First of all, let me say that I am excited about this network. For me, personally, it could prove to be incredibly useful. I appreciate the invitation and it was a true pleasure to learn from all of you professionals. I look forward to collaborating with you in the future.
How will I use this network? I foresee myself accessing the network to find collaborators interested in the same research pursuits as me. I also hope to find sites at which I can implement my technologies (i.e., the virtual biology lab) to get a broader subject pool. I will also use the network to help development my assessment tools and establish their validity. In addition, I believe I can find more opportunities for further research that I have not yet even considered.
Connections I think we should make: There are people in education who are not specific to Biology, necessarily, but rather are experts in assessment. For example, I worked with Dr. Bob Atkinson, at ASU, who is an expert in technology and assessment in the department of education. These type of people, I believe, would be invaluable to the design of effective assessments. I also believe that we should make connections with scientists who are not in science ed that could help us understand their needs (since they are part of our audience).
Conference suggestions: AAAS (let's get people interested in assessing their teaching who haven't even thought about it!), NABT, NSTA, etc.
Other thoughts: If we are going to be building collaborations with others who will possibly be extending our research studies to their universities, I have concerns about "quality control", for lack of a better term. Perhaps this could be part of our "Community of Learning" where we have some kind of built in suggestions for controlling the way that the research is done to maintain the integrity of the research. We want to be known for doing quality research and so need to be perhaps a bit selective in how the research is done and the data is collected among those who choose to collaborate in the network. Maybe just a set of "effective practice guidelines" would be sufficient. Just food for thought!
Again, thank you all!