Have you ever wanted an informal water cooler for colleagues across the research field to discuss innovative research practices in schools – a place where inquiring minds share what they are thinking while they are thinking it; a place where innovative thinkers can talk about the research they are working on while they are working on it, a community of practice that asks difficult questions, shares ideas with one another, and couples prior knowledge with innovative, current thinking?

I know I have.

My role at iNACOL in the past was as a volunteer for the Research Committee and Research Special Interest Group (SIG). At that time, there was always research going on, and most of the talk around it would only occur in small circles or at education and research conferences. In addition, most of the research would be published in academic journals, which unfortunately were out of the reach of the practitioners who needed it most.

Now, in my role as the Director of Research for iNACOL, one of my goals is to provide dissemination venues for research so that the field can benefit directly from the research going on. It is also to provide a space where the field can come together around pressing issues to discuss what research is needed in order to move the field forward.

A few things you can expect from this space

• notifications of recently published articles and special issues on blended and online learning
• calls for papers/proposals
• recordings of webinars and podcasts that present research as it relates to practice
• thought pieces surrounding current topics in K-12 blended and online learning
• mini versions of research articles that speak directly to what implications the research has to the field
• calls for research collaborations
• requests for participants
• employment/internship opportunities
• highlight pieces on researchers in the field and the work they are doing
• links to resources for researchers
• and more…

I hope everyone enjoys and benefits from this space and the others that iNACOL has provided to share the latest research to help inform practice. If you have any suggestions for improvement, please don’t hesitate to contact me at kkennedy@inacol.org.

Thanks, and I look forward to seeing where this space takes us!