Who Has the Best Educational Blogs and Apps? See Contest Winners!

Today's 21st century teachers and learners are embracing new Web 2.0 options. Blogs are one tool they are using to share useful information. Check out the winners of the 2011 Edublog Awards, posted at http://edublogawards.com/announcing-the-2011-winners-congrats-to-all/. Many of these blogs discuss ideas that are helpful to all learners, but may be particularly helpful to students with disabilities. For example, Evernote was voted one of the best mobile Apps. Evernote allows people to store, organize, and retrieve information more easily. This App helps everyone, but may be particularly beneficial to students with memory difficulties, organizational challenges, and executive functioning deficits. Watch the video below:


Socrative is an App that "empowers teachers to engage their classrooms through a series of educational exercises and games via smartphones, laptops, and tablets" (socrative.com, para 1). See the video demonstration of how to use Socrative in the classroom at their website, socrative.com.

Some students with disabilities, as well as students without disabilities, need more hands-on activity. The use of Socrative also allows for this. Importantly, Socrative also has features that enable the teacher to easily assess how confident students are about their comprehension. This might be particularly useful for students with cognitive disabilities who, through Socrative, can anonymously reveal how well they think they are understanding the classroom lesson.

The table below was embedded from the google doc presented at: http://edublogawards.com/announcing-the-2011-winners-congrats-to-all/. Check out the different blogs to see what is possible.  Do you have a favourite educational blog?  If your favourite blog is not on the list below, what is it?  What is it about your favourite blog that you like so much?  Please use the comment section to reply.

Edublog Awards Winners 2011 : Winners

.	Best new blog
.	Tech With Intention	428	http://techwithintent.com/
.	Speech Room News by Jenna Rayburn	326	http://speechroomnews.blogspot.com/
.	Klienspiration by Erin Klein	291	http://www.kleinspiration.com/
.	All 4 My Child	202	http://all4mychild.com/blog/
.	Drydent Art by Tricia Fuglestad	119	http://drydenart.weebly.com/fugleblog.html
.
.	Best class blog	Votes	Link
.	Mrs. Yollis' 3rd Grade Class Blog	314	http://yollisclassblog.blogspot.com
.	St. Wolstan's Transition Year Blog	256	http://stwolstansty.blogspot.com/
.	Mr. Buxton's 5th Grade Class SAS	211	http://mrbuxton.blogspot.com/
.	Mr. Salsich's Class	204	http://jmsalsich.edublogs.org/
.	2KM And 2KJ @ Leopold Primary School	174	http://2kmand2kj.global2.vic.edu.au/
.
.	Best student blog	Votes	Link
.	Jaden's Blog	610	http://jadensawesomeblog.blogspot.com/
.	Miriam's Blog	241	http://victoria-miriamsmoments.blogspot.com/
.	Jake's Blog	163	http://mjgds.org/students/jakeg/
.	Jarrod's Blog	147	http://jarrodsblog.global2.vic.edu.au/
.	Gemma's Blog	107	http://gemmaccs11.edublogs.org
.
.	Best teacher blog	Votes	Link
.	Brunswick Acres Art Blog	665	http://baart.weebly.com/
.	allatc	343	http://allatc.wordpress.com/
.	Teacher Tom	315	http://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/
.	Ms Mac's Website	185	http://kmcfadzen.wordpress.com/
.	In search of Scientific Creativity	155	http://problemfinding.labanca.net/
.
.	Best librarian / library blog	Votes	Link
.	Try Curiosity!	136	http://www.trycuriosity.com/
.	Bulldog Readers Blog	134	http://bellbulldogreaders.edublogs.org/
.	The Daring Librarian	121	http://www.thedaringlibrarian.com/
.	Never Ending Search	114	http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/neverendingsearch
.	A Media Specialist's Guide to the Internet	101	http://mediaspecialistsguide.blogspot.com/
.
.	Best school administrator blog	Votes	Link
.	A Principal's Reflections	192	http://esheninger.blogspot.com/
.	Burlington High School Principal's Blog	121	http://www.patrickmlarkin.com/
.	Darcy Moore's Blog	111	http://darcymoore.net/
.	This and That	41	http://jcastelhanothisandthat.blogspot.com/
.	The Principal of Change	39	http://georgecouros.ca/blog/
.
.	Best group blog	Votes	Link
.	Our World, Our Stories	324	http://ourworldourstories.edublogs.org/
.	The Teaching Palette	244	http://theteachingpalette.com/
.	Teaching Blog Addict	187	http://www.teachingblogaddict.com/
.	Irresistible Ideas for Play Based Learning	176	http://www.playbasedlearning.com.au/
.	Leading Notes	149	http://leadingnotes.org/
.
.	Best mobile app	Votes	Link
.	Mastery Connect	191	http://www.masteryconnect.com/
.	ABCDay	138	http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/abcday-read-write-play-sing/id467036687?mt=8
.	Socrative	40	http://www.socrative.com/
.	Dropbox	30	http://www.dropbox.com/
.	Evernote	27	http://evernote.com/
.
.	Best free web tool	Votes	Link
.	ClustrMaps	276	http://clustrmaps.com/
.	Glogster	123	http://edu.glogster.com/
.	Edmodo	92	http://www.edmodo.com/
.	ClassDojo	91	http://www.classdojo.com/
.	Socrative	78	http://www.socrative.com/
.
.	Best ed tech / resource blog	Votes	Link
.	Free Technology for Teachers	386	http://www.freetech4teachers.com/
.	Cindy L. Meester's Blog	233	http://meesterc.wordpress.com/
.	Speech Techie	205	http://www.speechtechie.com/
.	I'm a teacher, get me OUTSIDE here!	186	http://creativestarlearning.blogspot.com/
.	Irresistible Ideas for Play Based Learning	111	http://www.playbasedlearning.com.au/
.
.	Most influential blog post	Votes	Link
.	Linda Yollis	200	http://yollisclassblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/learning-how-to-comment.html
.	Thomas "Teacher Tom" Hobson	199	http://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/spoiled-brats.html
.	Janet Lansbury	184	http://www.janetlansbury.com/2011/08/the-secrets-of-infant-learning/
.	Michelle Moloney-King	117	http://teachermoloneyking.com/2011/07/thinking-outside-box.html
.	Vicky Loras	97	http://vickyloras.wordpress.com/2011/10/09/blog-challenge-whats-your-story/
.	Angela Maiers	97	http://www.angelamaiers.com/2011/09/you-matter-two-world-changing-words.html
.
.	Best educational wiki	Votes	Link
.	ICTmagic	341	http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/
.	Resources for History Teachers	269	http://resourcesforhistoryteachers.wikispaces.com
.	iPad in Education	261	http://palmbeachschooltalk.com/groups/ipadpilot/
.	Art Online Studio	187	http://ibart.wetpaint.com/
.	Mr Hanson's Online Classroom	169	http://mrhanson.pbworks.com/
.
.	Best open PD / webinar series	Votes	Link
.	Simple K12 webinars	133	http://simplek12.com/tlc/webinars/
.	Global Education Conference	104	http://globaleducation.ning.com/page/2011-conference
.	Early Childhood Investigations Webinars	87	http://www.earlychildhoodwebinars.org/
.	TL Virtual Cafe!	82	http://tlvirtualcafe.wikispaces.com/
.	Australia Series Webinars	65	http://australiaseries.wordpress.com/
.
.	Best hashtag	Votes	Link
.	#tlchat	99
.	#edchatie	93
.	#edchat	83
.	#artsed	67
.	#SLPeeps	65
.
.	Best individual tweeter	Votes	Link
.	web20classroom	107	http://twitter.com/#!/web20classroom
.	coolcatteacher	95	https://twitter.com/#!/coolcatteacher
.	tucksoon	90	https://twitter.com/#!/tucksoon
.	fboss	89	http://twitter.com/fboss
.	DebChitwood	89	http://twitter.com/DebChitwood
.
.	Best use of a social network	Votes	Link
.	Making Curriculum Pop	156	http://mcpopmb.ning.com/
.	English Companion Ning	146	http://englishcompanion.ning.com/
.	Teach Preschool	137	http://www.facebook.com/Teachpreschool?ref=ts
.	Art Education 2.0	106	http://arted20.ning.com/
.	#sschat & #sschat Ning	106	http://sschat.ning.com/
.
.	Best use of audio / video / podcast	Votes	Link
.	Interactive Biology	571	http://www.interactive-biology.com/
.	Film English	356	http://film-english.com/
.	Mr Avery's Classroom Blog	130	http://mravery.edublogs.org/
.	Dryden Art	125	http://drydenart.weebly.com/
.	The Compendium Blog of The A.T.TIPSCAST	120	http://attipscast.wordpress.com/
.
.	Best Individual blog	Votes	Link
.	Kieran Donaghy - Film English	420	http://film-english.com/
.	Thomas Hobson - Teacher Tom	259	http://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/
.	Jenny Kable - Let the Children Play	198	http://progressiveearlychildhoodeducation.blogspot.com/
.	Deborah Stewart - Teach Preschool	157	http://www.teachpreschool.org/
.	Richard Byrne - Free Technology for Teachers	153	http://freetech4teachers.com/
.
.	Lifetime Achievement	Votes	Link
.	Joyce Valenza	212	http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/neverendingsearch
.	Linda Yollis	125	http://yollisclassblog.blogspot.com/
.	Steve Hargadon	78	http://www.stevehargadon.com/
.	Vanessa Levin	70	http://www.pre-kpages.com/
.	Vicki Davis	70	http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/

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