Education World’s Top 25 Blogs for Educators
When I joined the Education World family last year, I brought my understanding of social media, experience in educational publishing and personal love of blogging. So it was only natural that one of the first things I did was compile a list of favorite education blogs.
Over the past few months, reading education blogs has revealed many creative ways of approaching modern problems that teachers face. I’ve also found so much interesting information about how technology is being incorporated into classroom lessons. Education blogs can be both inspirational and eye-opening.
In order to recognize the best and brightest voices in the education blogging realm, I watched a while to see what blogs really stood out the most. I narrowed the list of nearly 200 blogs down to about 40. Then, my colleagues Celine Provini and Jason Tomaszewski selected the blogs they thought should be in the top 10. A final once-over pared the list down to 25, including the top 10 selections. The whole process has taken about a month to complete. It was a total group effort, and we really took our time in making top picks.
Without any further ado, here are Education World’s Top 25 Blogs for Educators in 2012.
Technology with Intent
Technology with Intent is written by Jac de Haan, an integration specialist, Google Certified Teacher, Microsoft Innovative Educator and member of the International Society for Technology in Education. It features both profiles of educators using technology in their teachings and the latest information about tech-related topics.
Why We Love It: The site offers a comprehensive look at technology in education -- from the people who are actually using it in classrooms.
ScienceFix
This blog for middle-school science teachers features lesson ideas written by science teacher Darren Fix. The posts feature brief write-ups and videos of experiments.
Why We Love It: The video demonstrations of experiments are awesome and undoubtedly helpful for teachers trying to select engaging activities for their students.
A Principal's Reflections
Eric Sheninger, principal at New Milford High School in Bergen County, NJ, writes this blog. He firmly believes in “effective communication, listening, support, shared decision making, and the integration of technology.”
Why We Love It: This is more than just a principal talking about what’s working in his school. Sheninger curates content from people passionate about education, sharing perspectives on everything from using Pinterest for educational means to how education reform is getting it wrong.
This and That
Jon Castelhano, director of technology for the Apache Junction Unified School District in Arizona, explores not just technology in education but also how leadership and change impact how and what kids learn.
Why We Love It: Touching on a number of key topics in today’s educational system, This and That’s comprehensive blog posts always include wrap-ups that really capture Castelhano’s message.
The Principal of Change
The Principal of Change addresses school improvement to better meet the needs of students. Author George Couros is Division Principal of Innovative Teaching and Learning with Parkland School Division in Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada.
Why We Love It: Couros isn’t afraid to tell you exactly what he thinks on certain topics, giving refreshing perspectives on a number of interesting education-related issues. Also, his “You Should Read” offers links to some great reads around the Web.
Cathy Nelson’s Professional Thoughts
Professional Thoughts offers teacher-librarian Cathy Jo Nelson’s tips on ethical and engaging ways to integrate technology into teaching and school libraries.
Why We Love It: It’s no secret that we’re passionate about technology in schools, and we love how Nelson is so active in spreading the word, teaching students (and blog readers!) about effective integration and ethical use of technology.
All4MyChild
All4MyChild writers Meghan Gallahan Graham, MS, CCC-SLP and Karen Samstad Head, MS, CCC-SLP share their expertise in speech and language pathology and occupational therapy. Jill Perry, MHA, MS, OTR/L contributes insightful posts about sensory processing.
Why We Love It: All4MyChild is a helpful resource that discusses strategies for aiding children with sensory processing challenges.
The Jose Vilson
Written by Jose Luis Vilson, a math teacher, coach, and data analyst for a New York City middle school, The Jose Vilson offers an intimate look at education in New York City, along with the realities of modern educating.
Why We Love It: Vilson’s posts are honest but fair. He looks at education from the inside and shares a unique and no-holds-barred view of what it’s really like.
Globicate
Globicate, by Arizona teacher Heidi Befort, focuses on teaching students to be global citizens with strong cultural awareness.
Why We Love It: Global citizenship is increasingly important for today’s students, and Befort does a great job of presenting resources and ideas.
The Organized Classroom Blog
The Organized Classroom Blog by Charity Preston is a teaching blog aimed mostly at primary-grade teachers. Charity shares ideas on effective teaching methods, keeping the classroom organized and engaging students.
Why We Love It: Charity’s methods are ingenious and really resonate with readers. Also, she shares so many awesome resources with her readers -- especially through easy-to-follow videos.
15 More Blogs We Love
When making our list, we realized we couldn’t choose only 10 blogs. There are so many wonderful blogs out there written by teachers, administrators and other education-enthusiasts. So we decided to list 15 more that we love. These are our 11-25 favorites, in alphabetical order.
Addie Education Teacher Talk
Bulldog Readers Blog
Composition Classroom
Conversations in Literacy
Cooperative Learning 365
Corkboard Connections Blog
HoJo’s Teaching Adventures
Irresistable Ideas For Play-Based Learning
Kleinspiration
Kreative in Kinder
Mrs. Cassidy’s Classroom Blog
Ms Mac’s Website
Speech Room News
Sub Hub
The Teaching Palette
