Connected Educator NZ (CENZ) began yesterday and, for a second year, offers educators’ professional learning by bringing networking, knowledge, professional development and community together all online – and all for free.

Educators and those who provide support or resources to educators, will join forces to provide a series of online activities with the aim of connecting educators together to increase digital technologies awareness, understanding and capability.

CENZ has a range of online events and activities, including forums and conversations with experts, webinars, virtual guided tours, Māori and Pasifika learning, live streams from the ULearn15 educators’ conference and much more. The events are pulled together in a collaborative, online calendar that connects schools, kura and early learning centres with thousands of like-minded educators from around New Zealand and the world.

CENZ15 gives educators the opportunity to engage in professional learning conversations in safe online spaces, helps to develop online and digital skills, including the ability to transfer that knowledge back to their own learners and colleagues.

Be a connected leader and share your own event. CORE Education, coordinators of CENZ, invites other organisations, educators and leaders to showcase their professional learning online. To run an event, simply add your event to the collaborative calendar.

You can offer any online event or activity, such as sharing and promoting educational stories, resources or services or raising awareness of services. To help you plan your event, here are some tips and advice.

Curious about online communities, blogging and social media? The Starter Kete/Kit is a 31 day online beginners tool. Learn the basics about connecting, creating networks, understanding the lingo (wikis, blogs, hashtags and more) plus how to tell a story using digital tools or use YouTube effectively.

Register to receive weekly updates or follow on Twitter @ConnectEduNZ #cenz15

For more go to connectededucator.org.nz