Hello there everyone,

This is a blog-only post. There isn’t any new audio, or official A.T.TIPSCAST episode, associated with this post. This post outlines my nominations for the 2012 Edublog Awards. In my experience, most educational bloggers, podcasters, and Tweeters do so on their own time, after work hours because it is their passion. They aren’t asked to do it. They aren’t paid to do it. Yet, we all benefit from the many hours they put into their craft.

The Edublog Awards provide a way to recognize these enormous efforts. Here are my nominations for the 2012 Edublog Awards:

Best Individual Blog –

Teaching All Students by Patrick Black – (www.teachingall.blogspot.com) – Yeah, I nominate this blog every year and will continue to until 1. A better blog of its type surfaces or 2. It wins (and even then I might re-nominate it). Fresh ideas, multiple resources, and practical solutions for making instruction accessible to EVERY student. When it comes to implementing technology for every student, this blog is a MUST read.

Best Teacher Blog –

Speech Techie by Sean Sweeney – (www.speechtechie.com) – The winner of the 2010 Best New Blog Edublog award has maintained its status as the premiere blog focusing on the topic of using technology in the practice of speech-language pathology. The beauty of the blog is that the strategies shared are for every educator, not just for those working as speech-language pathologists.

Best Educational Use of Audio/Video/Visual/Podcast –

The Edceptional podcast by Anne Truger, Deb Truskey, Tricia Lazarro, and Patrick Black (Edceptional on iTunes) – Boom! The Edceptional podcast hit the ground running as part of the EdReach Network and hasn’t looked back! The podcast features reviews and discussions of the latest new, blogs, and resources associated with students who have special needs in school. The varying fields of the hosts and guests makes for well-rounded discussions and well-explained resources that examine all the angles of a topic. If audio is your preferred modality for receiving content and you’re interested in topics related to educating ALL students, then this is the podcast for you! Recently, they’ve switched formats recording over Google Hangout giving people even more options to participate. People can listen to the podcast, watch the recorded video on YouTube, or participate LIVE! during the actual recording!

Best Educational Wiki –

The UDLTechToolKit by Karen Janowski & Joyce Kazman Valenza (http://udltechtoolkit.wikispaces.com/) – Simply the best collection of tools on the web for differentiating instruction and infusing options into every lesson plan. The days of handing every student a worksheets and expecting every student to do every task the same way are coming to an end. The UDLTechToolKit provides educators with tools which they can immediately implement in their classrooms to provide students with engaging options for how best they can receive information and express what they know.

Best Open PD, Unconference, or Webinar Series –

VSTELive! Webinar Series (http://www.vste.org/index/learn/webinar) – VSTELive! webinars (Virginia Society for Technology in Education) are always engaging, informative, and cutting edge which gather insights from experts on contemporary topics in the world of educational technology. When you participate in a live VSTE webinar you are certain to have an enjoyable experience while learning new ways of thinking, learning, and doing. Keep ’em coming VSTE!

Best Twitter Hashtag –

#atchat– For years I’ve lurked, following along on different educational Twitter chats but it is only recently that I’ve actually started to participate. It was #atchat on Wednesday nights at 8pm ET led by Karen Janowski that got me to switch from passive reviewer to active participant. Engaging, timely, and relevant topics are discussed each week leading to the sharing of practical tools and strategies that work to help users of assistive technology tools.

Best Mobile App –

Flying Books App (Free – Flying Books App)  This free storybook app provides users with a unique reading experience. Rather than focusing on the bells and whistles, the app provides users with an opportunity to record narration of the story which results in an increase in reading abilities of the user. You won’t find random, unnecessary interactive components that distract students from the story in the Flying Books app. Instead, the Flying Book app provides users with the ability to listen to text read aloud or record themselves reading the story. Although the books in the library require a purchase, the app also allows students to create their own book complete with full audio recordings for free.  It is a great way to practice re-telling of a narrative and/or reading fluency.

I hope you check out these fantastic resources and, if you agree with my choices, consider voting for these fantastic creations, projects, and initiatives to recognize the dedication of these individuals.

My nomination alone does not guarantee that these fine folks will be officially nominated. If you agree with my nominations, consider writing a blog post of your own featuring these terrific educational resources. They deserve your time! Find out more information about how to participate over at The Edublog Awards.

Enjoy!

Chris