Ed Tech Blogs/Websites

This is probably my favorite blog and one that I follow religiously. Mr. Byrne not only shares tools, but also provides news about upcoming tools and conferences as well as lesson ideas for integrating technology. I like the quick, easy descriptions, the video tutorials, and the cheat sheets that allow me to easily bookmark and save items for later use. I highly recommend this blog and encourage, if you enjoy educational technology, to subscribe to his blog feed and follow him on Facebook and Twitter. You won't be disappointed with the resources he shares!

Vicki Davis, Cool Cat Teacher blogger, has a wonderful site full of an enormous amount of resources, lessons, tips, and true tricks she has learned in the classroom. By subscribing to CoolCat Teacher, you will not only learn how to survive and flourish in a technological world, but you will also learn how to adapt lessons and differentiate instruction so that technology enhances learning instead of dividing learning. Check out Cool Cat Teacher blog and you will learn many ways to use technology personally and professionally.

All I can say about this blog is OVERLOAD! I love all of the information Cybraryman shares, however, there is SO MUCH that it puts me on overload. But, I cannot go without having it in my list of resources. If another blog doesn't give me what I am looking for, I turn to Cybraryman's blog and I usually find something I can use effectively (even if it wasn't the original item I was hoping to find). Before browsing his site go in with the mindset that it might be overwhelming, but he has good intentions with WONDERFUL information (if you can get past the lists of items).

Free resource of educational web tools, 21st century skills, tips and tutorials on how teachers and students integrate technology into education. This blog is one of my favorites because it is EASY to READ; content is in small summarized snippets on the homepage allowing me to see multiple posts. When I click on a post, I don't have to scroll down three or four times to get to the point of the post. Short and to the point posts with pictures, videos, and resources make this one of my favorites to follow. His Twitter feeds and Facebook posts are a must as well because I don't always have to check the site daily.

This blog is truly that "a blog." Unlike the other sites I have listed, this website gives resources and lessons, but it is more of an opinion piece and "writing" for each post. I like reading her comments and views on tools, concepts, classroom instruction, but I equally like how her blog posts trigger something in me that makes me "think" and not just see the next great tool or lesson! Sometimes we get so caught up in being the best at everything that we need to remember what the "best" looks like to our students. Longer posts, but really good reads!

According to the latest data, video for homework is on the rise; mobile computing is "beyond the tipping point"; and most kids don't use traditional computers to connect to the Internet at home. Those are just three of the major trends revealed in the 2013 Speak Up Survey from Project Tomorrow.

10 Characteristics Of A Highly Effective Learning Environment by Terry Heick Ed note: This is an updated version of a related post published last year. Wherever we are, we'd all like to think our classrooms are...

Technology lesson plans for grades K-12. Free from Discovery Education.

ReadWriteThink has hundreds of standards-based lesson plans written and reviewed by educators using current research and the best instructional practices. Find the perfect one for your classroom.