Evidence.  The program is being sponsored by NASSP, The National Association of Secondary School Principals.

School leaders must create the vision and foster the interactions among students, teachers, and staff members that lead to changes in performance and attitude.  It is the determination and resolve of the leader—and his or her consistent use of the empirical evidence of performance to guide actions and decisions—that leads to exemplary performance in a school. This innovative online program is designed to explore research-based answers to critical questions like these:

• What makes a school leader successful in the era of accountability?
• What kinds of leadership behaviors result in significant and sustained increases in student learning?

The program takes advantage of the power of social networking to bring principals together to explore critical aspects of the practice of “collective leadership.”  In the yearlong series of webinars, live chat, and online discussions, principals will collaborate with each other in their articulation of leadership challenges and potential approaches to these challenges. The series will help school leaders learn how to think analytically about evidence as it reflects what is really happening in their schools—with student performance, with instructional practice, and with school culture.

The program is being presented by Dr. Mari Pearlman who has written and presented extensively on the topic of the role of evidence-centered thinking in improving teaching and learning, and, in particular, the ways in which school leaders can use empirical evidence—data about instructional practices, student achievement results, and school culture—to change the conversation about a school’s learning results with faculty, staff, and students.

Dr. Pearlman noted, “School leaders need to foster critical conversations with students, faculty, and parents, but they often don’t have anyone in their own peer group to talk with. A social networking medium like edWeb makes it possible to overcome the obstacles of geography and time and engage in substantive conversations about issues that face school leaders everywhere. It fosters collaborative relationships with peers that mitigate the feeling of isolation experienced by school leaders.”

Lisa Schmucki, founder and CEO of edWeb.net, added, “edWeb.net is evolving as an outstanding platform to provide professional development opportunities for educators. Mari Pearlman is an expert and dynamic speaker on issues of effective school leadership and we are so glad that edWeb can make it possible to extend the reach of her message to a wider audience over an extended period of time. We have people signed up from all over the world.”

Watch the first webinar in the series, “What IS a Culture of Evidence Anyway? (and why should you care?)

School leaders are invited to join in this collaborative webinar series at: www.edweb.net/schoolleadership

 

A new research report has just been released that surveys teachers and librarians to find out how they are using e-books, personally and in the classroom, and to identify purchasing, usage, attitudes, and trends.

The survey shows that school librarians are leading the way in bringing e-books into our nation's schools, in large part because they have funding available to support their e-book purchases. The top-line results show that 40% of K-12 teachers and 50% of school librarians have purchased e-books for either personal or professional use.

"Before we conducted this study," said Neal Goff, President of Egremont Associates, "the most basic information about K-12 educators' usage of e-books didn't seem to be available anywhere, and this is a fast-growing technology with very significant implications for the entire publishing industry."

Lisa Schmucki, founder and CEO of edWeb.net, said, "We are delighted to be a co-sponsor of this e-books survey. We have several discussions on edWeb on this topic and it is clear that educators are really struggling with deciding what hardware to buy and how to integrate e-books into the classroom and library. This is an area where collaboration between educators and publishing executives is critical."

The survey was conducted by educational consulting firm Egremont Associates, with support from co-sponsors edWeb.net, MCH Strategic Data, and TecKnoQuest Inc.

To down load a free executive summary, or purchase the full report, go to: eBooks: K-12 Educators' Usage and Attitudes

Join the edWeb community Exploring E-Books for K-12 and receive a 30% discount on the full report. This is an online community where all members of the education community can share ideas, information, and get answers to questions on this important topic.

 

Princeton - December 6, 2010 - edWeb.net, a professional social network for the education community, is delighted to announce that the editors of District Administration magazine have selected edWeb.net as this week's featured "Site of the Week."

District Administration is a widely-read publication for K12 superintendents and administrators and a prime source in the industry for top-quality journalism on the unique issues, challenges, and opportunities faced by K12 district executives.

edWeb.net provides an opportunity for anyone involved in education to create online professional learning communities. edWeb promotes participation and collaboration among its members with a wide range of easy-to-use tools like blogs, discussions, messaging, polling, wikis, and document archiving. edWeb is free for all educators, and makes it easy to create communities of practice to begin working toward a more collaborative approach to teaching and learning.

This is especially timely. The recently-released National Education Technology Plan calls for leveraging the power of social networks to improve teaching and learning. The goals and recommendations of the plan endorse using social networks to create communities of practice that help educators share tools and resources, evolve skills over time, tap into experts and best practices, and provide platforms for educators to design and develop resources with and for colleagues.

edWeb.net can help schools and districts achieve these goals.

Join edWeb and create a professional learning community.

Princeton, NJ - November 29, 2010 - A webinar was held on November 18, 2010 for 200 education industry executives on Social Networking in Education: Practices, Policies, and Realities 2010.

An expert panel presented key findings from more than a year of research on social networking and education, and provided insights into questions such as:

The research was co-sponsored by edWeb.net, MMS Education, IESD, and MCH Strategic Data. The webinar was presented by:

To watch the webinar recording and to access additional information:

PRINCETON, N.J. - September 22, 2010 - edWeb.net, a professional social network for the education community, and the National Association of Secondary Schools Principals (NASSP) are delighted to announce a collaboration to create online professional communities for school leaders.

The launch of the NASSP community, School Leadership Network on the edWeb.net platform comes at a time when principals reveal a readiness to participate in online discussions, as demonstrated in recent research conducted by edWeb.net and sponsored by MCH Strategic Data. "NASSP has spent the past several years watching the evolution of education communities online and gauging principals' interest and participation," said Bob Farrace, senior director for communications and development at NASSP, "We're seeing increasing numbers of principals participate and we're confident that we have the right platform on which to engage them."

Lisa Schmucki, founder and CEO of edWeb.net, commented, "We are delighted to be working in partnership with NASSP to help principals connect. We see the power of connectivity on edWeb everyday and know this will give principals an exceptional new way to share information, challenges, opportunities, and results."

This new collaboration also evolves The Long Conference, a longstanding middle level feature at the annual NASSP Conference established in memory of Forrest E. Long, an advocate of quality middle level education and founder of MCH Strategic Data. With financial support from the Long family, the conference aimed to engage principals in discussing and exchanging educational practices. That mission remains; only the medium has changed.

Peter Long, chairman of MCH Strategic Data and grandson of Forrest Long, commented, "My grandfather was both an educator and an innovator. He believed in the power of sharing information and ideas. I know that he would be cheering us on as we work with NASSP, in his memory, to transform The Long Conference into an online learning community."

Principals and other school leaders can join the community by setting up an edWeb.net profile and visiting www.edweb.net/principals.

About NASSP

In existence since 1916, the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) is the preeminent organization of and national voice for middle level and high school principals, assistant principals, and aspiring school leaders from across the United States and more than 45 countries around the world. The mission of NASSP is to promote excellence in school leadership. NASSP administers the National Honor Society, National Junior Honor Society, National Elementary Honor Society, and National Association of Student Councils. For more information about NASSP, located in Reston, VA, visit www.principals.org.

 

Princeton, NJ - September 9, 2010 - A new research report was issued today that summarizes the results of an extended look at school principals' use of social networking. The underlying research for the report, "School Principals and Social Networking in Education: Practices, Policies, and Realities in 2010," was conducted by edWeb.net, IESD, Inc., MMS Education, and MCH Strategic Data.

Since the creation of MySpace and LinkedIn in 2003 and Facebook in 2004, online social networking has quickly become a pervasive means for people to connect all over the world. Yet schools are one of the last holdouts, where many of the most popular social networking sites are often banned for students, and often for teachers, librarians, and administrators, out of a concern about safety, privacy, confidentiality, and lack of knowledge about how best to ensure appropriate use.

At the same time, education reform initiatives from all corners-Federal and state programs, education research, and policy initiatives-are advocating the use of innovative and collaborative technology to drive improvements in teaching quality and student achievement.

The goal of this research study was to take a close look at the attitudes of school principals about social networking for their own personal use, with their colleagues, and within their school communities. Principals can play an important role in encouraging and training their teachers and staff to adopt new technologies, and in setting policies for the use of technology and the Internet in schools.

The research was conducted in two phases: an online survey sent to a cross section of educators across the country in the fall of 2009, followed by an in-depth EDRoom online discussion with 12 principals who are currently using social networking in their professional lives.

Among the key findings:

For a free copy of the report:

Download a free copy of School Principals and Social Networking in Education: Practices, Policies, and Realities in 2010.

The report is also available on any of these sponsors' websites: www.edweb.net, www.mmseducation.com, or www.mchdata.com.

You can request a copy at survey@email.com.

For more information, contact Lisa Schmucki, founder and CEO of edWeb.net, at 800-575-6015, ext. 100, or lisa@edweb.net.

About the Sponsors

edWeb.net is a professional social network for the education community that makes it easy to connect and collaborate with colleagues, share information and best practices, and create professional learning communities. edWeb is free for education professionals and for educational institutions. Sponsorship opportunities are available for other organizations involved in education. Join at www.edweb.net. For more information, contact Lisa Schmucki, founder and CEO, at 800-575-6015, ext. 100, or by email at lisa@edweb.net.

Interactive Educational Systems Design (IESD), Inc. provides a variety of services related to research on education technology issues and the evaluation and development of educational software, multimedia products, and websites. IESD was founded in 1984 by Ellen Bialo and Dr. Jay Sivin-Kachala, the firm's president and vice president. IESD's clients include education market publishers, technology hardware manufacturers, government agencies, nonprofit institutions, and school districts. IESD designs and implements qualitative and quantitative research-including focus group research (in person and online using its EDRoom facility), structured interviews, survey research, user testing, demographic and financial data analysis, literature reviews, and text document summary and analysis. IESD also custom designs and implements evaluation research on educational programs, products, and services. For more information, call 212-769-1715 or email iesdinc@aol.com.

MCH Strategic Data is a leading source of compiled data on education, health, and government institutions in the United States. MCH is a privately owned company that has been in the education market for over 80 years. MCH is a strategic partner of edWeb.net and is helping to spread the word about the edWeb to the preK-12 education community. For more information, contact John Hood, president, at 800-776-6373 or by email at johnh@mchdata.com. Visit the MCH Strategic Data website at www.mchdata.com.

MMS Education is a national market research, consulting and marketing company specializing exclusively in the education market. MMS is interested in how social networking and social media provide opportunities for educators to collaborate peer to peer, and also as a way for education companies and nonprofit organizations to connect more directly with the educators who use their products and services. MMS helps its clients develop and implement strategic planning, market research, marketing communications, social media, inside sales and sales support, and knowledge management. For more information, please visit www.mmseducation.com or contact Susan Keipper Meell, CEO, at 800-523-5948 or smeell@mmseducation.com.

 

Princeton, N.J. - August 26, 2010 - edWeb.net, a professional social network for the education community, has announced the launch of a new community "Exploring eBooks for K-12." This is a forum where educators and industry executives can connect and collaborate together to discuss the evolution of this new technology and its potential for use with students and in the classroom.

The "Exploring eBooks for K-12" Community is sponsored by Neal Goff, the founder of consulting firm Egremont Associates and former president of Weekly Reader. Goff started this community on edWeb.net because of his fascination with eBooks and their potential impact on education. "I hope [this community] enables its members to learn from and support each other, and - if I may be so presumptuous - perhaps even influence the way educators use eBooks and educational publishers create them in the years to come," Goff said.

The community has acquired over 130 members in just a few days, including teachers, superintendents, librarians, media specialists, principals, technology directors, publishers, educational associations, and more. Members are also joining from around the world. The community is already engaged in an active dialogue that can help all members gain a better understanding of the opportunities, needs, and obstacles to adopting eBooks in education.

According to Lisa Schmucki, founder of edWeb.net, "It has been a pleasure to work with Neal Goff to launch this community. This is the fastest start we have had for any community to date. There is clearly a high level of interest in this topic from so many constituencies. We are delighted that edWeb can be an online forum that breaks down the silos in education and enables broader collaboration."

Anyone involved in education is invited to join the "Exploring eBooks for K-12" community at www.edweb.net/ebooks.

Princeton, N.J. - August 2, 2010 - edWeb.net, a social network for the education community, announces two winners of its edWeb Innovation Grant Program. The program provides grants of $500 to educators who are developing new models and best practices for using edWeb.net to provide online, collaborative professional development. Based on the strength of the recent entries, two $500 grants were awarded.

The edWeb Innovation Grant winners are:

Kelly Daly, assistant principal, Banning Unified School District, Banning, California. Ms. Daly is a district administrator coordinating the Enhancing Education Through Technology Grant. Their program requires that teachers receive support through Technology Integration Coaches (TIC). The school district hired eight coaches to assist teachers in the integration of technology into 4th, 6th, and 8th grade Language Arts instruction. The coaches are using edWeb to participate in an online Professional Learning Community as part of the program. Through their edWeb community, they are able to: provide a communication medium for coaches to share information, ideas, and best practices among each other; have a one-stop-shop for resources like web links, documents, and a calendar; and coaches can use edWeb as a practice ground with Web 2.0 tools that they can then share with their mentees and schools. Kelly Daly states, "The edWeb tools have been extremely beneficial for our coaches and to meet our goals. I hope each school within our school district begins to extend faculty meetings and staff development with edWeb."

Amy Anders, house principal, Atascocita High School, Humble, Texas. Ms. Anders is the program director for A Career in Teaching-EPP in Humble, Texas and uses edWeb as a means of communication and learning with their educator preparation program candidates and interns. They use edWeb as a means of collaboration so that they are all connected to the learning topic and are able to post discussions, web links, and assignments. edWeb has provided the modality to build community and capacity with all of the program members. Many of the teachers' candidates and interns (1st year teachers) have expressed appreciation for having a site like edWeb as a tool for growth and learning. According to Ms. Anders, "No longer is the learning solely between the teacher and student... the learning is between all of us on our edWeb Community site." As the assistant principal of a small learning community in a school with 3200 students, Ms. Anders plans to also use edWeb to connect teachers, students, parents, and staff for everything from homework assignments, announcements, and collaborative activities to connecting with other students across the world.

The edWeb Innovation Grant program was created to help educators learn about new ideas and best practices for integrating an online, collaborative platform into professional development programs for educators.

 

PRINCETON, N.J. - July 20, 2010 - edWeb.net, an education social network, announced this week that Follett Software Company is sponsoring the launch of a new "social webinar" series that coaches school librarians on the use of emerging technology to transform library instruction and service delivery.

The monthly series, titled "Using Emerging Technology to Advance Your School Library Program," represents a new model for delivering online instruction that integrates webinars, a popular online training tool, with a social networking community for ongoing engagement over the course of the yearlong program.

The initial webinar, which featured presenter Michelle Luhtala, head librarian at New Canaan High School, is archived on the edWeb.net web site. The next live webinar, also sponsored by Follett Software, is scheduled for 11 a.m. EDT on Aug. 10th with "Millennials & Digital Brains" as the focus. The webinar will explore ways in which the millennial brain is evolving, what instructional opportunities this transformation presents, and how librarians can capitalize on this shift to improve learning environments in schools.

Luhtala, who launched a hybrid online/on-ground instructional program at her school that uses social media to engage and inspire both students and teachers, shared advice on how she got her program approved and implemented, and provided demonstrations of how she is using a wide variety of collaborative and content-sharing technologies. Luhtala is the winner of the 2010 National School Library Program of the Year (NSLPY) and the Connecticut Library Association's 2010 Outstanding Librarian Award.

Topics for upcoming edWeb.net webinars include Best Instructional Practices in the 21st Century; Hybrid Programming; Communication, Collaboration & Cloud Computing; and Evidence-Based Practice & Data Collection.

"Our research has shown that school librarians are further ahead of teachers and principals in their use of 21st century technology," said Lisa Schmucki, founder and CEO of edWeb. "Michelle is an incredible example of that. Through our online program, Michelle will share her ideas to inspire others. And through our community, everyone can share ideas and best practices for using technology to improve teaching and learning. We are especially thankful that Follett Software has agreed to sponsor this innovative program."

According to Michael Campbell, marketing director at Follett Software, the company's sponsorship of the edWeb.net monthly series is a natural fit.

"Follett Software has built its reputation on helping librarians play a key role in K-12 education," Campbell said. "As the role of the school librarian is changing, we are adapting and evolving our products and services to support librarians in their jobs. We applaud edWeb.net's mission, and are pleased to be the inaugural sponsor of what promises to be a compelling series of webinars."

"Using Emerging Technology to Advance Your School Library Program" is free, and librarians can enroll in the program by joining edWeb at www.edweb.net/emergingtech.

About Follett Software Company

Follett Software Company (www.FollettSoftware.com) is the integrated educational technology solution provider that more than half of America's school districts trust to support staff and engage students in today's digitally rich learning environment. Follett's digitally powered technologies help districts more efficiently and cost-effectively manage traditional and digital educational resources, provide digital learning environment tools focusing on student achievement and make confident decisions based on quality academic data. Powerful, integrated solutions enable Follett to support today's collaborative learning community and empower 21st century learning and discovery. Follett Software Company is a subsidiary of Follett Corporation, a $2.7 billion, privately held company that provides products, services and solutions to the educational marketplace. Follett Corporation was founded in 1873 and has its headquarters in River Grove, Ill.

 

Princeton, NJ - June 9, 2010 - edWeb.net, a professional social network for the education community, received a Distinguished Achievement Award last night at the AEP Awards Banquet.

The AEP Awards, from the Association of Educational Publishers, are nationally recognized by educators and administrators as a mark of outstanding quality and achievement and are one of the largest and longest-running recognition programs in the education industry.

edWeb.net received a Distinguished Achievement Award in the category of Technology & New Media - Social Media.

Lisa Schmucki, founder and CEO of edWeb.net, commented, "We are delighted and thankful to AEP for this recognition, and so thankful for the many friends and colleagues who have helped us reach this rewarding milestone. I also thank the many educators whose constant feedback helps us make edWeb better."

 

Princeton, NJ - May 20, 2010 - edWeb.net, a professional social network for the education community, has just announced the launch of a new program that coaches school librarians on the use of emerging technology, particularly free social media, to transform library instruction and service delivery.

The program will be hosted by Michelle Luhtala, Head Librarian, New Canaan High School and the winner of the 2010 National School Library Program of the Year (NSLPY) and the Connecticut Library Association's 2010 Outstanding Librarian Award.

Michelle will share advice on how she got her innovative program approved and implemented, as well as providing demonstrations of how she is using Facebook, YouTube, VoiceThread, Twitter, Moodle, Google Apps, and many more collaborative and content-sharing technologies.

The focus will be on student needs and pedagogical initiatives like responsive teaching and differentiation, and how social media in a school library program can favorably influence professional development. There will be examples of library assessment in all forms of social media, and how student responses have informed library instruction and program delivery.

The program will explore the correlation between social media and 21st century learning, and consider the value of more open access to social media websites in school districts. It will also show how "social libraries" raise community awareness and help increase school library budgets.

With this program, edWeb is launching a new "social webinar" program format that will make participation in a webinar series more collaborative and interactive. The program will use the technology to teach about the technology.

According to Lisa Schmucki, founder and CEO of edWeb.net, "The program evolved from the research we've conducted with educators on social networking. Our research showed that school librarians are further ahead of teachers and principals in their use of 21st century technology. We wanted to develop a program that would leverage that advantage and help librarians advance further, faster. Since school librarians play such a central role in providing information and resources for their school communities, we recognized that this would help these innovative uses of technology to spread faster. I could not be more delighted that Michelle Luhtala, the winner of the 2010 School Library of the Year Award, will be our program host and coach. She is a very dynamic and engaging presenter who is really pushing the boundaries of what a school library program can offer."

"Using Emerging Technology to Advance Your School Library Program" is a free program for school librarians. It will begin in June 2010 and run through May 2011. Librarians can sign up for the program by joining edWeb at www.edweb.net/emergingtech.

edWeb is offering sponsorship opportunities for education companies who would like to support this innovative program. Sponsors will have a unique opportunity to participate in the program and engage in dialogue with school librarians around the use of these new technologies. For more information, email info@edweb.net.

 

Princeton, NJ - May 8, 2010 - Keeping up with changes in technology and in the classroom is an ongoing challenge. As educational publishers strive to improve instructional materials for the classroom, it is more important than ever to hear from educators, in their own words, about what they need to teach effectively and to meet the needs of their students in the 21st century.

To bring educators' voices into the conversation, AEP has launched the Teacher Video Challenge in connection with their upcoming Content in Context Conference. AEP is teaming up with edWeb.net to reach out to educators and ask them to submit videos on three crucial questions:

1. What are you most in need of in order to teach effectively in the digital age?
2. What one request would you make of those who create instructional materials to make them digital-classroom friendly?
3. How would better digital technology and content in the classroom help you and your students?

The Teacher Video Challenge: Classrooms in the Digital Age will collect thoughts and opinions on digital resources and classroom technology from educators across the country and bring them directly to those companies and organizations responsible for developing learning materials and tools.

Teachers will create and upload their videos on YouTube, then submit their entry on edWeb.net with blog post and a link to their YouTube video. The submission process uses these social media platforms to encourage teachers to use these 21st century communication tools.

Twenty videos will be showcased as part of AEP's Content in Context Conference in June, and all submissions will be archived on both the edWeb and AEP's YouTube channel.

Lisa Schmucki, founder and CEO of edWeb.net commented, "I am delighted to work with AEP to help them reach educators through our edWeb community and also through our strategic partnership with MCH, Inc. Through our combined efforts, we will help AEP reach more than 200,000 educators to encourage their participation in the Teacher Video Challenge. Social networks like edWeb provide an entirely new channel to connect and get feedback from educators. This is critical if we are going to meet the challenges of providing a quality education for all students."

To learn more about the Teacher Video Challenge, go to: http://www.AEPweb.org/teachervideochallenge

About AEP

The Association of Educational Publishers (AEP) is a nonprofit organization that serves and advances the industry of supplemental educational publishing. The membership of AEP represents the breadth of educational content developers delivering progressive educational products in all media and for any educational setting.

AEP's thought leadership and market insight have created ground-breaking opportunities for its members to collaborate, network, and partner with each other as well as to acquire a voice in the development of government education policy. Founded in 1895, AEP now assists its members in navigating the global realities of educational publishing in the 21st Century. For more information, please visit http://www.AEPweb.org.

 

Princeton, NJ - March 16, 2010 - edWeb.net and the SIIA Education Division have teamed up to reach out to educators and involved them in a wide range of SIIA programs and initiatives.

SIIA's Education Division serves and represents more than 150 member companies that provide software, digital content and other technologies that address educational needs. It has never been more important to promote an open dialogue among all the stakeholders in education to find the best solutions for improving education.

SIIA will be working with edWeb to create online communities with educators to discuss key issues in education and provide professional learning programs, particularly in the area of educational technology.

SIIA is recruiting educators to participate in their highly-regarded CoDIE Awards programs. Karen Billings, vice president, commented, "We worked through edWeb to invite educators to judge our CoDIE Awards program and received an overwhelming response. We are delighted that so many educators, who are so busy, are interested in taking the time to judge the latest education products and solutions from our members. Their input will help focus attention on the best new educational products and platforms."

Lisa Schmucki, founder and CEO of edWeb.net commented, "I am delighted to work with SIIA to help them reach educators. This was a major reason we founded edWeb-to break down the silos between educators, associations, companies, and legislators. Through our edWeb community and also through our strategic partnership with MCH, Inc., we can help SIIA reach a high percentage of K-12 educators and use social networking to connect and get feedback. This is critical if we are going to meet the challenges of providing a quality education for all students."

About SIIA

The Software & Information Industry Association is the principal trade association for the software and digital content industry. SIIA provides global services in government relations, business development, corporate education and intellectual property protection to the leading companies that are setting the pace for the digital age. SIIA's Education Division serves and represents more than 150 member companies that provide software, digital content and other technologies that address educational needs. SIIA provides a neutral business forum for its members to understand business models, technological advancements, market trends, and best practices. Through collaborative efforts with educators and other stakeholders, the Division undertakes initiatives to enhance the use of educational technology and the success of SIIA members. For more information, visit www.siia.net/education.

 

Princeton, NJ - November 4, 2009 - Final results of a Survey of K-12 Educators on Social Networking and Content-Sharing Tools were released this week. The survey was sent to 83,000 educators nation-wide (teachers, principals, and librarians) during late August and September.

The purpose of the study, which will be conducted on an annual basis, is to begin benchmarking educators’ use and attitudes about Web 2.0 collaborative technologies such as social networking, blogging, wikis, video-sharing, and more. Students are far ahead of educators in their use of technology, and this survey is intended to provide information than can help measure and close the gap.

Educators, like millions of other Americans, are exploring the world of social networks. 61% of the educators surveyed have joined one or more social networking websites. Facebook is currently the number 1 site joined (85%). Many educators express the need and desire to separate their personal and professional lives. There are a number of social networks that are dedicated specifically to education. Although these sites currently have low penetration, educators expressed a strong preference to join a social network dedicated to education.

A key finding is that educators who have already joined a social network are more positive about the technology and its value in education than educators who have not joined a social network. They also engage in more online activities in general. As the younger generation that has grown up on social networks enters the education workforce, there will be increasing desire and pressure to use this technology for professional and classroom collaboration.

Educators who responded provided insight on the factors that are inhibiting the growth of this technology in educational settings including—major privacy concerns, schools/districts that block access to these website, and time pressure.

The survey was co-sponsored by edWeb.net, MCH, Inc., and MMS Education.

Download the report

 

Princeton, NJ - September 21, 2009 - Preliminary results of a Survey of K-12 Educators on Social Networking and Content-Sharing Tools were released last week at the EdNET Conference in Chicago. The survey was co-sponsored by three organizations—edWeb.net, MCH, and MMS Education—and was deployed to more than 70,000 K-12 principals, teachers, and school librarians.

The purpose of the study, which will be conducted on a regular basis, is to begin benchmarking educators' use of and attitudes about Web 2.0 collaborative technologies such as social networking, blogging, wikis, video-sharing, and more. Students are far ahead of educators in their use of technology, and this survey is intended to provide information that can help measure and close the gap.

According to the survey, Facebook is currently the leading social network that educators have joined—86% of educators who have joined a social network have joined Facebook. There are a number of social networks that are dedicated specifically to education. Although these sites currently have low penetration, educators expressed a strong preference to join a social network dedicated to education, which bodes well for these niche sites.

Another key finding is that educators who have already joined a social network are far more positive about the technology and its value in education than educators who have not joined a social network. As the younger generation that has grown up on social networks enters the education workforce, there will be increasing desire and pressure to use this technology for professional and classroom collaboration.

Educators who responded provided insight on the factors that are inhibiting the growth of this technology in educational settings including major privacy concerns, schools/districts that block access to these website, and time pressure.

You can download a copy of the preliminary findings from the Survey of K-12 Educators on Social Networking and Content-Sharing Tools here.

 

Princeton, NJ - September 8, 2009 - Social networking keeps expanding in popularity, especially among students, but very little is known about how educators are using social networks and whether or not they see a value in this technology for education.

A new Survey of K-12 Educators on Social Networking and Content-Sharing Tools has been conducted to begin benchmarking educators' use and attitudes about Web 2.0 collaborative technologies like social networking, blogging, wikis, video-sharing, and more. The survey was developed through a collaboration of three national education organizations—edWeb.net, MCH and MMS Education—and was deployed at the end of August to more than 70,000 K-12 principals, teachers, and librarians.

Early results show that 62% of educators who responded have joined one or more social networking websites, and their participation on these sites has had a positive impact on their attitudes about using this technology for personal and professional purposes, and in the classroom.

The survey also shows that some school districts are placing significant barriers to the adoption of this technology in schools by barring access to many of the social networking and collaboration websites that students use regularly outside of school.

The survey probes how educators view social networks like Facebook, MySpace, Ning, and LinkedIn as well as professional education networks, including Classroom 2.0, edWeb.net, and We Are Teachers, among others. It also explores educators' use of popular content-sharing tools like blogs, wikis, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, Google Docs, and more.

Understanding how educators use and value these tools can have an impact on policy decisions and spur professional development programs to close the gap between students' and educators' use of technology.

The Survey of K-12 Educators on Social Networking and Content-Sharing Tools is co-sponsored by edWeb.net, MCH, Inc. and MMS Education. Preliminary results will be released at the EdNET Conference, an education industry summit being held in Chicago September 13th-15th. The final report will be issued in October.

 

Princeton, NJ - May 8, 2009 - edWeb.net was selected as a finalist in the "Innovation Incubator" and "Education Newcomer" award categories at the SIIA Ed Tech Summit awards this week in San Francisco, CA.

SIIA (The Software & Information Industry Association) is the principal trade association for the software and digital content industry. SIIA's Education Division serves and represents more than 150 member companies that address educational needs.

For the Innovation Incubator Awards, the SIIA Education Division reviewed 26 applications and voted for 10 winners and 2 finalists. The key selection criteria included alignment with SIIA's K-20 benchmarks for 21st century tools, anytime/anywhere access, differentiated learning, assessment tools, and enterprise support. edWeb.net was one of the two finalists for this award.

The Education Newcomer award is given to the most promising new company in the educational technology field. edWeb.net was one of four finalists for this award.

As part of the conference, Lisa Schmucki, founder and CEO of edWeb.net, participated in a roundtable discussion on "Transforming Educational Institutions into Smart Learning Communities." edWeb.net will be a platform for ongoing discussion and collaboration on this topic.

edWeb.net is a social network dedicated to professional issues in education where educators can connect and collaborate on resources and best practices; and simultaneously gain experience using the Web 2.0 tools that have become an integral part of students' lives.

With high stakes issues and regulations surrounding education, and an unprecedented increase in education stimulus funding, the need for communication and collaborative tools to break down silos in education and help new information and ideas travel is more critical than ever.

 

PRINCETON, NJ - September 8, 2008 - The edWeb, launched in November 2007, has received an enthusiastic response from district administrators and teachers who are the initial users of the site. The edWeb is a social/professional networking site for the education community.

The site uses popular social networking tools like blogs, discussions, groups, chat rooms, file-sharing, and messaging to make it easy for teachers and administrators to connect online and share information and resources within their school community, their professional associations, and with educators anywhere in the country or world. Social networks are ideal for sharing content and building community, an important part of a district or school's mission and teachers' professional development.

The early response from educators has been very enthusiastic. Erin Peacock, Director of Science at the Montgomery Township School District (Skillman, New Jersey) has formed a group on the edWeb to discuss "Assessment FOR Learning." She has invited teachers and administrators within the Montgomery school district and educators she meets at professional conferences to join the group. She has been very pleased with the results: "I quickly recognized that it was like a Facebook for teachers. I am familiar with many educational technology resources, but I don't know of any tool I could use to connect with others so quickly and efficiently. It's so easy to use, so friendly."

After nine months of initial development and testing, the edWeb is ready to grow its base of members more rapidly. New features in development will be uniquely tailored to the needs of educators. Currently, the edWeb offers a suite of user-friendly social networking tools on a site that is 100% dedicated to the professional world of education.

The edWeb is about to launch opportunities for companies who create educational products and services to sponsor groups on the edWeb. These groups can host discussions about educational topics in general or be more focused on the product information, training, and support companies provide to educators.

Lisa Schmucki, founder and president of the edWeb, says, "Our belief is that by bringing together the users of educational materials and the producers of those materials, in a social networking environment, we will create a more collaborative, active, and energized community. Educators will have an easy way to share information with each other, and companies will engage a wider audience of educators in a discussion about their needs. We are so encouraged by the enthusiasm of our first members and thankful for their feedback on the site."

The edWeb is free for professionals in education to join.