Thoughts on teaching, technology, learning and life in an era of change.
 
Are you reading these blogs?
January 1st, 2008

During the break I have had the chance to catch up on my reading and research and as a result I have subscribed to some more blogs that I feel are interesting and contribute rich insights into the world of teaching, learning and technology. Let’s look at each in turn.

LangwitchesSilvia Tolisano’s blog is rich with excellent commentary, cross-cultural advice and practical technology insights. Her posts take you through the tools and technology in a manner not unlike that of Sue Water’s excellent blog, Mobile Technology In TAFE. One of the great aspects of Silvia’s blog is the regular post of her del.icio.us links. If you have not already done so then please add Langwitches to your blogroll.

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites Of The Day For Teaching ELL, ESL, and EFLLarry’s blog is simply brilliant. Many of you would have come to know of Larry’s blog via the nomination of an EduBlog award. Well deserved indeed. He has a wealth of information at his fingertips. His “Best of 2007“ reviews simply shone out from many of the other 2007 reviews that orbited the blogosphere of late. Larry not only blogs about teaching English as a second language Larry also covers relevant humanities, mathsscience and current news sites and blogs for example. He has a great handle on tools that all teachers should find useful, web 2.0 and otherwise. His posts are objective, down to earth and simply informative. Subscribe to Larry’s blog now and be ahead of the pack.

Free Resources from the Net for (Special) EducationPaul Hamilton blogs about the tools and resources that are useful for educators of all persuasions. Just this week he enlightened me with a post about WebNode. [Web publishing software developers will need to look for a new job now]. That is a tool worthy of investigation. Check out Paul’s blog today.

Instructify. I shall allow Instructify to speak for itself. “Instructify is where teachers can stock their toolboxes with practical, time-saving classroom ideas and cutting edge methods of instruction. It is where to find useful, free technology to utilize in the classroom. And it is a fun place to spend your planning period. Instructify is not out to change the world or bemoan educational policy. Look, the Web is already full of education blogs ranting about how we need to remake the American school as a digital learning cooperative or something. Do you want to slog through a bunch of pie-in-the-sky pontificating about how Web 2.0 will magically change school from suck to success? Or would you rather find neat stuff you can use to improve things yourself?” How refreshing is that?

REMC Ramblings. REMC Ramblings is maintained by Kevin Clark, Instructional Technology Consultant for the Berrien County Intermediate School District. In this blog Kevin regularly posts his Weekly Web Wonders about useful tools, sites and news on the educational technology. His posts are straightforward, informative and point to a great deal of valuable resources.

Dan Cohen’s  Digital Humanities Blog. Dan Cohen is the the Director of the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University and a historian who explores and tries to influence through theory, software, websites, and this blog the impact of computing on the humanities. What more can I say other than that his blog is a great resource for teachers of history, just like myself.

Plethora of Technology. One might think that this blog is about technology. You will be wrong. Let Plethora speak for itself ~ “This blog is not really about technology. It is about teaching and learning. It is dedicated to giving educators a place to gain thought provoking ideas, web links, teaching suggestions, and a place for the author to vette out ideas. The author sees technology not as the goal, but as a tool to accomplish the real goal: greater learning towards understanding.”

A Teacher’s Life ~ Practicing Professional Generosity. This excellent blog is maintained by Lucy Gray, a lead technology coach and an Apple Distinguished Educator. Lucy regularly posts excellent links and slideshare presentations. Well worth worth a look.

Learning and Teaching in the 21st Century. As Jo points out on her blog she presents “a series of technology tips for educators. These tips provide ideas for learning, teaching, and using digital skills. The content varies so that the tips can be designed for you … new teacher or experienced, technophobe or cutting edge or somewhere in the middle. I hope you enjoy reading these tips and, especially, that you find some new, useful ideas. I would love to hear your ideas!”

Learning with Lucie. Lucie deLaBruere is an “educator exploring how to use emerging technology for teaching and learning. She is a regular contributor to the Infinite Thinking Machine and her blog is well worth investigating. Lucie provides links to wikis and other resources to support teachers and participants of her workshops.

The Bamboo Project Blog. Michelle Martin’s blog “is an ongoing experiment in life-long learning and exploring the opportunities of the Web”. Her posts are thoughtful, practical and constructive. Michelle has written some great posts on how to improve the readership of your blogsome nifty Web 2.0 links and the Building A Better Blog Ning. Add Michelle’s blog to your blogroll.

Learning with the Fang. Mike Seyfang’s blog tells it like it is. Informative and concise. Mike Seyfang has over 25 years ICT experience and as he poinst out on his mini bio he “has a flair and passion for harnessing creativity and innovation for tangible community outcomes.  His latest venture, LearnDog aims to help kids achieve positive life outcomes through recognition of their Vocational skills.

3 Responses to “Are you reading these blogs?”

  1. Larry Ferlazzo Says:

    John,

    Thanks for the great review of my site, and for your other suggestions, too. There are several that are new to me that I’ll have to check out.

    Have a great new year!

    Larry

  2. Jo Schiffbauer Says:

    Thanks for the interesting list, John. I’m familiar with Larry Ferlazzo’s work and the Plethora of Technology blog, but not with any of the others. It looks like I have some reading to do! Thanks, too, for including my blog on your list. Jo

  3. John Larkin Says:

    Hi Jo and Larry,
    You are both welcome. I always enjoy discovering new blogs. There are times when you feel that the education blogs have reached a point of critical mass. Then, almost on cue I discover blogs such as your own and a whole new range of ideas and experiences come forth!
    Cheers, John