1) http://www.aace.org/ - Seems like the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education has quite a few things going on, but they are not very good at conveying that information in their website! Ironic for an organization based entirely upon increasing proficiency in technology. Seems like the main resources available from AACE (with membership)are access to databases of articles pertinent to educators and international conferences on subject areas concerning computing in the classroom.
2) http://www.aect.org/ - Another members-oriented website, the Association for Educational Communications and Technology seeks to "provide international leadership by promoting scholarship and best practices in the creation, use, and management of technologies for effective teaching and learning in a wide range of settings." This website was very text-oriented, bland, and difficult to navigate. Again, it seems that the main benefits of affiliation with this organization are conference opportunities, publications, and online journal access. After a while following links on the site I was fairly confused as to the purpose of the organization other than gaining and retaining members.
3) http://www.iste.org/ - Hooray, this website immediately made me feel comfortable and engaged; I even signed up for their RSS feed! While offering the typical gamut of membership perks and publications, the thing that I noticed that set ISTE apart was their active participation in reviewing and approving materials for students and educators through theISTE NETS Seal of Alignment. "It’s your assurance that a product or service has demonstrated alignment with ISTE’s National Educational Technology Standards (NETS)." Additionally, ISTE offers a unique publication on IT safety!
4) www.ITEA.org - Oh no! My mind! So bored...must overcome urge to exit website! ITEA, or The International Test and Evaluation Association (ITEA), is "a not-for-profit educational organization founded in 1980 to further the exchange of technical information in the field of test and evaluation." While nearly impossible to glean information on what services ITEA might actually provide for its members, most of their conferences seem focused on a more college-level engineering/science crowd than a secondary school educator. The best part is the "Tech Tips." In additon to being fairly enigmatic in how they might relate to testing they often do not even link to a webpage that will provide any information on said "Tech Tip." After some more consideration I am starting to think that I was perhaps led astray and that this website is actually used by professionals who are interested in testing equipment and technology, not students. However, the site is confusing enough that I may never know.So there you have it: a veritable tome of wisdom on a sampling of websites related to technology and education.
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