More than 7,500 educators register for ISTE membership in first week

Raleigh, N.C. – The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) announced that all North Carolina public school teachers can now access their free ISTE membership through NCEdCloud, the identity and access management service. In partnership with the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), an education nonprofit that supports the use of technology to accelerate innovation in education, all public school teachers in North Carolina were provided access to year-round professional learning and a network of global education experts by making ISTE membership available at no cost. 

Last week, ISTE and NCDPI emailed 116,000 invitations to North Carolina educators and public school teachers that grants them access to ISTE membership. Within the first week, over 7,500 North Carolina educators activated their free memberships, which provided them immediate access to resources and professional learning as students and teachers head back to school. 

“We are excited to see North Carolina educators taking advantage of this opportunity to obtain professional learning and resources to transform digital learning in their classrooms,” said Catherine Truitt, North Carolina state superintendent of public instruction. “As the school year is underway, I’m glad that we are able to provide educators with additional resources needed to support students through technology.”

ISTE membership benefits for North Carolina educators include free access to:

• Live and recorded webinars from hundreds of education experts.
• Access to ISTE Connect, an exclusive online community that allows educators with similar interests from around the world to collaborate and share best practices.  
• Recordings of past ISTE conference sessions.
• An ISTE U online professional learning course.
• A book from ISTE Publishing. 
• Monthly access to the Empowered Learner Newsletter (featuring stories and best practices from schools around the world).

“North Carolina is leading the way when it comes to supporting teachers by ensuring all educators have access to ISTE membership,” said ISTE CEO Richard Culatta. “Supporting teachers in using technology in transformative ways is essential to creating effective and equitable learning experiences for students.”

In addition, through the partnership, ISTE will support NCDPI’s Digital Learning Initiative by providing resources and professional learning opportunities aligned with the North Carolina Digital Learning Plan. The digital learning plan provides research-based growth goals for DPI, PSUs, and schools to support the best possible learning environments for PK-12 students. 

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About ISTE

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) is a nonprofit membership organization that works with the global education community to accelerate innovation in education through the smart use of technology. ISTE sets a bold vision for education transformation through the ISTE Standards, a framework for students, educators, administrators, coaches and computer science educators to rethink education and create innovative learning environments. 

ISTE hosts ISTELive, one of the world’s most influential edtech events. The organization’s professional learning offerings include online courses, professional networks, year-round academies, peer-reviewed journals and other publications. ISTE is also the leading publisher of books focused on technology in education.

About NCDPI

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) is charged with implementing the state's public school laws for pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade public schools at the direction of the State Board of Education and the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

The agency provides leadership and service to the 116 local public school districts and 2,500+ district public schools, 180+ charter schools, and three residential schools for students with hearing and visual impairments. The areas of support include curriculum and instruction, accountability, finance, teacher and administrator preparation and licensing, professional development and school business support and operations.