Get Connected: ISED-L
One of the most useful yet often overlooked tools for educators wanting to “get connected” is the Independent Schools Educators’ List (ISED-L). As described on their website, ” ISED-L is a forum for the needs and interests of the independent school community. It is a vehicle for faculty, staff, and administrators to seek advice, to establish new friendships, to locate collaborators for online and offline projects, and to post conference, employment, and other announcements.” Although geared toward independent schools, ISED-L can be useful for educators in any setting.
Unlike some of the other resources I have profiled in recent posts, ISED-L has a very low learning curve; it is essentially an e-mail distribution list. When you post a message, it is sent to every ISED-L subscriber. Recipients can then respond back to the listserv (which all members will see) or to you personally if you have included your contact information within the post. Although the social networking aspects of ISED-L are best realized when replying “to all”, there are instances when continuing a dialog privately or “off list” is preferable. I would suggest reading the Tips for good postings for more information.
All postings made to ISED-L are archived at Syracuse University. Posts are organized chronologically by week/month/year and are searchable. The archive is an excellent source of information (I always check there before posting a question) and can help you manage your inbox (no sense saving countless posts when they are available online). Because ISED-L is generally very active, you may wish to suspend your subscription if you will be without e-mail for an extended period of time; you can always subscribe again and check the archives to see what you may have missed.
If you currently do not subscribe to ISED-L, I would encourage you to sign up and get started. If you have a listserv you’d like to recommend, leave a comment and let us know. After all, it’s all about getting connected!
