Our Nominees For The 2013 Edublog Awards

Source: Edublog Awards

It’s time to nominate outstanding educators for the 2013 Edublog Awards. This 10th-annual honor roll recognizes leaders who offer insights and resources to the teaching community.

We’ve learned an enormous amount from previous Edublog winners. In highlighting this year’s nominees, we don’t mean to leave out all of the generous mentors and coaches who are part of our daily inspiration. We feel privileged to count all of them among our PLN.

Be sure to make your own nominations, and tweet your choices at #eddies13.

Here are our picks. If you haven’t already, we hope you get to know these amazing thinkers and educators:

Best individual blog - Larry Ferlazzo

The range, depth, and frequency of Larry Ferlazzo's posts are unmatched. His "Best Of..." lists are an educator's dream.

Best group blog - MindShift

It seems like we read and want to tweet every post from the MindShift team. Sometimes we refrain, just so we don't seem like obsessive fans.

Best new blog - Maptia 

Crowdsourced geography, what could be better?

Best ed tech / resource sharing blog - Edudemic

Edudemic consistently is at the leading edge of ideas and tools that resonate with contemporary teachers.

Best teacher blog - Web 2.0 Classroom

Steven Anderson's site is a perfect blend of expert resources and down-to-earth dialogue.

Best library / librarian blog - Connect The Pop

Peter Gutierrez's blog on media literacy at the School Library Journal is one of our favorites -- a scholarly, teacher-focused investigation with terrific analysis.

Best administrator blog - Brendan Schneider

Brendan Schneider urges schools to embrace social media as competitive marketing tools.

Most influential blog post of the year - Okay, we have two: Teacher’s Resignation Letter: ‘My Profession … No Longer Exists' and My Son’s Grades Are Too High

Best individual tweeter - Nancy Blair

We first met Nancy Blair in the airport back in November 2011, on our way to the NMSA conference (now AMLE). She was enormously helpful then, and she's been an invaluable chat partner since. She's at the top of anyone's must-follow list.

Best twitter hashtag - #lrnchat

This chat begins each Thursday at 8:30 p.m. (EST) with participants volunteering what they learned that week. It's a great tone setter for a great chat.

Best free web tool - Padlet

Padlet has expanded from its early germination as Wallwisher into an enormously flexible collaborative whiteboard on which to share posts, pictures, media, and embeddable ideas for class learning.

Best educational use of audio / video / visual / podcast - EdChat Radio

Every week EdChat Radio offers free podcasts via iTunes and the Bam! Radio Network on a variety of forward-thinking topics from that week's illuminating #EdChat session.

Best educational use of a social network - #tlap

Dave Burgess has attracted a motivated band of school scalawags with his masterful book, Teach Like A Pirate.

Best mobile app - Pinterest

Pinterest is not only a dominant visual sharing site for educational resources, but its app is elegant and efficient in allowing users to repin items in a quick and appealing swipe.

Lifetime achievement - Tom Whitby

Tom Whitby is not only a co-founder of #EdChat and EdChat radio, but he is an open-hearted presence at conferences and a skilled practitioner in education. His blog, My Island View, consistently explores the nuances of modern pedagogy.

If you are wondering where to start with your own nominations, check out EdTech Magazine's list of 2013 Must-Read K-12 IT Blogs.