The 2017 Honor Roll: EdTech’s Must-Read K–12 IT Blogs

You don’t have to look hard to find an education blogger. The internet is full of experts ready to share their knowledge.

But who are the trendsetters creating how-to guides for new tools? Where are the administrators juggling paperwork and innovation? Here at EdTech: Focus on K–12, we are happy to spotlight some of the education industry’s most innovative thinkers as top K–12 IT bloggers.

Whether you are deep in a one-to-one tech rollout or just beginning to use technology, these bloggers are shoulders to lean on. With veterans from years past, fresh picks from our editorial team and nominations from our readers, our bloggers are guaranteed to be sources of ed tech knowledge.

If you’d like to check out the Must-Read IT blogs from previous years, view our lists from 2016, 2015, 2014 and 2013.

Did your blog make our list? Be sure to grab a Must-Read IT Blog badge and give your site an award for this momentous achievement! You can also bookmark this list as a launch pad for exploring new content on these blogs as they amass even more great posts throughout the year.

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For now, put your feet up and learn from our 2017 top K–12 IT bloggers.

 

  

 

As Google continues to expand its offerings of tech tools for the classroom, Alice Keeler will be there to make sense of them. On her Teacher Tech blog, Keeler, a Google Certified Innovator and e-book author, offers up her expertise on how to best use the education solutions created by the tech giant.

Former teacher Monica Burns was a vocal advocate of one-to-one technology in her own fifth-grade classroom. On her blog Class Tech Tips, she now writes about ways to add a dash of tech to every subject.

Building from his experience as a high school principal, author Eric Sheninger has become a fount of knowledge when it comes to leadership in technology. Sheninger’s blog serves as a guidebook for administrators looking to engage students, teachers and parents using new tech.

After years as an elementary school teacher, Michael Fricano II has brought his insight from the classroom to his role as a technology integration specialist. Blogging from sunny Hawaii, Fricano writes about everything from cutting-edge technology like virtual reality to easy classroom tools like Google Docs. Say, “Aloha” to EdTechnocation.

Thanks to ed tech, almost every class — from language arts to math — can be transformed into a more engaging learning environment. This is exactly what tech integrationist Eric Curts aims to do with his blog. With a big focus on Google tools, Curts writes up mini-lesson plans to help educators boost engagement in creative ways.

If you’re looking for instructional tech experience and a ton of personality, look no further than Kasey Bell. The Google-certified consultant blogs about the ins and outs of adding tech to the classroom without compromising the learning experience.

As a consultant, Michael Gorman has overseen one-to-one laptop programs and the digital professional development that goes along with them. On his blog, Gorman shares what he has learned with a focus on how tech enables project-based learning.

Comprised of a team of educators and authors, the Hack Learning blog provides teachers with easy solutions to the complex problems of 21st-century classrooms. The blog often focuses on how tech makes innovative education a bit simpler.

Helping educators navigate how to teach complex topics like computer science is the mission of Mark Guzdial’s blog. As a professor at Georgia Institute of Technology, he provides resources for educators at all levels of STEM experience.

A former instructional technology specialist from a large northern Virginia school district, Tim Stahmer blogs about a variety of 21st century education issues. With an eye on current events and how they relate to K–12, Stahmer often writes about tech tools and the problems they can solve.

Instructional technology specialist Keith George isn’t called the Big Tech Coach in jest. His blog is chock-full of professional development resources aimed to coach educators through integrating technology in the best way for students.

 

As a nonprofit, the Global Digital Citizen Foundation is striving to provide the resources to create ethical citizens in the digital age. Its blog serves as a platform to provide schools with the insights necessary to help their students with digital literacy.

Digital tips, tricks and tools are the name of the game for this Texas school district’s tech team. The team’s blog is packed with personal anecdotes on using a variety of education technologies, and serves as a resource for educators in their district and throughout the country.

The experts at Getting Smart know a lot about leadership, learning and education technology. They often take their knowledge on the road to conferences and events like SXSWedu. You can follow it all on their blog.

The official blog of the Texas Computer Education Association is the perfect place for educators to find advice on today’s modern education strategies. From cool tools to education legislation, TCEA has got information for teachers in Texas and across the country.

If you’re looking for the wisdom of an ISTE conference distilled into a website, look no further than this blog. The ISTE EdTekHub provides tools for gamifying learning, creating makerspaces and making sure learning is up to standard.

Do you know about the latest efforts to tackle the digital divide? If not, we’ve got a blog for you. For EducationSuperHighway, ubiquitous internet access in U.S. public schools is the goal. The nonprofit’s blog has regular updates on the state of upgrading internet access in America.

The experts behind the CoSN blog have their fingers on the pulse of all that’s hot in K–12 education technology. From data-driven student programs to digital equity and E-rate, the CoSN blog shares expert insights on everything today’s school administrators are thinking about.

With a variety of courses and certification, edX is a noted source of online classes for today’s learners. The blog posts rely on the knowledge of the team that organizes the platform and the teachers of the courses.

Have you ever wanted to look at what happens behind the scenes during a one-to-one computing initiative? Look no further than the Center for Digital Education’s Leadership Lounge. This blog corrals all the issues that today’s educators are dealing with into a central location with tips and best practices.

If the new policies and tech trends get overwhelming, consider Doug Levin, the founder of EdTech Strategies to be a life preserver. On his blog, Levin breaks down the latest ed tech news for educators.

Tom Kuhlmann, the leader of the community-end of Articulate, shares his 20 years of experience training educators on the Rapid e-Learning blog. Follow him for the ins and outs of making online learning tools work for your school.

The tech team at Fayette County Public Schools in Kentucky has got some “tech snacks” for you. On the blog, the FCPS team offers up bite-sized bits of advice to help transform learning and teaching. Hope you’re hungry!

This diverse group of education technologists from across the country delve deep into how different tech tools are working for their schools. From Google tools to 3D printing, blog posts run the gamut in classroom tech.

 

Elementary teacher Amy Pietrowski adds a dash of STEM into all of her classes — whether that’s second grade science or creative writing. Grab a slice of the pie and check out the new tools she’s using, ranging from Chromebooks to makerspace tools.

Capitalizing on his family’s educational experience — he’s a third-generation teacher — Brendan Fetters explores how pedagogy is rapidly changing in today’s schools, including how to deal with updates to technology.

Keeping the focus on history and social studies, Kansas educator Glenn Wiebe guides his students through the past in more engaging ways with a little help from technology.

For the blog and book of the same name, swapping out a textbook for a digital tool is a no-brainer. Matt Miller, a former Spanish teacher, works to engage teachers with the latest technology.

Drawing on her experience as a teacher and digital learning specialist, Kerry Gallagher blogs about everything from privacy to social media and how educators can bring lessons on all of it to their students.

A notable expert on Twitter, Kyle Pace leads educators in conversations on digital literacy and meaningful tech integration. Pace turns that expertise into actionable advice for K–12 teachers.

High school English teacher and technology coach Adam Schoenbart works in a one-to-one Chromebook classroom and leverages his personal experiences to help fellow educators adopt better ways of integrating ed tech.

You’re never too young for an innovative education! Kindergarten teacher Christine Pinto shows her fellow teachers how to implement Google tools into the hands of “littles” in a way that will help them grow and learn.

Knowing what you can trust online is highly important today. Former high school English composition and literature teacher Rusul Alrubail blogs about the intersection of digital tools and literacy — including tackling the important topic of media literacy.

For elementary school educator Mickey McFetridge, the how-to is an important aspect of his tech blog. Class Tech Integrate helps orient educators to new technologies by cutting to exactly what is useful about each tool.

Kansas third-grade teacher Kami Butterfield has been in education for two decades, but that doesn’t mean she’s not adapting. Using knowledge garnered from her classroom’s one-to-one tablet program, Butterfield offers best practices for integrating apps.

Out on the west coast, Sam Patterson, makerspace coordinator at Echo Horizon School, helps teachers innovate in a rapidly changing digital world.

In her “flipped, blended and gamified” classroom, high school social studies teacher Bethany Petty is not afraid to innovate. Luckily for everyone else, she also loves to share, and her blog is packed with tips and tricks.

Texas educator Knikole Taylor is an expert in blended learning. She uses her platform to share that expertise with educators who have limited to middling experience with innovative learning strategies.

A sixth-grade math teacher from the Bronx, Sahar Kahtri, blogs about how to take fun technology — like Bitmoji on worksheets — and use it as a tool for learning. If you’re looking for a little STEAM in action, she’s got it.

 

ADMIN-ALL STARS 

Makerspaces and creativity are the focus of media specialist Diana Rendina’s blog. After pioneering a makerspace at her school, Rendina decided to share her knowledge through these tips and tactics.

Former K–12 principal George Couros shares his experience in leadership and focuses on how to facilitate innovation in the classroom through a little technology and a lot of inspiration.

As an administrator, Derek McCoy has experienced the power of technology as a tool to help kids grow and achieve. His platform leverages that knowledge to offer valuable thought leadership.

Middle school assistant principal (and author) Erin Murphy shares her thoughts on how tech can reshape today’s school from class to parent-teacher conferences. She also shares her area of expertise: project-based learning.

Nadia Lopez’s passion for education has been honored by many — including President Obama — for the positive learning environment she fostered in the middle of an under-served neighborhood in New York City. The Lopez Effect will help you learn from her success and get inspired to start your own education revolution.

Over the past few years, Texas principal Todd Nesloney has become a staple of the education community. As Tech Ninja Todd, Nesloney shares his innovative ideas online and at popular education conferences.

Laura Fleming, a library media specialist, has gone all-in on the maker movement. Her blog, Worlds of Learning explores how technology like 3D printing, has made learning an anywhere, anytime experience.

Fearing the K–12 schools were using tools and teaching practices to be considered “dangerously irrelevant,” Scott McLeod, former director of innovation at Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency in Iowa, and his team, created a blog guide school leaders through using technology to stay relevant in today’s world.

Educator and author Erin Klein believes school should be an engaging place for both students and teachers. Powered by her study of how course design can affect cognition and learning, Klein blogs about using technology to boot literacy, streamline grading and communicate with parents.

Miguel Guhlin, director for professional development at TCEA, uses his blog to offer guidance to educators and administrators on everything from addressing privacy concerns to reshaping what it means to be an innovator.

As a K–12 principal, Rosa Perez-Isiah has firsthand experience in embracing innovative leadership and creating effective teaching policies both with and without technology.