Blogs

Search through the list of educational blogs provided and/or search in Google for blogs that might be of interest to you to help you continue to build your professional learning network. (The bloggers can be considered part of your network as they provide you information and you can respond in the comments)

Post your links on here on the BLOGS page.

1. List your name, 2. Link to blog (using hyperlinking) 3. and why you liked this blog and how do you hope following this blog will help you grow professionally.
 * Steps to creating a hyperlink:**
 * 1) type the name of the blog
 * 2) highlight the name of the blog
 * 3) Click on the Link icon on the toolbar
 * 4) Click on the External Link tab
 * 5) Paste the URL (web address) of the blog.
 * 6) Select New Window.
 * 7) Click Add Link.

Jane Darrow Shakespeare Teacher I like this because it has a game of Six Degrees of Sir Francis Bacon, which would be a nice way to draw reluctant students into literature. Strategies for Gifted Learners is also good, in that I like the suggestions about appropriate movies for students.

Megan Peters Teach Paperless This blog had some cute ideas for incorporating technology into the classroom and had some examples of what other teachers have done to eliminate paper in the classroom. I saw some neat projects I can do with my students that don't require paper.

Scott Barber Dangerously Irrelevant Great Ed Tech blog from Scott McLeod! I have followed this blog for a couple years and it keeps me at the forefront of ed tech issues! 7B Science Blog This is a blog I used last year to communicate with BCSD science teachers when I attended the NSTA convention in Minneapolis!

Leigh Demshar The Carrot Revolution In addition to having a fun name (and check out the cool Cezanne quote from which the name originates), lots of interesting "tech" ideas for the art classroom. FreeTechForTeachers This one was listed in the week 9 moodle blog listings, but I came upon it via another blog. Relates to all subject matters and levels. Interesting and insightful.

Jessica Boone Art Lessons for Kids Pretty self explanatory! This blog offers a variety of art lessons for different grade levels. Currently there are a lot of idea for starting out the new school year. The Art Teacher's Guide to the Internet: Ideas, Tools, and Resources for Teaching Art and Design in a Post-Digital Age. Created by an art educator, offering tips for bringing technology into the classroom. Includes lesson ideas, links to short art history videos for use as openers, and a long list of blogs he subscribes to for further exploration.

Emily Winterich For the Love of Teaching An enthusiastic teacher blogs about all areas of a school system. Focuses on creating a well rounded student and has numerous postings with advice and ideas for bringing the best out of your classroom. Teacher Created Tips A collection of ideas, tips, lesson plans, techniques, and resources noted by teachers. Contains some very good advice!

Kim Baker Jim Burke - The English Teacher's Companion - Thoughts Abut Teaching Teens and English in the 21st Century Jim Burke is sort of a guru for English teachers. He's everywhere these days, including in this blog. Check it out for his latest musings and observations about the English language, students, and teaching. You can also link to his other techy-pursuits (like his English Companion Ning) from this blog. //The English Companion//, by the way, is one of his several books (recently released in a third edition). Free Technology for Teachers I know Leigh already listed this one, but it is such a great blog. I originally learned of it from one of Kevin Braaten's posts on the BCSD Inspir-Ed Ning. Langwitches - The Magic of Learning I'll admit that the only reason I checked out this blog was because of the goofy title. Surprisingly, though the content is very useful. I've found useful lesson plans about how to introduce and integrate many of the Web 2.0 tools we've covered in this course, and I've also found some posts covering the latest from "those in the know" in the world of education. And, yes, there's a bit of humor here and there.

Trish Kukura Steve SpanglerThis is a great hands on science blog- I love Steve Spangler and students respond well to his labs. EBD BlogGreat blog that deals with emotional and behavioral disorders- it offers comments, current news articles,research,and resources and guidance for teachers of these students- I am so glad I found this and I think this content could help in the understanding of the wide array of emotional disorders our students deal with on a daily basis.

Tony Zuccaro iLearntechnology - A nice blog to read for ideas to incorporate technology into your classroom. Example being Sharendipidy, online tool that lets you easily create your own learning and educational games.

Free Things for Teachers - This blog has a plethora of free downloads for teachers, posters, worksheets, handouts, lesson plans. It also includes where to find free or cheap things for your classroom.

Misty Boscarello Spencer's Scratch Pad - Great blog for reflection on teaching and the role that education plays in our daily activities as educators, parents, and citizens.

Gifted Exchange - Addresses issues in the news and their impact on learning, intelligence, and gifted children.

Lisa Cistolo [|Teaching Learners With Multiple Needs] A great blog that speaks of different strategies and tools to use when teaching students that have special needs. Because I am an Intervention Specialist, I am always looking for new strategies and tools for my tool box. This may be one more to add!

[|Teachers Love SMART Boards:] A great blog to give information about SMART boards and ways to utliize them in the classrooms. I have a SMART board in my classroom and I love finding new ways to use it with my students.

Danielle Krivak Lisa's Blog This is an inclusion special education teacher that tells about her class experiences. This is what I do everyday so I am interested in hearing about her experiences whether the same or different.

The spelling blog Since I teach a small group LA class, I will do some spelling with my students on a weekly basis. I don't necessarily have spelling tests but do activities with spelling words and this blog has great ideas for teaching spelling.

Kathy Bartkiewicz Teachers Love Smartboards

Blogging About Web 2.0 Connected Classroom

My Professional Development is centered around my learning more about current technology and its potential use within my classroom. These two look like they might be interesting to follow and continue with the learning I have started here this summer. I do have a Smart Board and I am always looking for ways to use it within my classroom.

David Kushlak

Enhanced English Teacher

The English Teacher's Companion

The first blog got me when she started talking about the Digital writer workshop but also shares other important thoughts on 21st century learning. The second blog is by Jim Burke and started to like his thoughts on the Ning network that I joined. He talks writing and technology. I feel that writing is my weaker area when teaching Language Arts and both of these blogs give tips on incorporating WRITING into 21st century practices.

Jody Carlson

KindergartenBlog Good Resourc! Many ideas and printable items for the k. classroom. Also a list of other good kindergarten teacher websites/blogs on a sidebar.

KindergartenVideos Some cute video clips for Kindergarten and an area to blog about them.

Karen Thomas Teaching Every Student Excellent ideas for teaching students with special needs. Many ideas for modifications. Great discussions. Teaching Learners with Multiple Special Needs Resources and ideas for learners with severe, profound, intensive, significant complex or multiple special needs.

Jim Kosar [|Moving at the Speed of Creativity] Cool site, easy to use and reply to. So far the members seem to be experienced educators with a lot of practical information to provide. Plus, the responses are meaningful and appropriate.

[|2 Cents Worth]Very profesional layout. The blogs are always long and involved, but most of the content is rich and useful. Doesn't seem to get much traffic.

Karen Parker

Mr. Mundorf's Class Intersting, user-friendly site that shows examples of student projects. A great example of a classroom blog (from Naples, FL) to learn from and continue to build on. Fifth Grade Blog This is another classroom blog that shows examples of students' work. This class is located in Sacramento, CA. It would be great to have 5th grade classes interact from across the country, comparing life styles, climate, etc. in an exciting way.

Mike Yonek

Hippocampus Physics Blog This blog is geared toward AP Physics, one of the courses I am teaching. It should be helpful to see how other physics teachers approach the various topics.

Morning Coffee Physics Blog This blog has a more random smattering of topics, but they all were physics related and I found most of them interesting.

Peg Phillips The Two writing Teachers This blog provides writing ideas as well as the mechanic about writing. Teaching writing is not my favorite subject to teach. Hopefully I will be inspired. A Box of Tricks Technology in EducationIdeas presented about the use of technology in the class room. I hope that I can you some of these ideas in my classroom.

Lisa Hixson Teachers Teaching Teachers This was a wonderful blog about two teachers collaborating with one another to help bring knowledge to other teachers who may need advice or help on a certain topic.

Chris Smearman The Whiteboard Blog This site has many ideas for using a whiteboard. It offers tools and sites that would be great to use. I already use some sites and love them. I plan to learn new sites to use on my whiteboard and tips and tools to help students learn.

Tracy Silvestro Byrdseed GiftedA blog with a variety of information, ideas and resources for working with gifted students.

GiftedKidsNetwork Ideas and activities to use with gifted students.

Joy Meany Mr. Ferreirae's Blog - This site is very inspiring. It features movies made by students along with links to their blogs and blogs of other teachers. Free Technology for Teachers - This site has been listed by others already, but it's such a great site. I've come across it before, but have not been a follower until now.

Christi Hoffman The Reading Workshop Something I would like to try more in my classroom is incorportating more elements of the reading-writing workshop. A couple of posts caught my eye and I think she has some great tips. The Reading Zone I found this blog last year and subscribe to it. I really enjoy the writing style and how she has incorporated reading into her classroom. Bookworming in the 21st Century If you want a resource for books, this is the place to go. I've also followed this blog for about a year and readily use it for book recommendations for students.

**Donna Zmrazek **
Kathy Schrock's Kaffeeklatsch I have followed Kathy Schrock through her website, Kathy Schrock's Guide to Educators This blog also offers valuable information on a variety of topics for educators of all kinds. I love her reviews.

What I Learned Today... This is a great blog that gives tips on how to use Web 2.0 in libraries. 

**﻿Valerie Koelliker ** ﻿Never Ending Search Joyce Valenza invites librarians and educators to join this discussion of emerging technologies, searching and information fluency. Lots of information and currency. Won the Edublog 2009 best librarian blog award. iLearn Technology This was my favorite technology blog. I like the creator's (Kelly Tenkely) philosophy about technology. She wants to help teachers fall in love with technology. Her enthusiasm was contagious. She also won an Edublog 2009 award. Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast This children's literature blog's name is in reference to Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass. There are 280 childrens literary blogs and this is one of the best. Kids Lit Another childrens literary blog. Discusses books for toddlers through teens, reading, writing and more. Excellent design, easy to read and us

__Johnny Bollin__ __Box of Tricks A lot of cools options for using technology in the classroom.__ __Free Stuff! The only thing better the new stuff is new stuff that's free!__

Stephanie Coad __Love What You Teach This blog gives several ideas and strategies for teaching. It also gives teachers an opportunity to share thoughts about children and share their love for teaching.__ __Recorded Books K-12 Blog This shares several different books on audio and how some children react. Teachers are able to discuss and share thoughts about the different audiobooks, and what they like and dislike.__

Stacey Jennings

__Unwrapping the Gifted__ __This looks like a good resource for Gifted Intervention Specialists to get some feedback/ideas for the challenges of teaching high ability learners.__ __Strategies for Gifted Learners__ __Some strategies for how to meet the needs of high ability students.__

__Sheri Williams__ __[|Cool Cat] This is the blog of the teacher that created the Digital Citizenship project we are going to be a part of. Great technology resource!__

__[|Educational news]__

__--Deborah Greaves__ __[|2M Gems]Elementary students have individual "Blogfolios". What an innovative idea!__

__[|Mrs. Bachetti's Grade 2 Blog]A nice collection on Author links: Arthur, Junie B Jones, Magic Tree House etc.__

Amy Jambor

__Teach Paperless__ __This is a great blog to check out as this teacher shares various ways he conducts a paperless classroom.__ __History Tech__ __This is a cool blog for social studies teachers. It addresses integrating technology in the social studies classroom.__

Roberta Caleris __I want to teach forever__ __Excellent blog to look at! It provides wonderful strategies to begin and implement in the 2010-2011 school year!__

__Strategies for Gifted Learners: Spoiler Alert! This is an excellent resources to use to differentiate instruction in the classroom. I am working on my 3rd year with a gifted cluster of children.__

Melissa Cubbison <span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"><span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Two Writing Teachers - This is a cool blog about language arts. The authors live 565 miles apart yet they work on it together!! <span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Free Technology for Teachers- I liked this one because it had things that you could use and not have to worry about being 'allowed' to use it.

Tracy Gretick [|Engaging Parents in Schools] I think that an important part of our students success is having better parent involvement. This resouce gives ideas on what to do and what not to do-a very important part of growing professionally.

[|Autism Speaks Blog] This blog as both personal stories and medical information/findings for Autism. in order to grow professionally, I need to be up to date on current ongoings in the field. I think this blog would also be useful for regular education teachers to better understand what students with Autism and their families manage on a daily basis.

Jean Hribar Blog2Learn/Language Arts Provides examples how to use blogs in almost any way, shape, or form in a Languae Arts classroom - I liked this one for great ideas on where to even start with a blog.

TeachEng.us Terrific resources for Language Arts, including incorporating technology in the Language Arts classroom.

Dawn Krivak Let's Play Math This is a great blog as a math resource for all grade levels. There are a ton of different blogs to make your teaching of math more interesting and meaningful.

_ __//Jeinfer Csiszar//__ __2c worth 2c worth is a blog from the author ,David Walrlick .Observations and experiences are directed to using blogging in the classroom. He uses his books **Redefing LIT ER A CY 2.0,** Classroom Blogging, and a Gardners's Approach To__Learning __to promoting changes in teaching strategies for the 21st Century.__ __Moving Forward__ __Collection of Resources to help move educators into the 21st century by providing **data driven decisions**. This blog is directed by Dr. Scott McLead.__ ___