In this post, during the run-up to Learning Impact 2022, June 13-16 in Nashville, I’d like to take the opportunity to summarize the 1EdTech brand and the 1EdTech community with a single word: Inspired. 1EdTech is both an inspired and, we hope, inspirational brand.
But first things first. 1EdTech. We have arrived! We have officially moved to the 1EdTech brand as the outward-facing brand!
Now let’s review.
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The first post of this series introduced the united commitment to an open, innovative, and trusted ecosystem that is 1EdTech.
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The second post discusses the core values or pillars of our community that combine into our core brand promise: Together, we power learner potential.
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The third post of the series hones in on four leadership imperatives for the education sector that our work will significantly impact over the next decade.
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The fourth post of the series lays out the value of having dual affiliated non-profit organizations under the 1EdTech brand.
With this information as the backdrop, my more than 16 years leading the organization, and our growth to 750 organizations (we’re now adding about 90-100 new members a year), I believe it all comes down to what is at the heart of why we have given so much to this cause: Inspiration.
I came to this position with a very simple inspiration about the need for edtech stakeholder organizations to collaborate in a way that would help accelerate the progress in this relatively new field. For me, it has been a puzzle to bring together market forces to accelerate technology that enhances educational leadership. Improving learning is the challenge that underlies all other challenges humankind faces. A very powerful and sustainable collaboration was my goal from the beginning, but I also had to be realistic about the possibilities. Indeed, the organization is now about 4x larger than I once estimated this community would get (at one of our Board meetings in the early years).
Right now, I feel that the potential for this community—built on the idea of a committed collaboration providing the foundations for an open, innovative, and trusted edtech ecosystem—is endless. Together there are no limits to what we can do.
But what keeps us together will be our mutual and complementary inspirations. Only by being inspired for a greater good with tangible outcomes can we face the challenges of each day and the long road ahead.
What inspires us as a community today? Our impact on learning and education has been enormous. We are now capturing those inspirations, aspirations, and impacts using the stories that 1EdTech members have brought us to share as part of this rebranding. We have only just begun, but let me point out a few:
We are inspired...
...when faculty and learners find that technology makes their hectic lives more efficient and opens new possibilities for how they want to teach or what they want to learn. From an institutional perspective, we are inspired when technology better supports academic goals and strategy. Here are some examples that may inspire you.
We are inspired...
...when we can provide faculty, learners, and administrators a foundation for innovative instructional models, personalized learning, and diverse pathways that open up new educational possibilities. From an institutional perspective, we are inspired when we have ensured maximum choice, inclusion, and sustained support for innovation. Here are some examples that may inspire you.
We are inspired...
...when we help all students achieve more during their educational experiences and when those achievements open opportunities for fulfilling careers (as most learners have multiple careers) and life. From an institutional perspective, we are inspired by setting up the foundation for enabling an expanded set of verifiable achievements and records that learners can manage, add distinction to the institution, and employers can use for hiring and talent development. Here are some examples that may inspire you.
We are inspired...
...when faculty, learners, advisors, and administrators can get timely insights that help improve the trajectory of success for students and faculty. From an institutional perspective, we are inspired by establishing a foundation for a learning data ecosystem that makes data availability and use easier for all our stakeholders. Here are some examples that may inspire you.
We hope you will join us at Learning Impact 2022 in Nashville, June 13-16, to share what inspires you and our very unique community!
