TECH GURUS
Blogs are a great choice for summer reading because not only are they current, but they also invite you to connect with others and join the conversation that is of interest to you. EdTech: Focus K-12 makes choosing those blogs easy with their 2016 honor roll featuring the 50 top K-12 ed tech blogs.
This year the blogs are divided into four categories: Tech Gurus, Community Corner, Classroom Leaders, and Admin-All Stars.
To help you get started I am sharing the blogs and people I connect with and read most often in each category.
There are 14 with which I connect regularly. Each selection is a valued member of my personal learning network. Take a look and see how my picks stack up with your current or future favs.
Alice Keeler
Google's education solutions just keep expanding. Thankfully, there's Alice Keeler, a Google Certified Teacher and self-described super-nerd. Keeler's Teacher Tech blog helps make sense of the maze of updates the search-engine giant pumps out every few months. Keeler has more than 50 tips for Google Classroom under her belt, with an e-book on that series in progress.
ALICE KEELER
@alicekeeler | Read the blog: http://www.alicekeeler.com
A Principal's Reflections
Thousands of educators look to Eric Sheninger and his blog for leadership in technology. Eric, an author and a senior fellow at the International Center for Leadership in Education, writes about how digital leadership can engage students, faculty and parents using new channels of communication.
ERIC SHENINGER
@E_Sheninger | Read the blog: http://esheninger.blogspot.com/
Tom Murray
Tom is always busy helping school districts get connected. As the state and district digital learning policy and advocacy director for the Alliance for Excellent Education, he helps lead an ambitious, forward-looking initiative called Future Ready.
TOM MURRAY
@ThomasCMurray | Read the blog: http://thomascmurray.com/blog/
Web 2.0 Classroom
You're probably already following Steven W. Anderson on Twitter. If not, his blog is a great peek inside the brain of the man who has become the last word in educational technology on social media. Anderson left his full-time job as director of instructional technology to fully embrace speaking to educators about the power of technology in the classroom. His tweets — and retweets — are not to be missed!
STEVEN W. ANDERSON
@Web20Classroom | Read the blog: http://blog.web20classroom.org
Hack Learning Blog
Published by Mark Barnes, a prolific author and education presenter, Hack Learning invites you to “feed your brain” by reading posts about increasing student engagement, rethinking assessments and improving school leadership.
MARK BARNES
COMMUNITY CORNER
@MarkBarnes19 | Read the blog: http://hacklearning.org
Getting Smart
For the past eight years, Getting Smart experts have shared their insights on leadership, learning and education technology. Follow blog series on events such as SXSWedu and keep your ear out for a few podcasts mixed in between posts on professional development, adaptive learning and more.
GETTING SMART
@Getting_Smart | Read the blog: http://gettingsmart.com/
Tech & Learning
The bloggers behind Tech & Learning are out to help teachers find new and improved way to use tech in the classroom. Get tips for collaborating in Google Docs, read about a successful student blogging program and learn how to engage girls in programming and STEM activities.
TECH & LEARNING
CLASSROOM LEADERS
@techlearning | Read the blog: http://www.techlearning.com/
Kyle Pace
Kyle Pace is a popular force on Twitter, known for leading conversations on digital literacy among educators. Pace is an instructional technology specialist and Google Certified teacher, whose blog, Learning is Leading, has quickly become one of the most influential in the educational blogosphere.
KYLE PACE
@kylepace | Read the blog: http://kylepace.com/
Free Technology 4 Teachers
Richard Bryne, a Google-certified teacher and ed-tech consultant, offers online resources and tools at a price point that everyone’s happy with: free. His blog is often updated multiple times during the day, so be sure to check in frequently.
RICHARD BYRNE
@RMByrne | Read the blog: http://www.freetech4teachers.com/
Innovative Educator
Lisa Nielsen, a longtime public-school educator, uses her platform to explore new learning methods and to shine a light on educational inefficiencies and the importance of honoring student voice. Case in point: her recent post with this advice: Stop Fighting Social Media. Start Working with Students + Teachers to Integrate It Into Learning!
LISA NIELSEN
@InnovativeEdu | Read the blog: http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com
Kleinspiration
Erin Klein knows how to create 21st century learning environments. As a K–12 teacher with a background in business, she knows the value that comes from infusing technology with education. Kleinspiratin is her way of giving back to those who taught her — connecting traditions and technologies for the next generation of thinkers.
ERIN KLEIN/strong>
@KleinErin | Read the blog: http://www.kleinspiration.com/
The Nerdy Teacher
If you geek out over gadgets, this might be the blog for you. Self-described nerd Nicholas Provenzano dives into the specs and uses of Arduino and Raspberry Pi kits. He also touches on project-based learning, makerspaces and more.
NICHOLAS PROVENZANO
@TheNerdyTeacher | Read the blog: http://www.thenerdyteacher.com/
ADMIN-ALL STARS
Cool Cat Teacher
Vicki Davis does it all — a blogger, podcaster, teacher, and writer. As a full-time classroom teacher and IT Director at a small school in Georgia, Davis is on the front lines of the burgeoning computer science movement in K–12 schools. Her blog spotlights cool tools and apps for teachers, but one of its best features is her daily curation of ed-tech news.
VICKI DAVIS
@coolcatteacher | Read the blog: http://www.coolcatteacher.com/
Dangerously Irrelevant
Led by Scott McLeod, director of innovation at Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency in Iowa, Dangerously Irrelevant guides readers through the power of leadership through technology. The blog's catchy title comes from the concept of institutions like schools being slower to adapt to the rapid pace of change that comes with technology.
SCOTT MCLEOD
@mcleod | Read the blog: http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/
Lisa Nielsen writes for and speaks to audiences across the globe about learning innovatively and is frequently covered by local and national media for her views on “Passion (not data) Driven Learning,” "Thinking Outside the Ban" to harness the power of technology for learning, and using the power of social media to provide a voice to educators and students. Ms. Nielsen has worked for more than a decade in various capacities to support learning in real and innovative ways that will prepare students for success. In addition to her award-winning blog, The Innovative Educator, Ms. Nielsen’s writing is featured in places such as Huffington Post, Tech & Learning, ISTE Connects, ASCD Wholechild, MindShift, Leading & Learning, The Unplugged Mom, and is the author the book Teaching Generation Text.
Disclaimer: The information shared here is strictly that of the author and does not reflect the opinions or endorsement of her employer.
