edWeb.net turned 15 in 2023! It’s been an incredible journey for the company and for me personally, as the founder.  So many things have changed in the past 15 years.

I was inspired to create edWeb.net when I saw what my daughter and her friends were doing on Facebook back in 2007. I saw instantly how “social networking” could benefit the entire education community with virtual connectivity to break down the many silos and physical separations in education. Then in 2020, the COVID pandemic forced everyone to switch to virtual learning and collaboration. That accelerated our growth and the benefit of our services even more.

edWeb.net has now reached over 1 million educators in 185 countries and provides free virtual professional learning, collaboration, and networking thanks to the sponsorship of over 350 education industry associations and solution providers. It’s a crowd-source model for professional learning as our sponsors tap their networks of amazing educators and experts in all levels and roles in education to share their knowledge, expertise, and resources on edWeb. We host 400 new, live webinars each year and have an on-demand archive of 3,000 webinars and 500 podcasts. We’ve issued 5 million certificates for continuing education.

In 2024, artificial intelligence is going to begin to have a dramatic impact on every aspect of our lives with an unprecedented impact on education. I can’t see the future now like I did back in 2007, but I’m thankful we have edWeb as a global platform where experts, educators, policy makers, and industry can come together to share information on how to take advantage of the opportunities and manage the risks of AI in education.

When I founded edWeb.net in 2008, I had 30 years experience in publishing and media, and an idea that seemed worth taking the risk to strike out on my own. I didn’t think of myself as an “entrepreneur,” but my journey is a reflection of the growth in entrepreneurship in business, tech, women-owned businesses, and student entrepreneurship. I’m honored to have been featured as one of the entrepreneurs in a book published last year, InnovateHERS: Why Purpose-Driven Entrepreneurial Women Rise to the Top.

Our edWeb team is inspired every day by the educators who join edWeb and attend our edWebinars. They are passionate about connecting with their peers and learning new ideas to improve their practice, but most of all to help their students. At the end of each presentation, when the thank you messages flood the live chat, we know that we are doing important work that makes a difference.

A common refrain from educators is, “Know your why.” As I think about all I’ve put into edWeb over 15 years, I realize my “why.” edWeb is my thank you to the teachers who had such a powerful impact on my life. From Trottman’s nursery school to the Morristown NJ public schools to Kent Place in Summit NJ and then Princeton University, teachers provided me with the learning and confidence that has helped me succeed and enjoy life. I’m not alone. Many, many people express gratitude for the teacher who changed their lives.

This is a very difficult time for the teaching profession, with many teachers leaving and retiring, and fewer young people choosing a career in teaching. My hope is that we will find ways to reverse this trend, because teachers change lives and help us create a healthy, productive, and democratic society.

Lisa Schmucki
Founder and CEO
[email protected]
@edwebnet