October is Connected Educator Month (CEM), and NSTA supports the goals of not only getting more educators connected through social media, but also elevating those connections to develop personal learning networks. Originally developed by the U.S. Department of Education, CEM offers highly distributed, diverse, and engaging activities to educators at all levels. CEM programs include webinars, video conferences, and tutorials.

Dr. Al Byers, NSTA Associate Executive Director, Services will be participating in a panel discussion on Designing and Evaluating Effective Online Communities of Practices. Thursday, October 23, from 1:00pm – 2:00pm ET

NSTA members have a head start establishing and sustaining personal learning networks: NSTA’s Social Media Dashboard. Use NSTA’s social media channels to reach other members, download resources, and explore fresh ideas for creative professional learning. In just 15 minutes, you can pick a platform to connect—or master all of them!

• LinkedIn
  NSTA’s LinkedIn group allows for open discussions and dialogue among members, experts, and other science education professionals.
• Twitter
  Faster than email and quick to learn, Twitter has a robust grassroots segment for teachers, administrators, and educators. Great platform for following and contributing to discussions using hashtags like #cem14!
• Facebook
  Never miss NSTA news, publications, or special events by being a fan of the NSTA Facebook page. Share your ideas, comments, and classroom stories on Facebook with the larger community.
• Pinterest
  Everything from an inspirational quote to an instructional model is available from NSTA’s Pinterest page. Find out what science teachers are reading, learn more about Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and share the next science toy or tool to make a difference in the classroom.
• YouTube
  Videos from experts, NSTA staff and authors, and members like you. Subscribe to this channel to get the latest science education videos from NSTA.
• Google+
  A growing platform for sharing videos, images, and resources for science educators. It’s easy to add other science educators to your circles and start a conversation immediately.

More Time?

If you have more time, consider investigating the NSTA Blog, the platform where social media began. The blog is written by experts, NSTA staff, and by members like you. In addition to learning more about science lessons, the NGSS, and upcoming science-related events, blog posts offer the opportunity to not only comment on each post, but also share NSTA blog posts with your networks.

Not a member of NSTA? Learn more about how to join.

Laura Berry of Cogberry Creative is our guest blogger for this series. Laura is a communications professional for the education community.