Known as a hotspot for the edtech community to demonstrate new technology, connect with each other, learn new skills, and even pitch their ideas, ISTE is also proving to be fertile ground for research. Doing just this, the American Insitute of Research are using the ISTE conference to capture data on “connected educators” who leverage social media tools, like Twitter, to connect to each other and enrich their practice.
Using video and data captured in these interviews, AIR is trying to understand how school districts can leverage “connected educators” to develop unique routes toward professional development and how districts can begin to evaluate this type of professional learning. They hope to share these videos in October for “Connected Educator Month” to encourage a broader discussion around how districts can integrate the value of connecting educators into their professional development plans.
