Technology Educational Skills and Careers WebQuest
Area 4 Professional Organizations
Which professional organizations are important for individuals active in educational technology? From researching numerous sites it is obvious that if one is interested in belonging to a professional organization related to educational technology you have several to choose from. There are numerous web sites dealing with educational technology. One good site to use for looking at all the sites is http://www.educationalsoftwaredirectory.net/organizations.html Below, we have listed five sites that look to be very beneficial for individuals active in educational technology.
1. The Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT)
http://www.aect.org/default.asp.
A summary of the organization's mission is to provide leadership in creating, using, and managing technologies for effective teaching and learning in a wide range of settings. They have a publications center as well as a job center and conferences posted on their web site. One of their goals is to support professional growth. Membership in the AECT allows one to receive discounts on various commercial items as well as association publications and resources. They are based in Bloomington, Indiana.
2. The Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE)
http://www.aace.org/site/default.htm Similar to the above listed organization in that they provide conferences, publications and an abundance of resources to member. The web site gives information about how they provide opportunities to share ideas and expertise on various topics related to technology in teacher education. SITE is based in Chesapeake, Virginia and will be holding their 19th Annual International Conference in March of 2008 with the location being in Las Vegas, Nevada.
3. International Technology Education Association (ITEA)
http://www.iteaconnect.org/ Membership in the ITEA, an organization based in Reston, Virginia, provides one with many resources aimed at your particular level of instruction. There are resources and information for the following groups: High School Teachers Middle School Teachers Elementary Teachers Student Members Advocate Members Institutional Members Museum Members International Members Corporate Members If you can't find yourself fitting into one of these categories, I would be surprised. I don't know where else they could put you (maybe an "other" category). The best thing I found was a publication put out by the ITEA called The Technology Teacher. It is published eight times per year and looks to be a very valuable resource to anyone trying to utilize technology in the classroom or specifically teaching educational technology.
4. Texas Computer Educators Association
http://www.tcea.org
This is a great source for Texas computer literacy teachers, technologists, as well as technology coordinators. They provide training as well as hold conferences to enhance technology education. They are based in Austin, Texas. They also provide technology, robotics, as well as programming contests for students to enter with prizes available. http://www.tceacontests.org/ This looks like a great motivational tool for students to come up with new, creative, unique and ideas. TCEA also has awards given to educators that have shown excellence in educational technology. I see this as a great incentive to give those teachers doing a great job a pat on the back.
5. National Educational Computing Conference (NECC)
http://web.uoregon.edu/ISTE/NECC2007/program/NECC2008.php This looked like a great site for teachers in that they have publications geared for K12 technology educators and the resources for teachers are numerous and outstanding. They have a conference coming up in San Antonio and some of the sessions will discuss topics like Ethics and Equity, Virtual Schooling/ELearning, 21st Century Teaching and Learning, and Technology Infrastructure and I am just listing a few of the sessions. This would be a great opportunity to follow the conferences motto and conveneconnect transform.
Describe the benefits of belonging to a professional organization dedicated to educational technology.
I believe that belonging to a professional organization allows you opportunities to attend conferences, read publications, and have access to resources that you otherwise wouldn't. In addition, you can stay on top of latest news and information in the field of educational technology.
Anytime you have a chance to build connections with others in your field, you open yourself up to new learning and you never know how much you will learn or how much positive you are providing another in your profession. Just feeling like you are a part of something is very beneficial. When you feel a part of something you will tend to buy into what is going on around you. When you buy into your career, you tend to want to know as much as possible and be the best you can in that field.
Which conferences focus on educational technology?
1. International Technology Education Association: There conference focuses on educational technology. 2. The Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference is also another great...