Throughout October, educators in our school district have been challenged to tweet once every weekday. We’ve had daily topics to help ease people in to that process, and things have been going well so far.
Today I woke up to this question:
I just don’t feel I can do this question justice in only a tweet, so here I am writing a post about a few sites I can’t live without. (It’s worth noting that I can’t in any way provide anything close to a comprehensive answer in a blog post either, but at least I can do a little more justice to the question.)
While there are certainly a lot of well known websites out there that put out invaluable content for teachers, I’d like to highlight a few of the personal sites of educators here. I’ve learned so much from each of these educators over the past year. I’m intentionally going to leave you with a very brief summary of what you might find on each of their sites; take time to investigate their writing and engage in the conversations each of these folks are having.
Educational Blogs I Learn From Every Week
A.J. Juliani (blog, Twitter) writes a blog that will help you explore innovation and creativity in everyday situations you may come across as an educator.
Starr Sackstein (blog, Twitter) writes on a variety of topics. I’m most thankful for her example as a blogger, as this blog would not exist without this book she wrote on blogging and her blog that puts the ideas she shared in the book into action.
Pernille Ripp (blog, Twitter) writes with such passion for her work; it’s so easy to see she not only loves what she is doing, but she also wants to help others grow and has high expectations for the work that teachers do. Her work will push you and grow you as an educator. She also has another blog, Ms. Ripp Reads, that’s worth checking out if you’re ever needing to help students find something great to read.
Jon Harper (blog, Twitter) blogs about education and about his kids. His writing is a great reminder to me of the balance we have to keep between our professional and personal lives.
For me, both Jeff Zoul (blog, Twitter) and Jimmy Casas (blog, Twitter) serve as models of what effective leadership as a connected educator looks like in practice. Their writing is authentic, genuine, and challenging for me as a leader.
Kids Deserve It (blog, Twitter) is a fantastic blog that focuses on just what it sounds like–doing the things to serve our kids the way we should be. Todd Nesloney (Twitter) and Adam Welcome (Twitter) are a great combination of encouragement, challenges, and inspiration.
Leadupnow (blog, Twitter) brings together a group of growing education leaders who look at things differently. I’ve had the opportunity to write for them, and I enjoy the weekly pieces they publish.
Vicki Davis (blog, Twitter) writes with such contagious optimism and passion for her work and her students. She writes on a wide range of topics, and her blog is the perfect balance of pick me up and challenge for moving forward in the right direction.
I’m to the point now where if I get questions about anything regarding Google Apps for Education, I visit Alice Keeler‘s blog first for solutions (blog, Twitter). Her work is clear, concise, and incredibly helpful for educators trying to get the most out of GAFE.
So, there’s a few sites to keep you filled with great resources to read throughout the year. What do you like to read? Leave me a comment with what I should check out!
