This post first appeared on Free Technology for Teachers.
There are a lot of resources on the web for educators, and it can be challenging to sort through all of that information to find those hidden gems. Here are a few of the websites and blogs that I recommend to educators looking to get started. Some are on the general topic of education while others focus on specific themes or topics. Check out this list and add your own in the comments below!
General Education Topics
Edutopia – Edutopia was founded by the George Lucas Education Foundation to provide a place to share evidence-based practices and programs that help students learn. They cover topics from professional development to digital citizenship initiatives.
EdWeek – Education Week covers topics in education around the country, including public, charter, and independent schools. They report on current events, publish articles, and touch on pedagogical practice. Some parts of EdWeek are free but note that others are paid.
Huffington Post Education – The Huffington Post Education section includes a curated list of stories and blog posts on education. They may cover school policies, digital equity, or teacher pay disparities. This is a great resource for educators who want to keep the pulse of topics in education.
NPR Education – National Public Radio reports on education topics at the national, state, and local level. Always a great resource, NPR reports on topics such as chronic absenteeism or violence in schools.
MindShift KQED – MindShift focuses on innovative practices in teaching and learning. They cover both theory and practice in a way that is both academically sophisticated and accessible in short bites.
Educational Technology
Free Technology for Teachers – Created by veteran teacher Richard Byrne, FreeTech4Teachers is exactly what it sounds like, a repository of free educational technology tools for teaching and learning. Richard posts several times a day, so you will get something new practically every time you visit his site.
EdTechTeacher Blog – Our EdTechTeacher instructors bring a combination of classroom experience, edtech expertise, and research to their workshops and their blog. Each week, one of us offers technical advice, pedagogical ideas, or research-based evidence to take back into your classroom. From iPads and Chromebooks to Design Thinking and PBL, we regularly share new content.
Hybrid Pedagogy – Hybrid Pedagogy is an online, peer-reviewed journal that delves into educational technology. This is a truly academic resource for the new hybrid learning landscape.
Teacher Blogs and Websites
Jose Vilson – Jose Vilson writes from the perspective of being a teacher of color at a school with underprivileged children of color. He covers important topics in public education today – educational access, poverty, social justice, and more.
Cool Cat Teacher – Vicki Davis has been blogging for years about her experiences in the classroom. She is a great resource to learn more about educational practice, but even more valuable is her perspective on being in the classroom: bonding with students, burnout, struggles with parents, or just emotional and physical exhaustion.
Luis Perez – Luis Perez focuses on making education more accessible for those with learning differences. He is a great resource for special education teachers.
Meghan Zigmond – Meghan is an elementary school teacher whose blog primarily focuses on iPads, but there are a lot of tools that you can employ with different tools.
This is a very short list of the resources I use on a regular basis. There are many others out there. I encourage you to explore educational topics online, share them (on your own blog or via twitter), and post your suggestions in the comments below!
