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 2011 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 2011 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. Each post provides a quick bit of thought provoking information that would benefit any educator and, at times, the blog focuses tackles a theme that spans a number of posts, like using QR Codes in your practice or Glogster implementation. 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 Podcast –

The Edceptional podcast by Anne Truger, Deb Truskey, and Patrick Black (Edceptional on iTunes) – Boom! The Edceptional podcast hit the ground running as part of the EdReach Network earlier this year and hasn’t looked back! The podcast features reviews and discussions of the latest new, blogs, and resources associated with students who have different or special needs in school.  The varying fields of the hosts and guests makes for well-rounded discussions and well-explained resources that examine the all 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!

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.  A teacher could get lost for hours in the possibilities for students.  Any visitor instantly begins to see solutions for students they work with on a daily basis.

Best Educational Use of a Virtual World –

PATINS (http://patinsproject.com & http://bit.ly/slpatins) – The PATINS (Promoting Achievement through Technology and INstruction for all Students) Project provides a range of support services for impacting both the organizational capacity and the professional capabilities of Indiana’s local educational agencies in serving students with unique learning needs. They’re location in Second Life has basic tutorials on how to begin your Second Life experience, provides a unique atmosphere for acquiring information about the principles of Universal Design Learning, and allows for a safe, comfortable environment for users who are new to Second Life.  Learn about resources that can help every person in RL and in SL by visiting this fantastic resource.

Best Educational 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 –

#slpeeps  – Although I am more of a lurker than a participant in this hashtag, I have found the resources shared to be impressive and useful in my practice. An entire community of speech-language pathologists have embraced this hashtag and have formed a far-reaching, influential network of support that has continued to strengthen the practices of every participant. I’m proud to say that I enjoy peeping in on the conversations going on using the hashtag #slpeeps and learning from these colleagues.

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.  Also, my nomination alone does not guarantee that these fine folks will be 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