The 2019 Honor Roll: EdTech’s 30 Must-Follow K–12 Education IT Influencers
Educational technology is changing rapidly for K–12 school districts, which can make it difficult for even the savviest educators to keep up. Social media influencers can help update K–12 IT leaders with timely, digestible tweets, blog posts and podcasts.
This year’s Must-Read IT blogger list has grown to include a diverse group of K–12 professionals across the various media streams on the web. Look here for the real-time updates you’ll need to make well-informed IT decisions.
If you’d like to check out the Must-Read IT Blogs from previous years, view our lists from 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2015.
Did your account make the list? If so, grab our IT influencer cover image for your Twitter page to share with your followers.
Matthew Kraft is an associate professor of education and economics at Brown University. His readers can follow his research, which concerns improving educator and organizational effectiveness in urban K–12 public schools.
Educational consultant Jaime Donally founded the website ARVRinEDU, which covers immersive technology in education. Her followers look to her for information on all things virtual and augmented reality. Donally also offers virtual reality tutorials on her regularly updated YouTube page.
Superintendent Alberto Carvalho of Miami-Dade Public Schools engages his social media followers through posts on effective and innovative uses of educational technology.
Alice Keeler is an expert in ed tech integration. A Google Certified Innovator, Microsoft Innovative Educator and New Media Consortium K–12 Ambassador, Keeler believes technology should improve learning by improving feedback, increasing relevance and facilitating a student-centered classroom.
As the CEO and president of J Casas and Associates, Jimmy Casas is an expert on technology coaching for K–12 principals and superintendents in districts across the country. Casas also produces videos about educational technology leadership practices, which he features on Instagram.
Through her social media accounts and her Class Tech Tips blog, Monica Burns shares her years of expertise in technology integration and innovative classroom design.
Jeffrey Bradbury is a tech integration coordinator and instructional technology coach for a New Jersey school district. His podcast and YouTube channel are vehicles for curating resources for teachers and students to help them learn how to use educational technology in their classrooms.
In his Teachers on Fire podcast, 8th grade teacher Tim Cavey focuses on how K–12 educators grow. His podcast features chats with inspiring educators about their struggles, passions, objectives and inspirations as they practice their craft in the modern classroom.
Jennifer Gonzalez, a former middle school language arts teacher, uses her Cult of Pedagogy podcast to help schools create a “vibrant, encouraging, stimulating community of teachers in which they can push each other toward excellence,” according to her website.
Heather Monthie has been immersed in technology since the mid-1990s, switching specifically to education technology in 2003. Teachers and technology professionals who listen to her podcast will hear about the exciting new opportunities available to help students learn the skills they need to create their own technology solutions.
Ari Flewelling is an educator and speaker with a passion for helping teachers feel comfortable inserting technology into their lesson plans. Her followers and readers look to her for educational technology coaching, best practices and the latest in innovative classroom solutions.
Before becoming the head of curriculum and training for Logics Academy in Canada, Mike Washburn was a computer science teacher, using gamification to captivate and engage his students. Washburn and his podcasting partner Glen Irvin, a technology integrationist and instructional coach in Sauk Rapids, Minn., host “honest conversations about teachers, teaching, and everything in between.”
Keith Krueger is CEO of the Consortium for School Networking. His followers can find information on CoSN's most recent research, important K–12 events and the latest in school networking innovation.
Eric Sheninger is a senior fellow with the International Center for Leadership in Education (ICLE). Through his blog, he shares his research on digital leadership and best practices for empowering educators and their students to communicate clearly, helping all K–12 stakeholders to grow in the digital age. YouTube viewers will also find helpful guides on innovative pedagogies.
On Vicki Davis's award-winning CoolCat Teacher blog, readers can find posts and short podcasts covering K–12 innovation, from blended learning to makerspaces. Davis also curates content on Pinterest focused on modern classroom practices such as personalized learning and digital citizenship training.
In his blog and through his social media accounts, Adam Welcome displays his affinity for technology integration and advocates using social media to help educators around the country connect with each other.
With his Twitter and Instagram presence, Michael Bonner gives followers the latest on new and exciting ways to keep students engaged in the classroom.
Award-winning educator, speaker and author Erin Klein shares her ed tech expertise on Twitter and elsewhere, posting daily updates to inspire teachers as they work to transform their classrooms. Check out her assessments Pinterest board for a variety of interesting infographics.
As director of innovative and digital learning at the Eanes Independent School District, Carl Hooker has championed the shift in K–12 toward technology integration. He uses a mix of experience, technical expertise and humor to encourage change.
Wesley Fryer's Moving at the Speed of Creativity podcast narrows in on education, digital literacy, technology integration and leadership. On his YouTube channel, viewers can find tips on digital innovation, as well as some of his encounters with students.
Steven Anderson, a former classroom teacher and director of instructional technology shares his expertise in technology integration and how to leverage social media for education.
ISTE CEO Richard Culatta brings his vast experience in education policy, teacher preparation, educational technology and innovation to his Twitter followers and shares his talks on the future-forward thinking about education on YouTube.
Tom Grisham's podcast, TechTalk4Teachers, keeps educators up to date with the latest advances in educational technologies and how those innovations can be applied in the classroom.
Doug Lemov is the author of Teach Like a Champion and Teach Like a Champion 2.0. His blog covers technology teaching and coaching best practices to boost K–12 educators' know-how.
Christopher Nesi is a leader in educational technology trends. His podcast offers insight into how educators teach with modern classroom tools and how technology impacts education.
Hosted by technology and digital learning consultants Mindy Cairney and Jonathan Wylie, The Edtech Take Out Podcast provides experts with a forum to discuss how technology should be an integral part of instruction to encourage students to solve problems creatively.
Matt Miller and Kasey Bell are educators who champion “infusing technology and innovative teaching methods in the classroom,” according to their website. Their podcast shares tips and tricks on how to get the most out of Google Classroom.
David Andrade is a senior K–12 education strategist and educational technology specialist at CDW•G. Follow him to learn about the latest ed tech and how to integrate it into the classroom.
Nicholas Provenzano's The Nerdy Teacher podcast invites expert educators to discuss the merits of modern classroom design and digital tools.
Richard Byrne's philosophy is that “all educational technology serves one of three basic purposes; discovery of information, discussion of information, and demonstration of knowledge,” according to his website, Practical Ed Tech. This belief is the framework of his articles, YouTube videos and social media posts.
