New Professional Learning Community

SIS Voices for Student Achievement

Join a professional learning community for SIS users to share information about how a student information system can drive student achievement. This is a unique and collaborative way for SIS users to work together to explore this important topic.

SIS Voices provides SIS users at the school, district, and state level with a forum to share information, voice opinions, engage in a dialogue with peers, and gain support for using student data to improve teaching and learning.

As a member of the community you'll be invited to a free monthly webinar and live chat discussion on student information systems. A community blog and discussion forums continue the conversation on an ongoing basis. The webinar recordings will be archived in the community for viewing at any time.

The webinars will be presented by Chris Dawson who has been working in education for the last 20 years managing computer systems, SIS systems, and evaluating district-wide data. Chris now focuses on ensuring that schools and educators maximize the value of their technology investments and writes frequently on the topic.

Join the community SIS Voices for Student Achievement.

Technology in Schools — What, Why, and How?

This professional learning community will help technology directors and other school administrators and educators learn and collaborate with peers about how to evaluate, select, and purchase the best technology for your classroom, school, or district.

As a member of the community, you'll be invited to a series of free monthly webinars that will talk about voice, video, and data hardware, software, and curriculum. The webinars and follow up discussions will cover purchasing considerations, but also, and importantly, how to integrate the latest technology into teaching and learning.

Topics covered will include: mobile devices, data collection, projectors/presenters, wireless connectivity, consumables, desktops and laptops, e-readers, social networking, distance learning, library management systems, student information systems, privacy and security, shared services, crisis management, clickers, telephones, student cell phone use, CIPA compliance, Internet service providers, technology for diverse and special needs students, virtual schools, home-school connection, professional development, and more.

By combining informative webinar presentations with a social networking community, we create a new way for educators and education industry executives to connect and work together to help move forward faster with technology solutions.

The program is presented and hosted by Gail Palumbo, former Director of Curriculum and Technology, Montgomery Township Schools (NJ), and national consultant for schools, districts, and corporations.

Join the community Technology in Schools

Effective Strategies for Teaching Students with Autism

Sponsored by Eden Autism Services

Eden Autism Services has launched a new professional learning community for teachers who are working with students with autism.  The program provides free monthly webinars and "live chats," free lesson plans, and online discussion forums to help teachers connect and collaborate on the best practices for supporting students with autism. This is a new way for teachers to connect and share perspectives and experiences.

All of the webinars are recorded and archived in the community, so teachers can watch at any time if they are not able to attend the live event.  CEU credit is provided for attending the webinar or watching the recording and taking a short quiz.

Members of the community can post questions and start discussions on topics to get feedback from the educational experts at Eden, and also from peers who are dealing with similar issues. This new program will take advantage of the power of social networking to bring teachers together to expand access to resources, and to get feedback, mentoring, and support.

Preview the program by watching the recording of the webinar on Understanding the Unique Needs of Students with Autism

Join the Teaching Students with Autism Community:

• Effective Strategies for Grades preK to 5
• Effective Strategies for Grades 6 – 12

An Online Mentoring Program for New Teachers

New Teacher Help

This innovative online professional development program will present a series of monthly webinars within a social networking community on edWeb that will provide a collaborative way for novice teachers to connect and share perspectives and experiences. Through this program, new teachers will:

• Learn ways to "set the tone" for a productive year of student learning
• Establish themselves as the "authority figure" in the classroom
• Develop techniques to increase communication and build relationships with students, parents, veteran teachers, administrators, and school support staff

Presented by Shannon J. Holden — a high school and middle school teacher and administrator in North Dakota, Texas, and Missouri for 20 years. Holden built a website, www.newteacherhelp.com, in 2009 to help reduce the 50% five-year attrition rate for new teachers in the educational profession.

Novice teachers are under more scrutiny than ever before. With standardized testing, emerging technology, reduced budgets, and increased accountability, there is a sense of urgency for new teachers to develop the skills necessary to survive and thrive in the classroom.

This new teacher program will take advantage of the power of social networking to bring "newbies" together to explore critical aspects of educating students. In the year-long series of webinars, live chat, and online discussions, novices will collaborate with each other in their articulation of teaching challenges and potential approaches to these challenges.

Preview the program by watching the recording of the webinar on Dealing with Difficult Parents

Join our webinar series and online community New Teacher Help.

Learner-Centered School Leadership: Creating a Culture of Evidence

A professional development program for school leaders
Presented by Dr. Mari Pearlman

edWeb.net is hosting a new webinar program that 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.

This school leadership program will bring principals together to explore critical aspects of the practice of "collective leadership". During the year-long series, principals will collaborate with each other in their articulation of leadership challenges and potential approaches to these challenges.

This innovative online professional development program will present a series of monthly webinars within an online networking community on edWeb that will provide a collaborative way for school leaders to connect and share perspectives and experiences.

Preview the program by watching the recording of the webinar Changing the Conversation: This is Everybody’s Opportunity

Enroll in the program by joining the edWeb community Learner-Centered School Leadership

The Big Deal eBook of Resources for 21st Century Teaching and Learning

Just published! Get your free copy of this new guide to 21st century learning. Explore resources to help integrate 21st century themes into the curriculum:

• Global Understanding
• Getting Literate About Civics
• Making Health a Core Theme
• Environmental Know-How
• Financial Competence and Responsibility

Planning for instruction requires an interdisciplinary approach to integrate these themes into content-rich curricula. The rich collection of websites in this free guide provides specific resources that support these broad themes.

To get your free copy of the guide, join the Big Deal Community, Amazing Resources for Educators.

The National Association of Secondary School Principals launches the NASSP School Leadership Network on edWeb.net

The launch of the NASSP School Leadership Network on edWeb comes at a time when principals reveal a readiness to participate in online discussions, as demonstrated in recent research. "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." This new collaboration evolves from 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. The NASSP School Leadership Network is the main gathering place for principals, assistant principals, and aspiring school leaders on the edWeb.net platform. School leaders can connect with their colleagues and engage in discussions around the most pressing issues facing our schools today.

Principals and assistant principals are invited to join. Just follow the link to the NASSP School Leadership Network.

New “Lunch & Learn” Series Launched to Provide Educators with a Forum to Discuss eBooks

eBooks are changing the shape of publishing and revolutionizing the way readers interact with books. It is just a matter of time before they bring significant changes in the way teachers teach and the way students learn. Exploring eBooks for K-12 is an online professional learning community where educators and educational publishers can discuss the use of eBooks in classrooms and libraries, share ideas and experiences, learn from other educators, and stay informed as eBook technology evolves.

Join the eBooks community and participate in a monthly "Lunch and Learn" live chat to discuss these issues with other educators and publishers. The live chats are hosted by Neal Goff, President of Egremont Associates and founder of the K12TeacherStore.com.

By joining the eBooks community, you can stay connected with educators and colleagues to share ideas, information, and get answers to questions about eBooks as the adoption of this technology evolves.

Preview the program by watching the Lunch & Learn recording: eBooks in Schools and Libraries

Join the community Exploring eBooks for K-12.

New "Social Webinar" Program

Game-Based Learning

This free "social webinar" series will address how to integrate games and simulations into the learning process to provide higher engagement and achievement for students. This innovative program will provide a forum where a wide variety of stakeholders in the education and game development worlds can come together to discuss guidelines and current practices, and most importantly, to share ideas to advance this emerging field.

Join the edWeb.net community on Game-Based Learning and you'll be automatically registered for the webinar series and will become part of a community of educators, publishers, and game developers who are interested in collaborating on this topic. Each month you'll be invited to a free webinar that will touch on some aspect of gaming and learning. The webinars are followed by a "live chat" discussion that is a great opportunity for all attendees to ask and answer questions and share ideas. CEU credits are provided.

The conversation on Game-Based Learning will continue on an ongoing basis in the social networking community on edWeb. The webinar recording, supporting documents and research, and bibliographic material are archived in the community for reference. This unique combination of webinars combined with a social networking community creates a 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.

Preview the program by watching the webinar on Death of Textbooks, Emergence of Games with Dr. James M. Bower Ph.D., founder, Chairman, and CEO of Numedeon Inc.

Join the edWeb community on Game-Based Learning

Webinar Series on Emerging Technology Offers CE Credit for School Librarians

edWeb.net is hosting an innovative "social" webinar series that explores ways to use emerging technology to engage students and transform your school library program. The program presents a new webinar each month followed by live chats and discussion forums that make it easy for over 1100 librarians to connect and support each other in exploring new technologies.

Join the community and watch recordings for previous sessions on: Millenials and Digital Brains, Best Instructional Practices for the 21st Century, Hybrid Programming, Communication, Collaboration & Cloud Computing, and Evidence-Based Practice & Data Collection.

In the upcoming months, we'll be discussing: Social Capital, Visibility and Advocacy, Micro Communication, Productivity, Partnering with the Larger Community, and Earning Recognition.

In the words of Irene Kwidzinski, Library Media Specialist and New England AASL L4L Coordinator, "I just received my CE certificate for attending last night's edWeb webinar on Best Practices with Michelle Luhtala sponsored by Follett. And it was all free. Way cool."

We thank our sponsor, Follett Software Company, for making it possible to host this program for free for school libraries.

Preview the program by watching the recording of the webinar on eBooks, eReaders, and Mobile Devices

Enroll in the program by joining the edWeb community Using Emerging Technology to Advance Your School Library Program.

The VIVA Project. Vision. Ideas. Voices. Action.
A different way to make a difference now

The VIVA Teachers Community sponsored by The VIVA Project is a new community on edWeb that was created to reach out to teachers across the country who are looking to make their voices heard.

The VIVA Project is operating its first idea mine-- a collaborative website to create solutions for and from the classroom. The VIVA Project is working to increase teachers' participation in state and national policy decisions about education. Their new community on edWeb is a great place to get discussions going, share your ideas, and ultimately, get heard.

The final reports will be delivered to Arne Duncan, President Obama's Secretary of Education, and to The Board of Regents Chair for a special New York specific report.

Join the conversation in The VIVA Teachers Community.

Escape from the Textbook

Sponsored by the Center for Innovative Teaching

The Center for Innovative Teaching at the Urban School of San Francisco has started an Escape from the Textbook! community on edWeb.net to help launch and nurture ongoing collaborations among middle and high school math teachers everywhere.

Secondary school math teachers find that almost every off-book activity planned is well received by students, leads to greater interest and motivation, and promotes deeper learning. Freeing from the constraints of set-in-stone curricula allows for teaches to better respond to the realities of the individual classroom. However, the pressure of coverage, lack of time, external mandates, and isolation from like-minded teachers can undermine these efforts.

Working together, secondary school math teachers can help each other escape from the textbook, whether for a lesson, a unit, or an entire course.

Join the community Escape from the Textbook!