October is Connected Educator Month

While I associate October with a lot of exciting things (fall weather, fall break, and the midway point in the semester), perhaps the thing that I'm most excited about (well, besides fall break :) is Connected Educator Month (CEM). According to the CEM website, the purpose of CEM includes:

• Getting more educators proficient with social media to improve their practice
• Deepening and sustaining learning among those already enjoying connection’s benefits
• Helping schools credential/integrate connected learning into their formal professional development efforts
• Stimulating and supporting innovation in the field

Besides the fact that CEM aligns nicely to my goal to get my pre-service teachers more involved in professional development (virtual or otherwise), I love the idea of having a month that encourages teachers to use social media to connect to each other and to grow as a professional.

To help teachers participate in CEM, the CEM website has a number of very useful resources, including a downloadable starter kit and a schedule of virtual events.

While CEM is a great event for teachers, it isn't the only education-related event happening this month. Next week, I'll highlight NCTE's National Day on Writing, which is on October 20. It looks like there are a number of great events centered on writing planned for the 20th, and I hope to have a list of the events as well as some ideas and resources in my next blog post.

What are your plans for CEM? Please leave your comments and ideas below!