Bob Dylan’s iconic song painted a picture of a world in the midst of rapid change, most of which was being ignored by the “establishment.” We, too, are in the middle of great change in our world, but I don’t have nearly as dark a view of it as Bob did. I think that many of the changes happening around us today are a reason for hope and excitement. I hope that you’ll agree after you see some of our changes that are coming.
TCEA Is A-Changin’ Too
After surveying our members and former members this past year, TCEA’s board and staff have worked to create stronger technology systems to better serve our individual members’ needs. The first of these changes will be unveiled this week, with more to follow.
A New Member Database System
The first change that you will experience happens on June 1 as we move to a new database system. We had outgrown
our old system and found that it couldn’t provide the service our members deserve. For the new system, you will be asked to log in to the TCEA site with the same email address that you’ve used before. Then, you’ll have to select a new password. The password must be a minimum of eight characters long and contain at least one letter and at least one number. (While this is a pain, it is a necessity in today’s digital world.) And, by the way, if you forget your new password, the Forgot Password? link now actually works and lets you reset your password!
Once you’ve logged in, you should do the following to ensure that you have full access to all of the member benefits that you are entitled to:
- Update your contact profile
- Is your mailing address correct? This is where we mail the quarterly TechEdge magazine to you. We recommend that you use your home address to make sure the magazine gets to you each time.
- Have you changed districts recently? Your email address is your login to all things TCEA. If you have a new district and your email has changed, make sure to update that.
- Has your job title changed? We provide much of our content to you based on the needs of your specific role in education. So if you’ve changed from an elementary teacher to a middle school teacher or gotten a promotion, be sure to change your job title so that the content you receive meets your new career.
- When does your current membership expire? You don’t want to miss out on any of your benefits.
- Review any past transactions or open invoices
- Browse the online store for innovative books and TCEA merchandise and swag
An Updated, Easier-to-Use Website
You may also notice that our website is now easier to navigate as well. We have rebuilt it on a stronger system. We have also designed the organization to be more intuitive. We want to make sure you can find what you need easily and quickly. We welcome you to explore the website, kick the tires, and look around. You might discover some resources you didn’t even know TCEA offered, now featured clearly. We hope this website will better serve your needs and become a bookmarked favorite for accessing content, news, and information about TCEA events.
New Opportunities for Free Learning 24/7
We listened to what our members need and have redesigned our famous Lunch and Learn and Get Your Google On webinar series. These 30-minute sessions will rotate around three different themes this year: Google tools, Microsoft tools, and technology integration. In addition, we will feature monthly webinars presented by our Special Interest Groups (SIGs) on topics for librarians, robotics teachers and mentors, leadership, computer science teachers, and more. And all of the sessions will count for both CPE and G/T credit. Attend the live webinar each Wednesday from 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. or listen to the recorded version any time you like. Here are the first few webinars that are coming your way:
- Collaborative Partnerships in the Library (8/22)
- Google Tools for Inclusive Learning (9/5)
- Learning for All with OneNote Class Notebook (9/12)
- Harness the Power of the ISTE Standards for Students (9/19)
- TexQuest Playbook (9/26)
- Google Is Your Lifeboat in a Sea of Information (10/3)
- Bringing Stories Alive with MS Sway (10/10)
- Is It Trick or a Treat? Web Tools Can Be Fun, Too! (10/17)
- Building Inquiry tools to Support Classroom Research (10/23)
You can register for these can’t-miss learning events any time after June 4 on our website.
Continue the Learning in the Community
Just as our old database system had become outdated, so, too, had our old online community. So on June 4, we will unveil its update. You can access it via your email, through its free app, or on the web, whichever method you prefer. And you’ll be able to connect and learn with your peers more easily with its new chat and filtering capabilities. Look in your inbox for how to access this new resource on June 4.
Future Improvements
In the coming months, you’ll also see changes in our online blog and in the email content that is delivered to meet your specific needs. All of these changes are designed to help you better conquer the challenges that are part of our daily lives now. Together, we can achieve learning without limits!
