The 2014 Honor Roll: EdTech’s Must-Read K–12 IT Blogs
Every year, thousands of educators flock to annual conferences to hear what the best and brightest minds of the industry are up to. But what if you could hear from these luminaries every day?
That's part of what makes our latest list of the top 50 K–12 ed tech blogs special. We're lending a spotlight to some of the biggest conversation starters in educational technology today.
These bloggers represent nearly all aspects of K–12 education, from teachers and administrators, to strategists and technicians. Through their influential work and their blogs, these thought-leaders have garnered hundreds if not thousands of fans.
The majority of these blogs are new to EdTech: Focus on K–12's honor roll. Some were nominated by our readers, and some are veterans of last year's list that have stayed on top of our charts.
If your blog is on our list, be sure to grab a Must-Read IT Blog badge for your site. You can also bookmark this page as a launching pad for exploring new content on each blog.
2 Cents Worth
(EdTech 2012 & 2013 Top Blogger) Collecting the unconventional posts from the clan of David Warlick, a 35-year educator with experience as a classroom teacher, district administrator and technology integration consultant.
Read the blog: 2cents.onlearning.us
Ask a Tech Teacher
The world of education technology can be intimidating. Thankfully there are blogs out there like Ask a Tech Teacher to guide those a little lost by the fast-paced nature of the industry. This blog is led by K–8 teacher Jacqui Murray, whose team of ed tech teachers work together to offer advice, strategies and resources to make integrating technology into the classroom a seamless experience.
Read the blog: askatechteacher.com
Brilliant or Insane
A blog so amazing, it's either brilliant or insane. Led by Mark Barnes, an education author and consultant, the team at Brilliant or Insane brings together a smorgasbord of topics, where education and technology often take center stage.
Read the blog: brilliant-insane.com
Catlin Tucker
Catlin Tucker is a Google-certified teacher who is fascinated with how technology can complement traditional classroom instruction. Through her blog, Tucker reviews the latest developments in blended learning along with reflections on what's working, or not working, when it comes to teaching strategies.
Read the blog: catlintucker.com
Cool Cat Teacher
(EdTech 2012 & 2013 Top Blogger) Vicki Davis is, in her own words, one cool cat. She’s a teacher and the IT director at Westwood Schools in Camilla, Ga., and co-author of the book Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds. Her blog highlights cool tools and apps for teachers, but one of its best features is her daily curation of ed tech news.
Read the blog: coolcatteacher.com
Cool Tools for 21st Century Learners
Susan Oxnevad is an instructional technology facilitator at schools in Chicago and an educational technology consultant, providing advice and professional development opportunities for busy teachers. Her posts focus on tech tools that can enhance learning in creative ways.
Read the blog: d97cooltools.blogspot.com/
Cycles of Learning
(EdTech 2013 Top Blogger) Ramsey Musallam is a Google-certified high school chemistry teacher from San Francisco. His blog offers “hacks” that teachers can use in the classroom. His TED Talks presentation on sparking learning is definitely must-see TV.
Read the blog: cyclesoflearning.com/posts
The Daring Librarian
(EdTech 2013 Top Blogger) Who says librarians can’t have fun? Gwyneth Jones is a middle school teacher and librarian who describes herself on Twitter as the “Lady Gaga of EdTech” on Twitter. Jones’ blog, which she decorates with cartoon versions of herself, is a delight both for both the eyes and the mind.
Read the blog: thedaringlibrarian.com
Digital Education
(EdTech 2012 Top Blogger) Education Week's reporter Benjamin Herold robust blog brings the latest news about tech trends that are shaping K–12 classrooms.
Read the blog: blogs.edweek.org
Donald Clark's Plan B
Donald Clark has been around the block. The former CEO of Epic Group, one of the leading British e-learning companies, remains a huge influencer in policy and strategy for the online learning market. His blog weaves together his more than 30 years of experience in the industry to bring readers his take on the latest developments in education technology.
Read the blog: donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.com
Doug – Off the Record
Truth in blogging is worth gold, which is why educator Doug Peterson keeps it all the way real. Though his blog claims to be off the record, everything he writes can and should be shared — like his post on whether keyboarding will be on the chopping block in the future.
Read the blog: dougpete.wordpress.com
Dy/Dan
(EdTech 2013 Top Blogger) Former math teacher Dan Meyer uses his blog to share news, trends and insights in math education. This blog is a great resource for those looking to learn more about how technology is changing math education.
Read the blog: blog.mrmeyer.com
The eLearning Coach
Connie Malamed's blog takes a cognitive approach to the technology behind e-learning. Armed with a master's degree in instructional design and technology, Malamed brings a laser focus to her blog, highlighting the latest developments in instructional designs.
Read the blog: theelearningcoach.com
E-Learning With Dan
On his blog, Dan Sweigert shows teachers how they can develop fresh e-learning courses to transform traditional lessons into interactive explorations.
Read the blog: dansweigert.wordpress.com
E-Learning 24/7
Craig Weiss, an e-learning analyst and consultant, keeps busy spreading the word on the best strategies to ease the e-learning experience. When he's not blogging or consulting, he's a regular speaker at ed tech conferences around the world.
Read the blog: elearninfo247.com
edSurge
(EdTech 2013 Top Blogger) A leading news site that brings together the interests of educators, entrepreneurs and investors in the world of education technology, the site has a wealth of information on business trends in the industry, along with coverage of tech trends thriving on Twitter.
Read the blog: edSurge.com
Educational Technology and Mobile Learning
(EdTech 2013 Top Blogger) Author and Web 2.0 researcher Med Kharbach rounds up tools and interesting resources for educators in social media and mobile technology. If you’re looking for a good app, this is the place to start your search.
Read the blog: educatorstechnology.com
Educational Technology Guy
(EdTech 2012 Top Blogger) David Andrade is the chief information officer for an urban public school district in Connecticut. His blog covers the altest trends shaping classroom tech, whether they're new policies, apps or techniques.
Read the blog: educationaltechnologyguy.blogspot.com
Edudemic
(EdTech 2012 & 2013 Top Blogger) One of the major content hubs for educators, Edudemic is an essential resource for tips, tactics and lesson plans that embrace technology and innovation in the classroom.
Read the blog: edudemic.com
Edutopia
(EdTech 2012 Top Blogger) A thriving blog with a collection of new ideas from the minds of the George Lucas Educational Foundation. Edutopia is quickly becoming one of the most prolific educational technology blogs on the web, featuring numerous stories each day on emerging tech trends and columns from educators across the world.
Read the blog: edutopia.org
Fractus Learning
Based in Dublin, Fracus Learning brings together articles custom tailored for educators looking for cutting-edge classroom technologies and strategies. Articles are written by a panel of contributors from around the world, bringing fresh perspectives to the latest in industry developments.
Read the blog: fractuslearning.com
Free Technology 4 Teachers
(EdTech 2012 & 2013 Top Blogger) Richard Byrne, 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 each day, so be sure to check in frequently.
Read the blog: freetech4teachers.com/
Hack Education
(EdTech 2012 & 2013 Top Blogger) Education is what you make of it, and freelance writer Audrey Watters slices and dices different elements of ed-tech on her blog. As a self-described rabble-rouser, Watters to is guaranteed to make her voice heard.
Read the blog: hack education.com
Holt Think
(EdTech 2013 Top Blogger) Looking for a good ed-tech Tumblr to follow? Tim Holt, a longtime instructional-technology specialist, shares graphics, videos and short bits of information on the emerging social media platform that Yahoo just spent $1 billion acquiring.
Read the blog: holtthink.tumblr.com
iLearn Technology
Kelly Tenkely is a former teacher turned edtech entrepreneur. She's also the founder of a Pre-K–9 grade school, Anastasis Academy. Her blog iLearnTechnology is all about her experiences with integrating technology in the classroom. She also reviews technology and apps that can inspire students and make learning easier.
Read the blog: ilearntechnology.com
Innovative Educator
(EdTech 2012 & 2013 Top Blogger) Lisa Nielsen, a longtime public-school educator, uses her platform to explore new learning methods and to shine a light on educational inefficiencies and deficiencies. Case in point: her recent takedown of “the packet-driven classroom.”
Read the blog: theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com
Inquire And Inspire
A fresh edtech blog by two technology teachers from Canada. The blog walks readers through the latest tech trends and how technology can help teachers and students reach their goals.
Read the blog: inquireandinspire.ca
Kairos EdTech
(EdTech 2013 Top Blogger) Isaac Pineda is a technology-integration specialist at Colegio Inglés, an English-language private school based in Mexico. His blog offers a true “outside” perspective on ed tech.
Read the blog: blog.isaacpineda.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. Kleinspiration is her way of giving back to those who taught her — connecting traditions and technologies for the next generation of thinkers.
Read the blog: kleinspiration.com
Middleweb
Here is a blog with a strong focus on middle school grades with posts on curriculum, teaching insights and the latest in classroom technology.
Read the blog: middleweb.com
Mind/Shift
(EdTech 2012 & 2013 Top Blogger) Mind/Shift, a project of public radio station KQED and NPR, is a prolific blog that covers technology shaping the future of education, the latest research, education policies and innovations in classroom technologies.
Read the blog: blogs.kqed.org/mindshift
The Mobile Native
(EdTech 2012 & 2013 Top Blogger) Scott Newcomb, a fourth-grade teacher at St. Marys Intermediate School in Ohio, welcomed students’ smartphones and other mobile computing devices into his classroom several years ago. He speaks frequently about the benefits of mobile learning at industry conferences and in webinars and uses his blog to share mobile learning resources that he has found helpful or that he has created.
Read the blog: themobilenative.org
My Paperless Classroom
(EdTech 2013 Top Blogger) Based in Silicon Valley, amid all of the innovation generated by companies like Google and Facebook, Sam Patterson, dean of student advising and outreach at Kehillah Jewish High School in Palo Alto, Calif., helps teachers navigate the digital world.
Read the blog: mypaperlessclassroom.com
The Principal of Change
George Couros is the division principal for the Parkland School Division in Edmonton, Canada. Couros' blog includes his experiences as a principal, teacher and technology consultant.
Read the blog: georgecouros.ca/blog
Rapid E-Learning
Tom Kuhlmann leads the community end of Articulate, a software development company that helps teachers build e-learning courses. His blog facilitates this by sharing the secret formulas to becoming an e-learning pro.
Read the blog: articulate.com/rapid-elearning
Shake Up Learning
Kasey Bell is a Google-certified instructional technology consultant with a ton of personality. Her blog features fun ways to incorporate technology into the classroom without it getting in the way of the learning process.
Read the blog: shakeup learning.com/blog
Speech Techie
Sean J. Sweeney is a speech language pathologist who provides a unique focus: classroom technology through the lens of language. His posts review interactive technologies and apps teachers can use to enhance their language lessons and interventions.
Read the blog: speechtechie.com
Steve Hargadon
(EdTech 2012 & 2013 Top Blogger) If you’re looking for an ed tech leader with street cred, Steve Hargadon is your man. He’s the director of the Web 2.0 Labs, host of the Future of Education interview series, chair of the Social Learning Summit and the Learning 2.0 Conference, and co-chair of the annual Global Education and Library 2.0 worldwide conferences. Oh, and he blogs, too.
Read the blog: stevehargadon.com
Teach Thought
(EdTech 2013 Top Blogger) An aggregated-content blog with a number of specialties, including tablets in the classroom, Common Core standards, and helpful tips for teachers of all grades. TeachThought casts a spotlight on trends and broad issues facing teachers today, such as MOOCs.
Read the blog: teachthought.com
Teacher Reboot Camp
Shelly Terrell is an inspirational teacher trainer and international speaker who educates readers of her blog on the latest classroom technologies that enhance learning. She is also the founder of the 30 Goals Challenge, a site that helps educators achieve success with 1-3 short-term goals, and the co-founder of the #EdChat Twitter hashtag.
Read the blog: shellyterrell.com
TeacherTube
The YouTube for the education world: TeacherTube gives a spotlight to video blogs and big events hosted by teachers across the world. While their blog portion mostly highlights the site's activities, a little exploration will uncover the fantastic videos that drive the site.
Read the blog: teachertube.com
Tech Chef
TechChef serves up a heaping helping of classroom technology news along with a dollop of personality in each post. The site is led by Lisa Johnson, who works at a K–12 district in Texas, where she cooks up lessons infused with technology.
Read the blog: techchef4u.com
Tech Talk Live
Tech Talk Live hosts a regional conference in Pennsylvania for IT professionals. Its blog is a landing page for several IT professionals in education, who regulary share expertise from their corners of the industry.
Read the blog: techtalklive.org/ttlblog/
Techie Musings
Meet a teacher who's not afraid to flip the script on learning. Stacey Roshan is a high school math teacher who loves technology and helping others find the fun in learning. The National Association of Independent Schools chose her in 2012 as one of its teachers of the future for her innovative work on flipped-classroom methodology. Her blog posts are written to empower teachers with ideas and tech tools to make the classrom experience more fun for everyone.
Read the blog: techiemusings.wordpress.com/
There Is No Box
(EdTech 2013 Top Blogger) The boundaries of instruction and education exist only in our heads. On his blog, Andrew Schwab, an educator and a self-described “IT guy,” is busy “thinking out loud” about all things ed-tech
Read the blog: anotherschwab.com
The Thinking Stick
Jeff Utecht is an ed tech consultant, educator and author who's not afraid to think big and carry a big stick. Through his work and his blog, he explores ways to improve education for students, helping to prepare them for a future where one thing remains constant: change.
Read the blog: thethinkingstick.com
Twist
Twist is the official blog of The eLearning Guild, a collection of ed tech experts who lead discussions on the current trends in the industry. Recently, the guild's bloggers have been powering their posts with video-based conversations using Google Hangouts.
Read the blog: twist.elearningguild.net
User Generated Education
The blogging home of Jackie Gerstein, a K—12 educator who says on her blog that techology has amplified her passion for teaching. Gerstein's posts highlight new technologies and techniques that can empower students.
Read the blog: usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com
Web 2.0 Classroom
(EdTech 2013 Top Blogger) We may or may not be moving on to Web 3.0, but for the foreseeable future, our classrooms are certain to remain connected to the web in some form. Steven W. Anderson, director of instructional technology for Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools in North Carolina, keeps up with all things web on his blog.
Read the blog: blog.web20classroom.org
WWWatanabe
Looking for first-hand tales of tech-infused learning? Search no further than Tracy Watanabe's almost-self-titled blog, where she shares her experiences as a former K—5 teacher turned technology integration specialist.
Read the blog: wwwatanabe.blogspot.com
