Get to Know Some of the Top Ed-Tech Bloggers
We’re always looking for new resources to inspire and inform us about teaching, education trends, and technology. Today we’d like to share the following extensive list of sites and bloggers, where you will find informed opinions, reviews, and forums on all things educational.
- 21st Century Educational Technology and Learning
http://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com
Blogger Michael Gorman oversees a one-to-one laptop program and digital professional development for Southwest Allen County Schools near Fort Wayne, Indiana. Mike maintains this blog along with his own 21century ed-tech wiki, and also posts articles at Tech and Learning magazine and November Learning.
- The Answer Sheet
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet
Blogger Valerie Strauss writes for both parents and teachers of pre-K through graduate school students. She discusses educational, developmental, social, psychological, and other pertinent issues.
- Around the Corner
http://www.mguhlin.org
Miguel Guhlin is the director of instructional technology for a large urban district in Texas, and a past president of the state-wide Technology Education Coordinators (TCEA's TEC-SIG) group. He continues to model the use of emerging technologies in schools.
- ASCD Inservice
http://inservice.ascd.org/
Inservice is the ASCD community blog – a place for educators to gather and share ideas about how best to support their students. Topics discussed on Inservice include teacher professional development, No Child Left Behind, and assessment of English language learners.
- Assistive Technology
http://assistivetek.blogspot.com/
Blogger Dr. Brian S. Friedlander is a school psychologist with expertise in the area of assistive technology. He focuses particularly on the use of mind mapping, project management, and Web 2.0 technologies, and applies these technologies in the graduate courses that he teaches at the College of St. Elizabeth in Morristown, New Jersey.
- Best Tech Guy Ever
https://markdriley.wordpress.com/
Mark D. Riley is the instructional technology coordinator for the College of Health Sciences and Professions at Ohio University. He has a master’s degree in Computer Education and Technology and is currently working towards a Ph.D. in Instructional Technology.
Twitter: @BestTechGuyEver
- Cool Tools for 21st Century Learners
http://d97cooltools.blogspot.com
Susan Oxnevad has been a classroom teacher and an instructional technology facilitator in Chicagoland for more than two decades, providing professional development for teachers via online and in-person opportunities. She writes about ways to incorporate technology as an efficient and effective tool for learning in her own blog, Cool Tools for 21st Century Learners, and as a SmartTeacher on GettingSmart.com.
Twitter: @soxnevad
- Class Tech Tips
http://classtechtips.com
Monica Burns blogs about the innovative ways she uses technology with her students. She is an Apple Distinguished Educator '13.
- Confessions of an Aca-Fan: The Official Weblog of Henry Jenkins
http://henryjenkins.org/
Henry Jenkins is a professor at the University of Southern California and a former director of the Comparative Media Studies program at MIT. He has written extensively about game-based learning as an alternate way of engaging students, and blogs about academic theory and the fan experience in posts exploring blogging, gaming, and education policy.
- Cool Cat Teacher Blog
http://www.coolcatteacher.com
Vicki Davis is the IT director at Westwood Schools in Camilla, Georgia, where she teaches a variety of technology-focused topics to 9th through 12th grade students. A Google Certified Teacher and Discovery S.T.A.R. Educator, Vicki blogs at the award-winning Cool Cat Teacher blog.
- Curriculum Matters
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum
Erik Robelen has written all of the most recent tech-oriented blogs for Curriculum Matters, a wide-ranging forum for discussing school curriculum across subject areas.
- The CyberCafe Blog
http://rioscybercafe.blogspot.com
Roland Rios posts a weekly Friday Freebie.
- Dangerously Irrelevant
http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org
Blogger Scott McLeod, J.D., Ph.D. is associate professor in the Educational Administration program at Iowa State University, and director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE). In addition to Scott’s posts, his blog includes posts from guest educators, a section on book recommendations, and a link to his Moving Forward wiki (http://movingforward.wikispaces.com), which houses a collection of pertinent resources.
Twitter: @mcleod
- Digital Education
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/DigitalEducation
The blog covers tech topics and trends in K-12 education. Bloggers report and comment on announcements and findings by relevant associations and foundations, as well as columns/essays that grab their attention.
- Dy/Dan
http://blog.mrmeyer.com
A former high school math teacher, blogger Dan Meyer is currently studying at Stanford University on a doctoral fellowship. His specific interests include curriculum design ("How can we design the ideal learning experience for students?") and teacher education ("How do teachers learn? How do we retain more teachers? How do we teach teachers to teach?"). Email: dan@mrmeyer.com
- edshelf
http://edshelf.com/
edshelf is a directory of websites, mobile apps, and desktop software that are rated and reviewed by educators, for educators. Vendors who create tools for educators are invited to submit their information.
- EDTECH DIGEST
http://edtechdigest.wordpress.com
EDTECH DIGEST celebrates all the latest gadgets, gizmos, and technologies moving education forward. It also features movers and shakers in and around education, who are dedicated to making a difference for future generations. Victor Rivero is editor in chief. Email: victor@VictorRivero.com
- EdTech Solutions: Teaching Every Student
http://teachingeverystudent.blogspot.com
Karen Janowski is an assistive and educational technology consultant who has blogged about supporting teaching practices with neuroscience, the balance between remediation and compensation, and free products that can help students build critical skills.
- Education4site: Planning Futures for Learning and Education
http://www.education4site.org/blog
Blogger Tryggvi Thayer is a Ph.D. candidate in Comparative and International Development Education at the University of Minnesota. His dissertation research focuses on educational policy and decision makers’ use of foresight programs to support future-oriented long-term policy making.
- Education with Technology Harry G. Tuttle
http://eduwithtechn.wordpress.com
Blogger Harry Grover Tuttle has been a technology integration teacher, a district-wide coordinator of technology, and a teacher of Spanish, English, English as Second Language, Writing, Critical Thinking, and Oral Presentations. His major interest is improving student learning via formative assessment, technology, 21st century skills, language development, videoconferencing, and global education.
- Educational Technology Guy
http://educationaltechnologyguy.blogspot.com
Blogger David Andrade likes to write about free stuff, education publications, and the tech/strategies that he uses.
- Edudemic
http://edudemic.com
Run by graduate students and teachers, Edudemic strives to identify the best ways to improve education using social media. The site is a source of news, how-to articles, videos, infographics, and insights on a range of topics of interest to educators and the technology-savvy.
- eduTecher.net
http://www.edutecher.net/links.php
Adam S. Bellow is the president of eduTecher.net, which was created as a way to keep track of the growing number of Web tools that can be used in the classroom setting. The site also offers self-produced webisodes of eduTecherTV (http://www.edutecher.net/tv.php), with walkthroughs and demonstrations on using specific Web tools for educational purposes. Email: http://www.edutecher.net/contactus.php or ABellow@eduTecher.net
- Edutopia
http://www.edutopia.org/blogs
Edutopia bloggers include Matt Davis, the editorial assistant for Edutopia, who is interested in STEM, technology and arts integration, and the future of education. Other blogs on the site curate education news and resources from around the Web.
- EmergingEdTech
http://www.emergingedtech.com
Every weekend, Kelly Walsh, CIO for the College of Westchester in White Plains, New York, researches an educational technology topic and then blogs and tweets about it throughout the week. His written insights are supplemented by links to free productivity resources for educators and tutorial videos that he posts both on his blog and on his EmergingEdTech YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/EmergingEdTech).
- Free Technology for Teachers
http://www.freetech4teachers.com
Richard Byrne’s posts share information about free resources that teachers can use in their classrooms. His blog, which is read by a daily audience of 30,000 subscribers, welcomes guest posts by classroom teachers and school administrators that discuss using technology to improve education.
- Gadget Lab
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/
This Wired magazine blog has an editor, a reviews editor, staff writers, and contributors. Topics include popular consumer technology (e.g., software for Blackberry, iPad, Apple TV, etc.) as well as “R&D and Inventions” – innovations that boost quality of life (e.g., medical technology).
Twitter: @gadgetla
- Getting Smart
http://gettingsmart.com
Getting Smart publishes more than 100 articles monthly and a bimonthly newsletter on such topics as educational technology, education startups, learning tools, open educational resources (OER), flipped classroom models, 1:1 laptop/iPad/smartphone models, Common Core State Standards, Race to the Top, charter schools, blended learning, online learning, apps for learning, and games for learning. Contact: Caroline Vander Ark Davis, COO and Partner.
Twitter: @CVanderArk
- Hack Education
http://www.hackeducation.com
Audrey Watters is a technology journalist, freelance writer, and ed-tech advocate. Her blog is designed to track new technologies and focuses on the future of learning.
- Hechinger Report
http://hechingerreport.org/category/k12/
The Hechinger Report is a nonprofit news organization geared toward in-depth education journalism. Working with in-house and freelance reporters, the report covers education issues through investigative reporting, detailed analysis, and opinions from some of the leading thinkers in education.
- Hey Jude
http://heyjude.wordpress.com
Educator and information professional Judy O’Connell blogs about emerging technologies, innovation with Web 2.0, and what it all means for schools and school libraries.
- High Techpectations
http://elemenous.typepad.com/
Blogger Lucy Gray is an Apple Distinguished Educator and Google Certified teacher who recently transitioned to full-time consultant work on initiatives and projects related to 21st century teaching and learning. Her weekly posts include lists of links to educational technology information.
- Homeroom: The Official Blog of the U.S. Department of Education
http://www.ed.gov/blog
Homeroom is a terrific resource for the latest news on education and education reform, including new legislation, progress reports, current activities of the DOE, and national education policies and their impact on education. Most posts are written by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Director of Digital Engagement Cameron Brenchley, or guest bloggers.
- iLearn Technology: An Edublog About Integrating Technology into the Classroom
http://ilearntechnology.com
Blogger Kelly Tenkely spent one year as a 2nd grade teacher, six years as a K-5 technology specialist/teacher, and five years as a technology integration specialist offering mentoring, training, and professional development. In addition to blogging, she now offers freelance technology training, social media consulting, professional development, curriculum design, technology integration consulting, and virtual classroom.
- The Infinite Thinking Machine
http://www.infinitethinkingmachine.org/
The Infinite Thinking Machine is a group weblog sponsored by WestEd and Google, featuring writer/host Ramsey Musallam and commentator/producer Chris Fitzgerald Walsh. Email: infinitethinking@gmail.com or http://www.infinitethinking.org/get-involved.htm
- The Innovative Educator
http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com
Best known as the creator the Innovative Educator blog, Lisa Nielsen is an outspoken and passionate advocate of learning innovatively. She is frequently covered by local and national media for her views on "Thinking Outside the Ban" to harness the power of technology for learning.
Twitter @InnovativeEdu
- Instructional Tech Talk
http://instructionaltechtalk.com
This website is dedicated to providing new and consistent information about instructional technology in two formats: articles and podcasts. The content and podcasts are produced by Jeff Herb, an educator and administrator in Illinois.
Twitter: @InstTechTalk
- ISTE Connects
http://blog.iste.org
The official blog of the International Society for Technology in Education, ISTE Connects offers a forum for discussion of ed-tech trends and the ways in which new tools are being leveraged in K–12 classrooms, and provides links to other social media resources for educators and technology leaders. The ISTE blog invites ed-tech professionals to contribute to the conversation by writing a guest blog post. Find ISTE Connects guidelines at http://www.iste.org/lead/submission-guidelines.
- jackcwest
http://jackcwest.wordpress.com
Jack West is a former high school physics teacher who was named the 2008 San Mateo County Teacher of the Year for his innovative use of technology in the classroom. His blog offers an insightful assortment of notes from industry events, impressions of books and articles he’s recently read, and opinions about how technology is being used in the classroom.
- Kathy Schrock's Kaffeeklatsch
http://blog.kathyschrock.net/
Ed-tech professional Kathy Schrock is known for her practical presentations of pedagogically sound practices for embedding technology seamlessly into teaching and learning. Her passions are online tools to support classroom instruction, the role of emerging technologies in the classroom, copyright and intellectual property, and gadgets of any type.
- Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…for Teaching ELL, ESL & EFL
http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org
Larry Ferlazzo teaches beginner, intermediate, and advanced English Language Learners (as well as native English speakers) at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento, California. Nearly all of the resources he blogs about can be used effectively with non-ELL students, too, including the 9,000 categorized links on his website (http://larryferlazzo.com/english.html).
- Learning in Burlington
http://www.patrickmlarkin.com/
Blogger Patrick Larkin is Assistant Superintendent for Learning at the Burlington Public Schools in Burlington, Massachusetts.
- The Learning Network
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com
The Learning Network provides teaching and learning materials and ideas based on content from The New York Times. Teachers can use or adapt the lessons across subject areas and levels, and students can respond to the Opinion questions, take the News Quizzes, learn the Word of the Day, try the Test Yourself questions, complete a Fill-In, or read the Poetry Pairings.
- Let's Play Math
http://letsplaymath.net
This blogger is a homeschooling mom who loves math and wants to help other homeschoolers see the variety and richness of the subject. She believes that textbook math is still important, but that children should never be led to think that routine operations are the point of mathematics.
- Marketplace K-12
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/marketplacek12/
The Marketplace K-12 blog tracks business trends and emerging models in education.
- MiddleWeb
http://www.middleweb.com/
MiddleWeb offers a collection of themed blogs and also welcomes guest articles from teachers, school leaders, bloggers, and book authors. Writers' guidelines can be found at http://www.middleweb.com/2357/middlewebs-writing-guidelines.
- MindShift
http://mindshift.kqed.org/
MindShift explores the future of learning in all its dimensions: cultural and technology trends, groundbreaking research, education policy, and more. The site is curated by Tina Barseghian, a former editor of Edutopia and the mother of a grade-schooler.
- Moving at the Speed of Creativity
http://www.speedofcreativity.org/
Blogger Wesley Fryer is an international learning consultant, author, digital storyteller, educator, change agent, and self-described "catalyst for creative engagement and collaborative learning in schools." The executive director of the nonprofit Story Chasers Inc. and the lead partner in the Celebrate Oklahoma Voices and Celebrate Kansas Voices digital storytelling projects, Wesley also teaches technology integration courses for pre-service teachers as an adjunct instructor at the University of Central Oklahoma.
- Ms. EdTechie
http://msedtechie.blogspot.com
Blogger Patricia Brown is a technology integration coach for Ladue School District in Missouri, an adjunct professor at Lindenwood University, and an ed-tech consultant, as well as a contributing writer for EdSurge. Her Ms. EdTechie blog includes a contact form.
- The Nerdy Teacher
http://www.thenerdyteacher.com
Nicholas Provenzano was named ISTE’s 2013 Outstanding Teacher of the Year. His blog covers various hardware and software solutions for teachers; his Evernote experiment is a notable highlight.
- Sentinel School Zone
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/blogs/school-zone/
Sal Recchi is the education editor for the Orlando Sentinel.
- SmartBlog on Education
http://smartblogs.com/category/education/
Produced by the same team behind the SmartBrief newsletters, SmartBlogs.com is where SmartBrief readers can exchange ideas and practices. Senior Editor Melissa Greenwood manages content for SmartBlog on Education and related social media channels.
- Talking Tech with Robin
http://talkingtechwithrobin.blogspot.com/
Robin Phares served as technology integration specialist for the Edgewood City Schools in Trenton, Ohio for two years before returning to the classroom, where she teaches computer applications to seventh graders.
- Teaching Now
http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/teaching_now
Teaching Now bloggers are members of the writing staff for Education Week, who gather and write about the education news they find in media, publications, and other blogs.
- Tech & Learning
http://techlearning.com/Blogs
Tech & Learning magazine’s EdTech Ticker and TL Advisor blogs cover ed-tech industry news and tools that educators would find useful. Magazine editors and contributors such as David Andrade (see Educational Technology Guy) and Darren Draper (see Drape’s Takes) write the bulk of the posts, but guest bloggers also share their insights.
- The Tech Beat
http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/techbeat/index.html
The tech beat goes behind the headlines to analyze what’s really happening throughout the world of technology. Tech Beat covers everything from tech‘s mainstay companies and emerging new leaders to new technologies, trends, and controversies.
- Tech Tools
http://blogs.scholastic.com/techtools/
Tech Tools is Scholastic Administr@tor's up-to-the-minute source of news about the latest technology products and services aimed at the education marketplace. School district executive leaders should look here for hardware and software releases and updates, new pricing announcements, major customer agreements, and other news that affects district technology purchasing decisions.
- Technology Tailgate
http://www.technologytailgate.com
Technology Tailgate is a network of technology blogs dedicated to showcasing technology in the classroom and serving as a forum for teachers to collaborate, share ideas, and demonstrate real ways technology is being used in the classroom. The blog aims to provide useful ways to incorporate technology into everyday lessons in order to meet both the interests of students and the expectations of Common Core.
- Technology Tidbits
http://cyber-kap.blogspot.com
This blog reviews and recommends education-related websites that have resources/tools for learning. In 2010 it was nominated for the Edublog Awards for Best Resource Sharing Blog.
- thinktanK12
http://blog.k12.com
This is the place where K-12 experts can share their thoughts on educating students. The blog’s experts come from all areas of the K-12 organization, cover subjects such as curriculum development and learning theory, and offer tips for parents and students to help them thrive in school.
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