Professional development can mean a variety of things to educators and can be provided to us in numerous ways. This might include attending yearly conferences, participating in district meetings and workshops, taking online courses or webinars, or connecting with other educators through social media. Have you ever considered “do it yourself” professional development through the means of blogging? Blogging provides opportunities to connect with other educators, improve your professional practice, and personalize your professional development with relevant and specific content to meet your educational needs.

Consider the following blogs:

1. We Are Teachers: From information on UDL to differentiated instructional strategies that work, this blog is updated on a regular basis and contains guest bloggers. Explore some of their other blog topics such as STEM, Classroom Management, and Laughs & Inspiration.
   
   
2. Teach Thought: Choose from blog categories such as Critical Thinking, Learning, Teaching, and the Future of Learning, personalize your experience by choosing your grade level and/or your teaching experience, and listen to highly engaging podcasts about various educational topics.
   
   
3. Edudemic: The goal of Edudemic is to connect educators with the best technology resources from the newest technology to data trends and digital tools. This blog contains how-tos for technology apps, expert guides, educational updates, and evidence-driven strategies.
   
   
4. Free Technology For Teachers: This blog connects educators with free technology tools for the classroom and instruction. Sections like iPad Apps for School and Google Tutorials will assist you in becoming a tech-savvy educator to prepare your students with 21st century skills.
   
   
5. Classroom 2.0: Created by Steve Hargadon in 2007, this blog has so much to offer. Here, educators can participate in forum discussions, watch videos from key educational leaders, or belong to a group—the educational resources are endless.
   
   
6. Cool Cat Teacher Blog: An excellent blog to read if you are looking for interesting ways to capture students’ attention and fresh ideas for the classroom. Created by Vicki Davis, this blog is filled with ideas for global collaboration in the classroom.
   
   
7. The Curriculum Corner: Built with busy educators in mind, this useful blog provides free resources to teachers on day-to-day instructional planning and data tracking. Get all of their free resources directly to your inbox by signing up with your email.
   
   
8. Mimio Educator: Our blog delivers the latest content about issues involving education and technology, giving educators the resources they need to bring their classroom into the 21st century.

How do you organize and read all of these blogs you’ve found and enjoy? Use apps and online programs such as Feedly and Bloglovin to follow all of your blogs from one central location.

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