Serving the unserved, reaching the unreached

Serving the unserved, reaching the unreached

Have you ever thought how the house or society flat that you live in and proudly possess was constructed? It was not built in a day. It took years to evolve into its present shape. You may like to thank the builder for such a marvelous piece of work, without even thinking about the stark reality.

It was the labour who toiled in the sun, during the rain and shivering cold. More than the labour, their children suffered when their parents went out for work just to afford two square meals a day. These people might have left their native land in search of jobs but does that mean one should be deprived of the rights that every child must have? Right to enjoy their childhood, right to have a safe, clean and healthy environment and what about right to education. Perhaps, there is only a few to think on these lines.

When we visited a construction site recently, we were moved by plight of these children. With strong determination we approached ATS greens and Eminence Constructions on Dwarka Expressway for education of these children in their labour camps. Reluctantly, they agreed and we decided to reschedule our Education on Wheels program from West Delhi to Dwarka Expressway from 29th September 2015. Since then, our bus has been visiting the sites to teach these children.

Two fully funded PhD positions available

Two fully funded PhD positions available.The positions are for three years and come with no teaching duties! (There is also possibility for an extension to four years with 25% compulsory duties.) Starting date can be as early as Sept 2016, but no later than march 2016.

Paytm Promo Code Coupons & Offers March 2016

Paytm Promo Code Coupons & Offers March 2016.

is an Indian e-commerce recharge & shopping website which initially focused on Mobile and DTH Recharging and later added Online Shopping, Bill Payment, Bus Ticket Booking, Semi-Wallet & many more facilities. Recently they came up with there first television advertisement for promoting their business by providing Paytm promo code and Paytm cashback coupons to attract new customers. Today, it is India's most popular online destination for mobile and DTH recharges and shopping, and its Android and iOS apps have been ranked among the most popular apps. Paytm works with the all mobile operators in all states in India for prepaid mobile, DTH, and Datacard recharges and postpaid mobile, landline, 

Paytm DTH Recharge Offers are shared below in tabular form. Make sure to copy the coupons and click on the offer in order to go to Paytm DTH recharge page. Rest other process is same for applying promocode. paytm dth recharge coupons Get Rs.200 cashback on DTH Recharges of Rs 1000 and above: D2HNEW

Have you ever thought of paying electricity bill without standing in a long queue ? Paying electricity bill online and getting cashback will be great deal to you. Using Paytm Electricity Promo code you can save your time and money by getting cashback in your account plus paying bills on your finger tips.

• Get Rs. 100 Cashback on Electricity Bill Payment of Rs 1000 or more: ELEC100

UK’s university to boost education quality at AIOU

UK’s university to boost education quality at AIOU

ISLAMABAD: A two-member delegation of World’s first Open University (OU) established in United Kingdom (UK) in 1969 visited Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) to share its expertise and experience to boost up accessible quality education.

The visit was sponsored by the British Council in the federal capital was aimed at helping the AIOU in carrying out its consolidation plan, improving its academic ranking and providing best possible services to the students.

Senior British academicians Dr Nicholas Richard Watson and Anna Childs on their arrival at the university’s main campus were welcomed by the Vice Chancellor (VC) Prof Dr Shahid Siddiqui. The delegation was informed about the AIOU’s future development plan that includes promoting innovative applied research, updating curriculum and course materials, professional development, strengthening students’ support system and improving delivery system through smart use of technology.

During its five-day stay, the delegation will hold ‘Scoping Study’ to understand the working of AIOU and to suggest ways and means for its further improvement. Dr Shahid Siddiqui in his welcome address praised UK Open University for its solid contribution in establishing AIOU in 1974 at its initial stage.

The UK Open University is first in the world and AIOU in first in Asia that maintained close liaison for many years in popularising open distance learning. The idea of establishing Open University in Pakistan under an Act of Parliament was brought from UK by former prime minister Zulfiaqar Ali Buhtto to fight out illiteracy.

Dr Siddiqui said that AIOU has achieved its stipulated targets in bringing a large number of country’s population in the educational net adding that its annual enrollment has now jumped to 1.3 million with a huge infrastructure network. He said that now the university is focusing on research work and promoting E-learning. He said, “We are working on a plan to convert AIOU into E-learning university through a gradual process.”

Dr Siddiqui further said that they have taken it as their mission to transform the life of the people through education and now they are actively engaged in proving affordable and accessible education to the people through technology-supported distance learning. The delegation lauded the AIOU’s achievements in the recent years and noted that it made significance progress in all the relevant fields. It is hoped that their visit will be productive in helping to achieve future goals.

Dr Shahid Siddiqui said that they are looking forward to resume their previous collaboration with UK OU making the non-formal education more effective in conducting research work on society-related issues and enhancing literacy rate in the country.

The delegation was given detailed presentation on the university’s working by the, Directorate of Overseas Education & E-Learning Director Majid Rashid.

The delegation also took round of various departments to get first-hand knowledge of the university’s recent developments. It will be holding separate meetings with heads of various departments for conducting ‘scoping study’ of the university’s working.

Running Recharge: Get Free Rs 10 Recharge Daily In 2 Minutes [Proof Attached.

nowadays is a trend to gather visitors towards any product. Almost every newbie launches nowadays wanted something that can attract people. Free Recharge is one of the best way to gather high number of users in the beginning. Recently I posted an EArticle on ChampCoin Free Recharge where you can earn rs 10 daily just by clicking to adv and by referring also you can earn upto 7 level. Similarly this app is working to named "Running Recharge"

Running Recharge having same concept like ChampCoin, you'll earn rs 10 free recharge daily just for spending 1-2 minutes in a day. This time I came up with a proof and a full guiding tutorial. So guys real full EArticle below.

Steps to Get Into Running Recharge App:

• Click On It and It'll Redirect You to Play Store
• Wait For 10-15 Seconds On Play Store Then Press Back Button Twice Or Thrice
• As Soon As You Come to Running Recharge App You'll Get Pop Up Notification

• That's It, You've Done It!!
• Follow The Same Till You Get Pop Up Notification As Daily Limit Exceed

• Once You Click Maximum Adv. In a Day You Earned Rs 10
• To Check Your Earning, Tap to Menu and Select Earning History

How Redeem Earning For Free Recharge?

• Once You Clicked Maximum Adv. In a Day
• Check Your Earning First, Its About Rs 10.15
• Now Tap to Menu, Then Recharge Request
• Enter Your Details and Submit It
• Now Wait For At least 30 Hours

Refer and Earn:

You Can Invite Your Friends and Earn Upto 7 Level. Your Registered Mobile Number is Your Referral Code

How to Redeem Points

How to Redeem Points

• Once Your Account Get Activate, Go and Login Your Account
• You'll Get 1.25 Points On Joining
• At The Home Page You'll Find 3 Tabs.
• Select First Tab and Then Refresh. i.e Click to Upper Right Corner and Refresh(3 Dots)
• You'll Find 3 Banner Adv. In a Tab

• Click to First and It'll Redirect You to Any Browser
• Stay 5-6 Seconds On Page and Then Come Back to ChampCoin App
• Refresh 4-5 Times and You'll See Increment On Your Points
• Click to All Banner & On All Three Tabs One by One and Follow The Same As Above
• Once You Reach Maximum Limit Of a Day, You'll See a Pop Up Their.. Stop Then
• Do Similar All the Day That's It

How to Redeem Points?

• Per Adv You'll Get 1.25 Points
• 1 Points Equals to Rs 1
• Once You Have 10 Or More Points Then You Can Redeem Your Earning
• Goto In App Menu, Select Recharge Option
• Enter Network Details and Submit Your Request
• Your Recharge Request Will be Proceed Within Few Hours [I've Got My Recharge In 15 Minutes]

Points to Be Note:

• Minimum Recharge Amount Rs 1o
• Maximum Recharge Amount Rs 50
• You've to Wait Few Hours In Order to Activate Your Account
• You Can Access Your Account From Only The Device You've Used While Registration
• For The First Week You'll Get 1.25 Points Per Refer, Later It Reduce
• Refer Points Reflects Instant

Personality correlates of breadth vs. depth of research scholarship

Personality correlates of breadth vs. depth of research scholarship

Personality correlates of breadth vs. depth of research scholarship.The difference between the sets of regression models is the use of total publications vs. centrality as a control. These variables also correlate .52, so it not surprisingly made little difference.

They also report the full correlation matrix:

Of note in the results: Their measures of depth and breadth correlated strongly (.59), so this makes things more difficult. Preferably, one would want a single dimension to measure these along, not two highly positively correlated dimensions. The authors claimed to do this, but didn’t:

The two dependent variables, depth and breadth, were correlated positively (r = 0.59), and therefore we analyzed them separately (in each case, controlling for the other) rather than using the same predictive model. Discriminant validity is sup- ported by roughly 65% of variance unshared. At the same time, sharing 35% variance renders the statistical tests somewhat conservative, making the many significant and distinguishing relationships particularly noteworthy.

Openness (5 factor model) correlated positively with both depth and breadth, perhaps just because these are themselves correlated. Thus it seems preferable to control for the other depth/breadth measure when modeling. In any case, O seems to be related to creative output in these data. Conscientiousness had negligible betas, perhaps because they control for centrality/total publications thru which the effect of C is likely to be mediated. They apparently did not use the other scales of the FFM inventory, or at least give the impression they didn’t. Maybe they did and didn’t report because near-zero results (publication bias).

Their four other personality variables correlated in the expected directions. Exploration and learning goal orientation with breadth and performance goal orientation and competitiveness with depth.

Since the correlation matrix is published, one can do path and factor analysis on the data, but cannot run more regression models without case-level data. Perhaps the authors will supply it (they generally won’t).

The reporting on results in the main article is lacking. They report test-statistics without sample sizes and proper (d or r, or RR or something) effect sizes, a big no-no:

Study 1. In a simple test of scientists’ appraisals of deep, specialized studies vs. broader studies that span multiple domains, we created brief hypothetical descriptions of two studies (Fig. 1; see details in Supporting Information). Counterbalancing the sequence of the descriptions in a sample separate from our primary (Study 2) sample, we found that these scientists considered the broader study to be riskier (means = 4.61 vs. 3.15; t = 12.94, P < 0.001), a less significant opportunity (5.17 vs. 5.83; t = 6.13, P < 0.001), and of lower potential importance (5.35 vs. 5.72; t = 3.47, P < 0.001). They reported being less likely to pursue the broader project (on a 100% probability scale, 59.9 vs. 73.5; t = 14.45, P < 0.001). Forced to choose, 64% chose the deep project and 33% (t = 30.12, P < 0.001) chose the broad project (3% were missing). These results support the assumptions underlying our Study 2 predictions, that the perceived risk/return trade-off generally favors choosing depth over breadth.

Since they don’t mean the SDs, one cannot calculate r or d from their data I think. Unless one can get it from the t-values (not sure). One can of course calculate odds ratios using their mean values, but I’m not sure this would be a meaningful statistic (not a ratio scale, maybe not even an interval scale).

Their model fitting comparison is pretty bad, since they only tried their preferred model vs. an implausible straw man model:

Study 2. We conducted confirmatory factor analysis to assess the adequacy of the measurement component of the proposed model and to evaluate the model relative to alternative models (21). A six-factor model, in which items measuring our six self-reported dispositional variables loaded on separate correlated factors, had a significant χ 2 test [χ 2 (175) = 615.09, P < 0.001], and exhibited good fit [comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.90, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.07]. Moreover, the six-factor model’s standardized loadings were strong and significant, ranging from 0.50 to 0.93 (all P < 0.01). We compared the hypothesized measurement model to a one-factor model (22) in which all of the items loaded on a common factor [χ 2 (202) = 1315.5, P < 0.001, CFI = 0.72, RMSEA = 0.17] and found that the hypothesized six-factor model fit the data better than the one-factor model [χ 2 (27) = 700.41, P < 0.001].

Not quite sure how this was done. Too little information given. Did they use item-level modeling or? It sort of sounds like it. Since the data isn’t given, one cannot confirm this, or do other item-level modeling. For instance, if I were to analyze it, I would probably have the items of their competitiveness and performance scales load on a common latent factor (r=.39), as well as the items from the exploration and learning scales on their latent factor, maybe try with openness too (r’s .23, .30, .17).

Of other notes in their correlations: Openness is correlated with being in academia vs. non-academia (r=.22), so there is some selection going on not just with general intelligence there

Study in Pakistan

Study in Pakistan

Study in Pakistan

Pakistan has 2,45,578 institutions (Primary schools to University) with 3,09,04,000+ students. In Pakistan, students will have opportunity to experience both modernity and tradition.

Whether you are a local student or overseas Pakistani, Pakistani institutions are the best place for you to study. Pakistani institutions are delivering at their best. You need not to go to other countries for quality education, and why should you, when you can get the best education at very low cost, living inside your own country. Pakistani instructions are making history as these are making their marks in the top ranked universities of the world.

The quality of the education and teaching staff at Pakistani Universities offers a world of opportunities to get the skills one will need to compete in the global market.  Degrees granted by Pakistani Universities are recognized around the world.

Higher Education in Pakistan

After 2001 while University Grants Commission was restructured and renamed as Higher Education Commission (HEC), the higher education in Pakistan experienced a dramatic change and progress.  HEC revised previous policies to make the educational system of Pakistan comparable to the international standards. The commission has conceived and implemented a number of programs for promotion and development of higher education in the country.

Top Educator Blogs for 2016

Top Educator Blogs for 2016

From time to time, we all need advice, and excellent educators will always seek answers regarding challenges. Teachers and administrators have been taking their experience, insight and hard work to the blogosphere, ushering in a new collaborative culture that's bringing together the schools and classrooms of the world.

The list below represents EducationWorld's favorite educator blogs to follow in 2013. Some of these feature the latest in education news, while others put everything out there and share the entire classroom experience, fears and all. Some even provide inspiration and a spark of creativity. Check out our selections below and see for yourself!

A list of blogs we love appears below.

Steve Haberlin's Blog

A teacher of gifted students, Steve Haberlin has been a thoughtful contributor to the EdWorld Community. As he grows as both a blogger and educator, reading about his experience in the classroom has been a blast. Hit this blog up for brilliant ideas, powerful commentary and a fresh voice on issues that matter to every educator.

Speed of Creativity

Wesley Fryer writes about technology and creativity in this excellent education blog. A plethora of his presentations as a keynote speaker, including TED Talks and other resources, are available, along with relevant news and musings on how technology is helping to shape the minds of the next generation.

Speech Room News

Jenna Rayburn is a speech language pathologist who works with preschool and elementary students. Offering everything from speech activities and printouts to speech therapy app reviews, this blog is both personal and inviting. Speech Room News offers a unique and much-needed language resource to the education blogosphere.

Cool Cat Teacher Blog

Vicki Davis is all about being cool, which helps engage this generation's students. This mother of three pumps her blog full of thoughts on the latest in education. Davis covers technology, news and lesson plans, perfectly blending accessibility with a personality that's relatable to students, parents and educators alike. Make sure to check out this cool cat!

Bulldog Readers Blog

Julie Hembree is the teacher-librarian media specialist behind the Bulldog Readers Library Blog. A combination of classroom lessons, book reviews and previews by multiple authors and fun video trailers, this blog is a great asset to any K-6 educator looking to enrich his/her reading environment.

Globicate

Globicate is the brainchild of Arizona teacher Heidi Befort. A blog on teaching children about global issues and the current events that affect us all, Globicate helps educators embrace global teaching and build students' cultural awareness. Befort also advocates for environmental concerns, focusing on many other aspects of the larger global picture.

Principals as Leader-Managers

Principals as Leader-Managers

Many leaders view management responsibilities at a lower level or lower "rank" because they have little to do with vision, mission, culture building, and instructional supervision, according to Dr. Alvy. But management goes hand-in hand with leadership; many of the culture-building and culture-shaping aspects of the job are accomplished through combining leadership and management.

HOW TO LEAD AND MANAGE

For example, when a principal is "monitoring" student dismissal at 3 p.m., that responsibility should be viewed as both management and leadership, Dr. Alvy said, because the principal is making sure students are safe as they are leaving school and taking the opportunity to talk with students, teachers, and bus drivers about the day and important educational issues -- such as, "Monica, I heard you did great on your math test yesterday; well done!"

In assessing their skills as managers and leaders, administrators should not separate the two roles, Dr. Alvy added.

"One principal had a sign that said 'Out Learning' that he would put on his door when visiting classrooms. He had note cards with every teacher's name on them and would mark the date he visited a classroom and what the teacher was doing."

"It is hard to determine [a principal's success in those roles] unless a principal has a clear vision and mission of his or her job -- one that is focused on instructional leadership," he noted. "We cannot determine if we are successful unless we have a target or standard to judge our performance. The leadership vision needs to be about helping students succeed academically and as citizens, and helping faculty and staff develop as professionals with a common vision and mission about school and student success. Based on the vision and mission the leader needs to set goals, and assess whether the goals have been addressed during the year."

According to Dr. Alvy and Dr. Robbins, successful school leaders combine management and leadership strategies effectively by

• maximizing quality instructional time.
• using data.
• managing their time effectively.
• using faculty meetings to leverage professional learning.
• reflecting.

"Also consider the emotional needs of the child," Dr. Robbins said. "You need to build heart into the school plan. Remember heart in the equation of learning."

According to Robbins, one principal noticed a few months before graduation that certain kids were at risk of not graduating. So the principal ordered graduation robes early and took pictures of the kids in the robes, put them in frames, and gave them to the kids. "That inspired many of them to complete school."

MANAGING TIME, DATA

A simple way to maximize learning time is by observing how effectively teachers use the first five minutes of class time, Dr. Alvy said. "Look at how the first five minutes of class goes. If you lose five minutes a day, that's 15 hours of instructional time a year." He also recommends principals pick up examples of student work as they walk around the building.

"One of the most valuable management tools is data," Dr. Alvy added. "Make sure you make decisions based on research. Consider what do on a daily basis to improve student achievement. Remember to put data in context."

"Another principal had blue cards. As walked around the building, he jotted down maintenance problems and gave them to his secretary, who called the custodian. The secretary passed on the cards to the custodian. When the work was done, the custodian returned the card to the principal, signed and dated."

To successfully use data, combine leadership and management roles, Dr. Alvy continued. "While managers are concerned with generating and collecting data sources, leaders go beyond merely connecting, and scrutinize the most valuable data sources given contextual realities and perceptions," he said. "Leaders then make decisions and act in the best interests of students, faculty, and the school."

One new principal, for example, in reviewing student referrals, noticed that kids only were referred to the office for negative reasons, said Dr. Robbins, an educational consultant who lives in Virginia. The principal told the teachers that he wanted to change the policy so kids were referred for good things as well. He papered the wall in his office with notes from kids who wrote about the good things they did and signed their names.

"It changed the climate of the school," Dr. Robbins noted.

Principals also should take the time to walk through the school, a strategy Dr. Alvy and Dr. Robbins call Leading and Learning by Wandering Around.

"One principal had a sign that said 'Out Learning' that he would put on his door when visiting classrooms," Dr. Alvy noted. "He had note cards with every teacher's name on them and would mark the date he visited a classroom and what the teacher was doing."

Another principal had blue cards, Dr. Alvy added. As walked around the building, he jotted down maintenance problems and gave them to his secretary, who called the custodian. The secretary passed on the cards to the custodian. When the work was done, the custodian returned the card to the principal, signed and dated.

"Ask yourself, 'What parts of the school should I be visiting but I'm not?'" Dr. Alvy said. "Where you go in the building says a lot about you."

To help manage time, Drs. Alvy and Robbins recommended Covey's time management matrix. This suggests dividing tasks into categories urgent and important, urgent and not important, not urgent and important, not urgent and not important

"You need to organize and execute around priorities," Dr. Alvy added.

He also suggested administrators establish a Tickler File with information they will need for the month, and for more long-term planning. "You also can put notes on file for next year, such as 'shorten the graduation speech' or 'don't invite someone back because of crude language'."

FACULTY MEETINGS AS STAFF DEVELOPMENT

Faculty meetings also should be treated as prime opportunities for staff development. "They should not be times to review items that can be delivered via e-mail," Dr. Alvy said. "They should be planned with the idea that every teacher can gain valuable information from the meeting."

"One principal noticed a few months before graduation that certain kids were at risk of not graduating. So the principal ordered graduation robes early and took pictures of the kids in the robes, put them in frames, and gave them to the kids. That inspired many of them to complete school."

Use faculty meetings to leverage learning time, he said. To do that, use meetings for instructional curricular and assessment issues that foster student learning, such as analyzing data to make decisions about needed interventions for students. Also, foster opportunities to analyze student work and showcase students. Start the meeting with a student who received an award or who plays an instrument; something inspirational.

One possibility is for teachers and administrators to read an article together and discuss it.

Principals also should provide opportunities to build trust, collaboration, and individual and organizational capacity, as well as employ celebrations to call attention to treasured school values.

REFLECT, REFLECT

Many principals would say that reflecting on their job and what they do is a luxury they can't afford, but Drs. Alvy and Robbins insist it is critical to being good leader-managers, because reflection deepens learning perspectives.

As an example of the value of reflection, Dr. Robbins noted that one principal realized that kids referred for fighting were being teased about body odor. The principal did some research and learned that the students reported for fighting were receiving free or reduced-price lunches, and thought the families might not be able to afford certain hygiene products. The principal asked people who traveled to collect the soap and shampoo hotels leave in the rooms and donate them to the school. The principal made it known to the students that the supplies were available. "No one has abused the supplies, and the fights dropped to zero," Dr. Robbins said.

For principals who say they cannot find time to reflect, Dr. Alvy said he would sympathize with their frustration and time management constraints. "I then would ask them to talk about their typical day," he told Education World. "We would engage in a conversation about their vision, mission, and goals for the year. If instructional leadership and supervision for student growth and teacher success are not part of the mission and vision, I would suggest strongly refocusing their priorities."

At the same time, Dr. Alvy noted, principals need to remember that there are days in which the best plans go awry -- that is just part of the job. "The daily surprises are a reality, thus it is essential to focus on the mission and vision," he said. "The mission and vision serve as a compass to guide one over and around the hurdles that occur each day

- See more at: http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin451.shtml#sthash.NeLlyREN.dpuf

Consultation now open for the 2017 GEM Report: Accountability in Education

Consultation now open for the 2017 GEM Report: Accountability in Education

 Consultation now open for the 2017 GEM Report: Accountability in Education.describing how the GEM will go about addressing the issue is now available. We invite all to share their views on this note, including suggestions on relevant literature, data analysis and case studies via an online consultation  now open until 11 April. With a new ambitious global education goal, tight budgets and a focus on ensuring the marginalized are not left behind, countries are under pressure to provide education more effectively, efficiently and equitably. These pressures exist because of the persistent underperformance of education systems in light of global challenges, and because of the growing evidence about the influence of good quality education on individual and collective well-being. In addition, education constitutes a – if not the – major budgetary expenditure in most countries; proper accounting of how these public funds are (mis)used has become a high priority.

Top 10 Education Tech Blogs

Top 10 Education Tech Blogs

This post was written by Romane Robinson, who is currently pursuing an MA in Cognitive Studies in Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. A passionate student and proponent of human development, Romane has a BS in Research and Experimental Psychology and interned at Brainscape as a CEO Relations Manager in 2014.

Education is evolving fast. Every day, we hear about some new technology that will change the world and the way we learn in it. At Brainscape, we are dedicated to improving the way you learn with our own innovative smart flashcard technology (check out our subjects here), but there are many other educational technologies that are key to improving learning around the world. Because these rapid changes offer us the chance to improve education at every level for all people, it is more important now than ever before for teachers and students to have access to the best new methods, programs, and devices in the field right away.

Luckily, many dedicated educators blog about some of the best education technologies available and the evolution of their uses. These 10 blogs are our favorites here at Brainscape. Smart, pithy, and immediately useful, these blogs will teach you plenty about the best and most up-to-date technologies for use inside classrooms, at home, and wherever there are students who want to learn.

Top 10 Education Tech Blogs

1. The Innovative Educator

If you have ever felt that school was boring or irrelevant, the Innovative Educator, Lisa Nielson, understands how you feel. Motivated by her own disillusionment with the way public schools today approach teaching, Nielson focuses on showing other educators ways that they can use freely available resources and technologies already within students’ grasps to make classes more engaging and relevant. Not only does Nielson deal with broad ideas about technology in the classroom, but also the nitty gritty details of implementation, so that teachers will be able to use her ideas without having to struggle against a budget process or other restrictions.

2. The Daring Librarian

Gwyneth Jones, the Daring Librarian herself, knows that librarians can have lots of fun. Approaching ed-tech with a sense of humor and plenty of Vines and cartoons to illustrate her stories, Jones writes a blog that entertains as it informs. Not only does she provide plenty of excellent content on new apps and ideas on how to use everyday websites as learning opportunities, but also a good measure of fun stories that will have you laughing out loud.

3. EdTech RoundUp

With weekly posts on the state of technology in education, EdTech RoundUp is the best place to go to find out the latest news related to education tech. The comprehensive coverage of news and recently released apps and devices allows you to find out the latest happenings in just one place every week. While this blog may not have as many original ideas as some other blogs in the field, the RoundUp provides you with the best place to keep informed on progress in the field.

4. Edudemic

Easily the largest hub for education content out there, Edudemic provides teachers with advice, ideas, and lesson plans to better integrate technology in the classroom. While a visit to this site may be a bit overwhelming at first due to the sheer amount of attention-grabbing content, you will always be able to find new ideas that make your visit worth your time.

5. MindShift

When you are tired of reading the same ideas over and over again written in different words on different blogs, head over to MindShift for something unique. Focusing on slightly edgier, more fringe topics within the educational technology field, MindShift opens your eyes to totally new ideas. With its wide scope and its dedication to sharing all unique opinions on education, MindShift will give you plenty to talk about with your colleagues.

6. Free Technology 4 Teachers

While ideas are great, implementation remains the biggest challenge for many teachers. A lack of resources and tools plagues many schools, making it more difficult to use technology in the classroom. Richard Byrne addresses this in his blog, Free Technology 4 Teachers. His well-organized site is a treasure trove of free apps, software, videos, and graphics that teachers can use in the classroom right away. Practical and clear, Byrne gives suggestions that even the least tech-savvy teacher can use.

7. Cycles of Learning

Who doesn’t like a good life hack? Ramsay Musallam recognized how useful hacks could be in classrooms, so he set up Cycles of Learning to share practical education tech hacks to make teachers’ lives just a bit easier. Once you see his TED Talk on sparking learning, you won’t be able to get enough of his content. By focusing on simple ways to inspire real learning in students using technology in the classroom, Musallam shows us that even learning can be hacked.

8. Edutopia

Hosted by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, Edutopia has plenty of well-indexed information on how technology can be used in classrooms. Since information is filed by age group and topic, teachers can easily get practical ideas that are relevant to their current curriculum without wading through lots of ideas that won’t quite work for their individual situations. With plenty of videos and fun quizzes, Edutopia can be a fun place to browse even if you aren’t looking for anything specific. Make sure to click on their “Trending Topics” section to find out what the hottest topics are currently in education technology.

9. Steve Hargadon

Don’t let the simple design and lack of flash fool you; Steve Hargadon’s blog provides plenty of worthwhile current information on educational technologies. A true ed-tech leader, Hargadon is the director of the Web 2.0 Labs, host of the Future of Education interview series, chair of the Social Learning Summit and the Learning 2.0 Conference, and co-chair of the annual Global Education and Library 2.0 worldwide conferences. As Hargadon is one of the top experts on educational technology, you can be assured that reading his blog will give you plenty of innovative ideas.

10. My Paperless Classroom

Sam Patterson, K-5 tech integration specialist, talks about his own experiences trying to implement tech ideas in classes in My Paperless Classroom. Not only does Patterson have some excellent ideas on how to effectively use technologies less commonly allowed in classes, including MineCraft worlds, toys, and video games, but he also candidly reveals some of the challenges and pitfalls of these technologies. Be prepared to learn what tech integration really means in the classroom.

*****

While all of these favorites are worth bookmarking in our opinion, every day more creative education tech blogs pop up with new approaches and unique ideas. At Brainscape, we love reading any education technology blog we happen upon, because we always learn something new. Do you know any excellent education technology blog we didn’t mention? Let us know in the comments below, because we’d love to hear from more brilliant educators. Education technology never stops changing, but by following some of the leaders in the field, we can make sure that we are in the know about the best ideas out there to help our students.

52 Education Blogs You Should Follow.

52 Education Blogs You Should Follow.

If you are a teacher, student, parent, or administrator, you should be following education blogs. Why? Simply because blogs are an ever-increasing way to spark ideas, creativity, and innovation. The following list is a compilation of blogs for those interested in education.

Written by parents, administrators, businessmen, teachers, and administrators, these blogs stand out with their unique style and excellent content.

Take a look at the 51 options below. And if you count the blog you’re on, that makes 52.

Traditional Elementary Education

1. Cathy Nelson

Cathy Nelson’s blog is for educators and library media specialists who are interested in technology integration in the classroom. She offers help, resources, and ideas from her own personal experience. She won the EduBlog award in 2007 and 2008.

2. Cool Cat Teacher

Cool Cat is a local teacher, author, and non-profit initiator, dedicated to inspiring fellow teachers with innovative and fresh ideas for reaching students in the classroom. Be sure to check out The Captivating Teacher Manifesto.

3. Principals Page

A blog centered on school administration issues. In addition to personal anecdotes, tips, and education philosophy, he writes various articles for other websites that you can find on his site. Examples of his work include The Connection Between Teachers and Smartphones, and how Social Media Connects Educators.

4. Teaching Blog Addict

A blog dedicated to educators who want a one-stop shop for all the best education blogs and resources on the Web. They arrange posts by categories, so teachers looking for ideas in a certain subject can find content quickly and easily.

5. Learning Is Messy

Brian Crosby is the author of this blog and a teacher who specializes in “at risk” students. He shares his ideas for learning in a personal style and encourages other teachers to understand that sometimes learning isn’t linear.

6. The Curriculum Corner

This blog is run by two teachers (who happen to also be neighbors), and gives instructional tips for teaching lessons that meet the Common Core standards.

7. The Organized Classroom Blog

The Organized Classroom is a blog primarily for teachers who need help making their classroom functional and efficient. The website offers free resources, tips, and ideas from local teachers.

8. Polka Dotted Teacher

A fun and whimsical education site for teachers who need to add some color and creativity into their classroom. Her site is in the style of Dr. Seuss.

9. Educational Advancement

This blog is part of a larger website that is dedicated to helping gifted youth. It focuses on news, information, and other resources for parents and teachers of talented children.

Traditional College

10. Omniac Education

The Omniac blog is for high school students who are planning to go to college. The site gives tips for taking college entrance exams, as well as ideas for maximizing the success rate of college applications.

11. Study Hacks

A computer scientist and published author writes this blog about what makes students successful. He chronicles some of his controversial thoughts on why pursuing your passion is a bad idea and gives tips and hints found in his numerous books.

12. Parents Countdown To College Coach

This blog is mainly for parents who might need some extra help in getting their child off to school. Expect to find advice on how to help your child succeed in college, tips about transitioning to a dorm room, as well as financial aid and application resources.

13. ProfHacker

A blog dedicated to helping educators with their productivity, technology integration, as well as teaching. The latest post is an interesting entry about professionalism on social media, an increasing problem that has only been introduced since the explosion of sites like Facebook and Twitter.

14. Thesis Whisperer

The Thesis Whisperer is a collaboration of writers and students who talk about the process of writing a dissertation. Everything from planning your writing process, tips, presentation ideas, and dealing with your supervisor, is covered in this group-authored blog.

15. Teen College Education

A blog written by both students and educators! Topics include admissions to college, high school tips for maximizing college potential, and how to score well on college entrance exams. It even gives practical advice about how to survive on a student budget and what to do after graduation.

16. University of Venus

The Inside Higher Ed blog is a large site written by numerous authors. It covers everything from technology, to education philosophy, strategies for admissions, and career advice.

17. NextStepU

This blog is associated with the NextStepU magazine. It offers advice about various colleges and degrees, and offers giveaways from time to time. It also has tools like scholarship search and college match.

18. Chegg

This blog is attached to the Chegg website; a student services site for planning and study help. The blog gives advice about finding inexpensive textbooks, study habits, and scholarships. Be sure to check out the post, What Does Your Major Say About You?

19. The Ivy Coach

The author of this blog is Bev Taylor, a well-known counselor who is frequently seen on media sites, giving tips about getting into Ivy League schools. Her blog centers on helping students gain entrance into the school of their dream. She also offers herself for hire!

20. Stratedgy

The Stratedgy blog is meant for educators who want to discuss ways to compete in an ever-expanding world of education options.

E-Learning and Edtech

21. Tic Tac Interactive

Tic Tac interactive is Scandinavia’s “leader in digital education” – and their blog features some pretty interesting conversations about education.

22. The Daily Riff

From their “About Us” page: As provocateur, muse, catalyst and game changer, The Daily Riff will “sniff and sift” through our edu-culture, “curating” news and opinion in quick, digest-sized take-aways for you to use and share. I think that says it all.

23. ElearnSpace

This site is full of solid information regarding open courseware, technology, education philosophy, and networking. There are slide presentations to go with some of the posts as well.

24. Speed of Creativity

Wesley Fryer is a keynote speaker and author who owns this blog. He explores topics like digital storytelling, creativity and technology integration in education. Many of his presentations, handouts, and other materials are available to read and download.

25. Beth Knittle

Beth Knittle is a technology integration specialist for a K-12 district and blogs about her learning experiences. She has presented at several major education conferences like MassCUE and EduCon. She has an attached Wiki and a scrupulously organized archive page.

26. Edcomp Blog

A lecturer in Scotland at the University of Strathclyde authors this blog. Check out his blog post on creating memorable passwords for middle school students, or his review of text online adventure games. He writes in short post form, making it an easy blog to read when you are short on time.

27. The Tech Savvy Educator

This blog is a practical guide to technology integration. There are posts about using the iPad in the classroom, how to make an inexpensive green screen, as well as starting up an online book club. The owner and author is Ben Rimes, a K-12 technology specialist in Michigan.

28. Will Richardson

Will Richardson is a published author, TED talk presenter, and parent who blogs about technology and its educational potential. His book about web tools for the classroom has sold over 80,000 copies.

29. The Thinking Stick

This blog covers all things technology and education. The author is Jeff Utecht, an educator, consultant, and author. Some of his top tweeted posts are 10 Reasons to Trash Word and Use Google Docs, Gmail Tips for Teachers, and Lecture as Content Delivery is Dead.

30. The Rapid E-Learning Blog

This is a blog all about e-learning. It tackles topics such as how to design e-courses, web applications for e-learning, PowerPoint, graphic design, and interactive e-learning.

31. Life in Perpetual Beta

Harold Jarche’s blog is called Life in Perpetual Beta. His topics center on practical tips for leadership, social networking in business, and collaboration. He tackles ideologies of learning and knowledge from a philosophical perspective, adding technological aspects to his writing.

32. The Online Learning Update

The Online Learning Update is a blog about online education news and research. The editor is Ray Schroeder, a University of Illinois professor, and he gathers headlines about university open courseware.

33. E-Learning Queen

Stop at the E-Learning Queen blog and meet the Queen’s assistant, Susan Smith Nash. She humorously names her reader the “queen” of e-learning, since you are reading her site. She focuses on distance learning, e-course design, and social/psychological issues surrounding the online education process.

34. Funny Monkey

Funny Monkey blog is highlights all the news and information related to Funny Monkey, a business dedicated to making educational materials free. In addition to news, the blog also covers major educational issues, technology, and classroom solutions.

35. Cammy Bean’s Learning Visions

Cammy Bean’s Learning Visions blog is about e-learning design. She hosts webinars about the best ways to effectively design e-courses, tools to use, and how to get started.

36. Dangerously Irrelevant

A blog written by Dr. Scott Mcleod that focuses on the problem between exploding technology and the educational system that cannot keep up. Rather than integrating technology into a classroom that is outdated and behind, he offers solutions to these incongruities.

37. The Innovative Educator

This blog focuses on strategies and technology solutions for education that are “way out of the box”. Lisa Nielson is the owner and author, having appeared in many well-known publications such as The New York Times and Huffington Post.

Education Policies

38. Best of Education Blog

This Best of Education Blog, hosted by the National Education Policy Center, pulls recent posts from various education bloggers. It covers all education issues including teacher unions, curriculum, technology, policy, and even teacher evaluations.

39. Eduwonk

Sponsored by Bethwether Education Partners, this blog is about education policy and politics. The primary author, Andrew J. Rotherham, served as a special assistant to President Bill Clinton, and currently writes the weekly School of Thought column for Time magazine.

40. Thoughts On Education Policy

This blog primarily focuses on urban poverty as it relates to educational policy. The author Corey Bower became frustrated with the education system after trying to teach in an inner city New York school for two years. Now, he is a professor of leadership at Niagara University. Expect to read posts about frustrating classroom conditions, the differences in high and low performing schools, and why everyone should have a liberal arts education.

41. Edwize

Edwize is a blog for education news and opinion. It focuses on New York schools, teachers, and issues. Be sure to check out the section called New Teacher Diaries- real life stories from New York’s new public school teachers.

42. Education Experts Blog

This blog’s tagline is, “Debating the future of American education.” Expect to read posts about politics, testing problems, and other issues plaguing the current educational system.

43. Edspresso

Edspresso’s clever name highlights the focus of this blog- a daily morning shot of the latest education news and reform. It covers headlines and politics as it relates to education and is updated frequently.

44. Successful Schools

Scott Taylor is an assistant superintendent and professor at the University level. His blog is listed on Edudemic’s website as one of the top education blogs that you should follow. His casual conversational style is easy to read and still packs a powerful and profound punch.

45. Joanne Jacobs

Joanne Jacobs, writer and educator, writes a blog about education in general. A diverse range of topics are covered.

46. Campaign K-12

A blog focusing on education and politics. Current posts center around the campaign trail leading up to the US election in November, and how it relates to education policy.

47. Stories From School

Stories from School was labeled as one of the best educational blogs of 2010. It focuses on real life examples and stories of teachers and how they are impacted by the latest educational policy changes.