Professional Learning

TCEA 2023: Samsung Unveils Free Educator Community Platform Coming Soon

• By Kristal Kuykendall
• 02/01/23

Samsung Electronics America is offering TCEA 2023 attendees this week a sneak peek at the new Samsung Education Community Platform expected to launch soon, according to a Samsung blog post.

The platform, which will be free for educators to join, “will offer educators an online discussion forum, access to peer and expert coaching, and free, self-paced professional development courses, enabling them to develop new strategies for leveraging technology that can enhance classroom engagement and learning outcomes for all students,” Samsung said.

The company did not specify when the new education community platform will debut but invited educators to sign up for first access at https://business.samsungusa.com/EDUPDC.

“Nearly three years have passed since the COVID-19 pandemic upended classroom teaching and learning, yet educators are still addressing the impacts of prolonged remote learning, from declining test scores to rising rates of stress and burnout. In this challenging climate, educators need more support and professional development than ever before,” Samsung VP of U.S. Sales Chris Mertens said in the blog post.

The idea for Samsung’s Education Community Platform came from the company’s Director of Education Technology Consulting and Solutions Micah Shippee, a former educator for 22 years, Samsung said. “He and his team developed a collaborative, online hub that aims to meet the professional development needs of today’s educators by offering innovative lesson plans that embrace best-in-class technology.”

Educators on the platform will have access to professional development courses on creating “interactive, immersive learning environments through engaging lesson design,” led by Samsung education coaches who specialize in curriculum development and instructional design, the company said. Members will also have access to continuing education certificates and monthly webinars with more teaching tips from their Samsung Education Coach.

All monthly webinars will available for replay in the Education Community Platform’s library of member resources, including blog posts, tutorials, lesson plan templates, and self-paced online courses, Samsung said. Educators completing coursework and engaging in thoughtful discussion on the platform’s online forum will be eligible for “digital badges that demonstrate their progress and knowledge of ed tech strategies” and “the most active power users” can earn opportunities to “become Ambassadors to create their own content, serve as conference presenters and host Samsung-sponsored webinars to inspire their fellow educators,” the company said.

Learn more or sign up for access to the new educator community at bit.ly/SamsungTCEA.