Serendipity35

There are two education network resources from Microsoft that I discovered and wanted to pass on to our readers. But, in looking at them this week, I was suddenly overcome with ennui.

How may social educational networks do I need? Maybe it was the end-of-the-week blues, but it seems like there are already too many networks and certainly no lack of resources and tools online. Maybe telling you, dear reader, about two more will elicit the same reaction.

There is that little optimist sitting on my shoulder who tells me that many of the best tools I use were passed on to me by recommendations from colleagues on blogs or at workshops and conferences. So, maybe these two are just what you need.

Both are from (don't be afraid) the Microsoft Education team.

The Microsoft Partners in Learning initiative supports a stated commitment by Microsoft "to advance the quality of education and provide alternative channels for economic progress."

The goals are to integrate technology into daily teaching, learning, and research. According to their figures, nearly 3.5 million educators in more than 100 countries have been trained through the Partners in Learning curriculum, and more than 80 million students have been reached worldwide.

The second one to pass on is Microsoft's Innovative Teachers Program which is designed to support K-12 educators. This program consists of 3 elements: the Innovative Teachers Network, the Innovative Teachers newsletter, and the Innovative Teachers Forum.

The Innovative Teachers Network connects educators who seek professional collaboration around 21st century teaching and learning. Their belief, which I certainly agree with, is that innovative teachers are lifelong learners who thrive on the learning process themselves. Those kinds of teachers pass the excitement of learning onto their students.

Joining the network gives you access to classroom and professional development resources created and reviewed by your peers. There are also the social community tools which allow collaboration with other educators within your school or across the country. You also have "MySite," a personalized version of the Network where you can store documents in progress, your appointments and task list, and direct links to your favorite resources and colleagues.

That kind of online space is not something most K-12 teachers get from their schools (neither do many 2 & 4 year instructors). Yes, you can have space via blogs, wikis and such, but what may be lacking in those social tools are the people who make it social. Having a presence in a social network that is populated already is a great advantage. It's why our students go to Facebook and MySpace, and why teachers might use LinkedIn or Classroom 2.0.