Awards mean a lot, but they don’t say it all. The people in baseball mean more to me than statistics. – Ernie Banks
The people responsible for the words on the page -er, the screen – are (hopefully) the reasons many of us take the time to nominate our favorite reads for Edublog awards. It is why I wish to share with you my nominations, with the sincere desire that you stumble upon a perspective you perhaps did not before consider.
Best Group Blog: Cooperative Catalyst
The writers who contribute to Cooperative Catalyst push my thinking in every post. They passionately and intelligently challenge their readers to consider the questions and possible solutions that drive educational reform. Some of my favorite individual bloggers (John T. Spencer, for one) contribute to Cooperative Catalyst, and it’s a must-read for all educators, in my opinion.
(P.S. My heart belongs to Connected Principals and Voices from the Learning Revolution, however I am affiliated with both of those group blogs, so cannot nominate them.)
Best School Administrator Blog: Jeff Delp, Molehills out of Mountains
Jeff Delp’s blogging reflections always leave a lasting impression on me. He writes about topics of high interest to this administrator, including honest and self-critical reflections of his own practice. As someone who is new to the role of principal, I’d say Jeff’s wisdom and insight into the position rivals some of the more seasoned veteran administrators I know. Thanks, Jeff, for making me want to be a better principal.
But what does it look like? I think in theory we’d all agree that an inquiry learning environment is what we want most for our students. But it’s difficult to envision what the shifted classroom looks like – what is the teacher’s role? What are her students doing? Inquiry learning comes to life through the eloquent, honest, real-life-looks-and-feels-like-this posts of high school teacher Shelley Wright. She isn’t afraid to express her hopes, fears, failures, and successes through her writing, and I appreciate her transparent learning in this space. Thank you, Shelley!
The free webinars offered by the Teacher Learning Community vary greatly in topics presented and intended audience, so there really is “something for everyone.” As an administrator always on the lookout for alternatives to costly, time-intensive PD for teachers, Simple K-12’s webinars offer quality learning experiences for individuals looking to enhance their professional practice. Thanks!
While I know not everyone will take the time to submit Edublog award nominations, I hope you find the way to recognize someone who has positively influenced your learning.
Thanks for the kind words, Pal — and seriously, the feeling is mutual.
I’m jazzed every time that I get a chance to “work” with you — whether that ever happens in the “real” world or not.
Hope you’ll be at #educon. I’m looking forward to catching up again!
Rock on,
Bill
Thanks, Bill – I will see you at Educon 🙂
Thanks for the nomination! We are honored to be recognized by you!!
My pleasure!
Thanks for the kind words! The Cooperative Catalyst has grown in depth this past year! Glad to have you as a reader and commenter! If you every want to guest post let me know!
David Loitz
co-editor of Cooperative Catalyst
Member since 2010
We just saw this, Lynn. Thanks for the nomination and kind words. Awesome, passionate presenters like you make our webinars possible! We’re honored to be part of a great list.
Lyn, thanks a bajillion for nominating us in the webinars category. We didn’t even know these awards we’re doing on.