The Edublog Awards are an annual event that celebrate "the best of the best on the web". It began in 2004 as a response to the lack of access to learner and teacher blog sites. It's purpose is to "promote and demonstrate the educational values of these social media." Curtis Elementary was excited to learn that there are two blogs that have been named finalists. Our assistant principal, Lorie Bratcher's blog, Passion Lives Here, has made the short list in the Best New Blog category.
Our own library blog, Continuously Learning in the Library, is a finalist in the Best Library/Librarian Blog category.
I am honored to be a finalist, but I know that I am only there because of some pretty incredible people who are also nominated! I would encourage you to look at each category and find new people to add to your PLN (Personal Learning Network.) While you are there, vote for some of the people that make you better. Thankfully, you can vote for more than one in each category, which is great since it is hard to choose between all of the great blogs, chats, and tools!
Last night I got a text from Nancy Jo Lambert, a fellow librarian and member of my Twitter PLN. She wanted me to know that the Curtis Library blog, which she had nominated for Best Library/Librarian Blog, had made the shortlist for finalists in the 2013 Edublog Awards. When I went to look, I was excited to see many of the people I had nominated in different categories had also made the shortlist, including Nancy Jo and her library blog, Ruth Borchardt Elementary Library.
There are so many incredible people that have been nominated in many different categories, that it is sometimes difficult to decide who to vote for! The good news is that you can vote for more than one in each category!
Voting closes December 18th at 11:59 EST, so go vote at The Edublog Awards!
This is my first time to participate in the Edublog Awards, and I am excited to nominate people and sites that inspire me to be better at what I do.
From the Edublog website:
The Edublog Awards started in 2004 in response to community concerns relating to how schools, districts and educational institutions were blocking access of learner and teacher blog sites for educational purposes. The purpose of the Edublog awards is promote and demonstrate the educational values of these social media.
Although there are more areas to nominate in, these nominations are the ones that have impacted me the most this past year.
◾Best individual blog: Margie Myers-Culver's Librarian's Quest is a great source for book reviews & weekly Twitter wrap ups.
◾Best group blog - Definitely has to be the Nerdy Book Club blog
◾Best new blog- Cynthia Alaniz, blogs about being a new librarian at Librarian in Cute Shoes
◾Best class blog- Louise Morgan's Class at Mrs. Morgan's Superstars Second graders that connect and create
◾Best ed tech / resource sharing blog - Todd Nesloney great resource for tech tools and information on flipping classrooms.
◾Best teacher blog - Katherine Sokolowski's Read, Write, Reflect Always thoughtful, heartfelt, well written posts
◾Best library / librarian blog Nancy Jo Lambert's Borchardt Elementary Library blog is one I use almost daily to see how she is collaborating with her teachers.
◾Best individual tweeter - Nancy Jo Lambert @NancyJoLambert - I seem to favorite and retweet many of her tweets.
◾Best twitter hashtag: #tlelem http://tlelem.wikispaces.com/ A great place to connect & share
◾Best free web tool BiblioNasium My students love this site and the support you get from the people at BiblioNasium is incredible! Marjan Ghara, the founder even Skyped with our students!
◾Best educational use of audio / video / visual / podcast Matthew Winner's Let's Get Busy podcasts
◾Best educational wiki- The Global Classroom Project is a great spot to find opportunities to connect students.
◾Best open PD / unconference / webinar series School Library Journal put on the webinar Be the Change during the spring. It was a six part series that was very motivating.
◾Lifetime achievement - Jerry Blumengarten http://www.cybraryman.com/ His thorough lists of sites and Twitter chat schedules are referred to by many.
So there are my nominations of people and places who have inspired me in the past year. If they have also inspired you, feel free to leave a comment. Who would you nominate? You can make your own nominations at Edublogs Awards. Nominations are open until December 1st, so go nominate!
