I read a lot of educational blogs. As both the coordinating editor for KQED’s “In the Classroom” and as a social studies teacher at San Marino High School, it comes with the territory. The best blogs I have read are generally those written by teachers that describe various teaching, learning, and assessment strategies.
Appearing in alphabetical order below are the 20 teacher-bloggers who have impacted me the most in 2017:
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Alice Chen
Alice Chen is a Suzanne Middle School teacher (8th-grade Language Arts, Technology Coach). Alice’s school is located in Walnut, California and she can be reached via Twitter @wondertechedu and her Alice in Wonder Tech blog. Alice’s best blog posts of 2017 are:
- Real News, Fake News or Opinion? Teaching Our Students to Discern the Difference
- 8 Ways for Students to Reflect on Their Learning
- Empowering Students with Peer-Designed Lessons
Amy Rosenstein
Amy Rosenstein is a Concord Road Elementary School teacher. Amy’s school is located in Ardsley, New York and she can be reached via Twitter @SkypeAmy. Amy’s best blog posts of 2017 are:
- How Elementary School Students and their Teachers Tell Stories in the Digital Age
- Students Transform into Global Change Agents with Technology
- Video Conferencing Magic in the Elementary School Classroom
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Bob Kelly
Bob Kelly is a Minarets High School teacher (AP US History, US History, US Government, Economics, Psychology). Bob’s school is located outside Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevada foothills of California and he can be reached via Twitter @MrKellyIII and his Learning is My Business blog. Bob’s best blog posts of 2017 are:
- Integrating Current Events with KQED’s “The Lowdown”
- How can we understand the legacy of slavery, the Civil War, and what happened in Charlottesville, VA?
- Was Dr. Seuss Racist?!? Fake News or a Teachable Moment?
- Moving Forward
Catlin Tucker
Catlin Tucker is a Windsor High School teacher (9th and 10th grade English Language Arts). Catlin’s school is located in Windsor, California and she can be reached via Twitter @Catlin_Tucker and her Catlin Tucker blog. Catlin’s best posts of 2017 are:
- Stop Taking Grading Home
- Battling Against Traditional Perception of Teaching and Learning
- 3 Problems with Traditional Grades
- Station Rotation Model: Student Designed & Led Stations
- Google Docs Scavenger Hunt
Darcy Salvadore
Darcy Salvadore is a Los Osos High School teacher (11th and 12th grade English). Darcy’s school is located in Rancho Cucamonga, California and she can be reached via Twitter @drcyslvdr. Darcy’s best blog posts of 2017 are:
- When the WiFi Doesn’t Work Teach Resilience, Patience, and Problem-Solving
- How to Transform Research into Curation Using Pinterest and Flipboard
David Cutler
David Cutler is a Brimmer and May High School teacher (American History, Government, Latin American History). David’s school is an independent school located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts and he can be reached via Twitter @SpinEDu. David’s best blog posts of 2017 are:
- How I Use George Washington to Make Kids Care about ‘Fake News’
- Teaching Kids about Thanksgiving or Columbus? They Deserve the Real Story
- Why I Teach Journalism in My History Classes
- Teaching Why Facts Still Matter
- You Can’t Cover Everything
Jen Roberts
Jen Roberts is a Point Loma High School teacher (9th grade English). Jen’s school is located in San Diego, California and she can be reached via Twitter @JenRoberts1 and her Literacy, Technology, Policy, Etc blog. Jen’s best posts of 2017 are:
- Differentiation with Branching Google Forms
- Reading Challenges: Choice with a Subtle Nudge
- Self-Evaluation Google Form for Students
- Book Check Out Form: My Classroom Library Solution
- Got a Few Minutes at the End of Class?
Jim Pike
Throughout much of 2017, Jim Pike was an Albert Einstein Academy teacher (5th and 6th grade STEAM) and the director of Game-Based Learning and CodeREVKids.com Learning Centers (Santa Monica). In the fall, Jim became a Sycamore School teacher. This school is located in Malibu, CA. Jim can be reached via Twitter @joakleyiii. Jim’s best posts of 2017 are:
- How Minecraft Teaches 5th Graders Video Game Design
- Harness Student Creativity with Minecraft Movies
John Walter
John Walter is a Junction City High School teacher (Journalism, American Ethnic Studies.) John’s school is located in Junction City, Kansas and he can be reached via Twitter at @John_MWalter. John’s best blog posts of 2017 are:
- Getting Started with Snapchat in Your Classroom
- The iAM Video Project: A Creative ‘Get-to-Know-You’ Activity
Kelley Hutchison
Kelley Hutchison lives in Portland, Oregon, having moved there recently. Previously, she taught English at both Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, CA and Leland High School in San Jose, CA. She can be reached via Twitter @TheMrsHutch. Kelley’s best blog posts for 2017 are:
- The Power of Podcasting: A New Way for Students to Experience Narrative
- Embracing Annotations: The Know How
Laura Bradley
Laura Bradley is a Kenilworth Junior High School teacher (English 8, Design Lab 8, and Broadcast Media 7/8). Laura’s school is located in Petaluma, California and she can be reached via Twitter @LAMBradley and her Laura Bradley blog. Laura’s best blog posts of 2017 are:
- Putting Empathy and Digital Citizenship at the Center of our Classrooms
- Broadcasting Class Creates an Authentic Real-World Learning Experience
- The Original Makerspace
- Flexible Seating in Middle School
- A Novel Idea for Student Writing
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Mariana Garcia-Serrato
Mariana Garcia-Serrato is an Oak Grove School District teacher (5th-8th grade Science, Engineering). Mariana’s school district is located in San Jose, California and she can be reached via Twitter @MarianaGSerrato and her Teaching Above the Test blog. Mariana’s best blog posts of 2017 are:
- Twitter, a Tool for Professional Development
- Leaderboards and Badging with Google Sheets
- Blogging in the Science Classroom
- Go Beyond Snapchat with Layered Selfies
Michael Hernandez
Michael Hernandez is a Mira Costa High School teacher (Cinema, Journalism). Michael’s school is located in Manhattan Beach, California and he can be reached via Twitter @cinehead and his Michael Hernandez blog. Michael’s best blog posts of 2017 are:
- What My Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Students Taught Me About Good Teaching
- Why and How to Write For An Online Audience
- Embracing Film Theory in ELA Curriculum
- Service-Learning Leads to Personalized Learning
- Explainer Videos: A Fun Way for Students to Show What They Know
Nicole Naditz
Nicole Naditz is a Bella Vista High School teacher (French Language and Culture). Nicole’s school is located near Sacramento, California and she can be reached via Twitter at @NicoleNaditz. Nicole’s best blog posts of 2017 are:
- Flipgrid: The Global Classroom Connections Maker
- Free, Robust and “Unglitchy”: Digital Portfolios with Seesaw
Robert Ward
Robert Ward is a T.S. King Middle School teacher (8th grade English). Robert’s school is located in Los Angeles, California and he can be reached via Twitter @RewardingEdu and on his Rewarding Education blog. Robert’s best blog posts of 2017 are:
- Young Adult Novels that Teach a Growth Mindset
- The Fallacy of Failure
- Dispelling the Myth that Intelligence = Instant and Easy
- Enduring the Educational Pendulum
- The Super-Ordinary Hero Project
Scott Petri
Scott Petri is a John F. Kennedy High School Medical Magnet teacher (World History & The Impact of Disease, US History & Public Health). Scott’s school is located in Granada Hills, California and he can be reached via Twitter @scottmpetri. Scott’s best blog posts of 2017 are:
- Listening is a 21st-Century Skill
- Automated Writing Feedback Programs Help Teachers Coach Students How to Write
- Learning from Student Reflection
- Dark Side of Gifted Ed
- Teaching Study Skills
Vicki Davis
Vicki Davis is a Westwood Schools teacher (Computer Science, Computers Apps Games & Society, Keyboarding, Digital Filmmaking). Vicki’s school is located in Camilla, Georgia and she can be reached via Twitter @coolcatteacher and her Cool Cat Teacher blog. Vicki’s best blog posts of 2017 are:
- 100+ Great Google Classroom and Gsuite Resources for Educators
- 5 Mistakes Teachers Make the First Week of School
- 3 Fast, Free lesson Plans to Fight Fake News
- 10 Ways to Flip and Kid and Turn Their Day Around
- 15 Best Google Drive Add-Ons for Education
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The three teachers mentioned below have recently left the classroom, but given how impressed I’ve been with their blogging in 2017, I had to include them:
Cori Orlando
Cori Orlando is a Simi Valley Unified School District TOSA. Previously, she taught K-4. Cori’s district is located in Simi Valley, California and she can be reached via Twitter @CoriOrlando1 and her Leading in Limbo Blog. Cori’s best blog posts of 2017 are:
Matthew Farber
Matthew Farber, Ed.D. is a University of Northern Colorado Assistant Professor. Previously, he was a 6th and 7th-grade social studies teacher for 9 years at Valleyview Middle School in Denville, New Jersey. His current school (UNC) is located in Greeley, Colorado and he can be reached via Twitter at @MatthewFarber. Dr. Farber’s best blog posts of 2017 are:
- How Games Can Be a Centerpiece for Student-Driven Learning
- Learning by Tinkering
- Taking Advantage of the Power of Play
- Standards-Aligned Genius Hour
- Exploring the World in Your Class
Peg Grafwallner
Peg Grafwallner, M.Ed. is a Ronald Reagan IB High School Instructional Coach/Reading Specialist. Previously, she taught freshmen English. Peg’s current school (RRHS) is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and she can be reached via Twitter @PegGrafwallner and her Peg Grafwallner, M.Ed. blog. Peg’s best blog posts of 2017 are:
- Coaching the Novice Teacher
- Coaching the Veteran Teacher
- Keeping Learning Real, Relevant and Relatable
- What I’ve Learned From Special Ed Teachers
- How I Spent My Holiday Break
To learn more about each of the above-mentioned teacher bloggers, click here.