Every single one of these blogs are worth reading in 2010, so we hope you’ll check them out. The list is categorized into different education subtopics such as education technology, higher education, education reform, and more. To all the blog owners, keep up the good work and congratulations on a great year!

PERSONAL BLOGS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Dy/dan : less helpful

A high school math teacher, Dan Meyer discusses his world in the classroom and more. This blog is a documentary of all the fun he has teaching.

Always Learning

A perfect reflection of the teaching and learning of Kim Cofino in a International School Bangkok in Thailand as the 21st Century Literacy Specialist.

Iterating toward openness

The personal blog of Dr. David Wiley, who is an Associate Professor of Instructional Psychology and Technology at Brigham Young University. He also leads the Access to Knowledge Initiative in the David O. McKay School of Education’s Center for the Improvement of Teacher Education and Schooling.

The Cool Cat Teacher Blog

Portraying teaching as a noble calling, Cool Car Teacher is a great source of teaching content with new tools and enthusiasm.

Teach 42

Sharing his journey through a professional career in teaching, Steve Dembo created this personal blog also to support the growth of teaching through new technologies, multimedia and other approaches.

OL Daily

An informal blog of Stephen Downes, where he discusses everything he has in mind.

Science of the Invisible

Alan Cann writes to reflect, discover, interact and learn.

Bellringers

A personal blog on things learned outside of the teaching profession for professional development.

Learning Curves

Rudbeckia Hirta posts about the learning profession and daily experiences.

McGee’s Musings

Started to share ideas with his students, Jim McGee has created this personal blog with interests in design, learning, knowledge, organizations, strategy, and technology.

A Teacher’s Education

The journey of an English professor on this blog focuses on the importance of collaboration, cooperation and communication.

BorderLand

The personal blog of a public school teacher that covers various topics on education.

Just a Substitute Teacher…..

The journey of a semi-retired, part time substitute teacher of a K-6th local school.

Bit by Bit

Hosted by Bob Sprankle, this blog is made for thoughts, discoveries, links and tips as an Elementary Technology Integrator in Wells, ME.

Teaching in the 408

Garnering many praises and admiration from all over the world, this is a blog of bold proportions about education, leadership and teaching.

Reflections on Teaching

The teaching journey of a computer lab teacher at an elementary school in Sacramento, CA. Sharing thoughts on teaching and socializing with teachers.

HIGHER EDUCATION

Tomorrow’s Professor Blog

A partnership blog/forum between the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University to create a forum for comments and discussion about articles from the Tomorrow’s Professor Mailing List and about general issues concerning higher education.

Blog HighEd

Focused on the higher education niche, this is a blog connecting other blogs about higher education. Requires application to be included in the community.

NON-TRADITIONAL

Informal Learning Blog

Created by Jay Cross and the Internet Time Group. Discussions here cover learning beyond the four sides of the classroom, in a style that is vibrant, humor-laden, energetic, and compelling.

2 Cents

A personal blog that is not always about education. Coming from a non-traditional educator recording his thoughts as learning progresses.

Abject Learning

The voice of Brian Lamb on the web, talking about “social learning, open education, and petty battles with rivals over power and money…”

NYC Educator

Education in a wrap of parody, retro images and social sensibility with nothing but concern for education’s future.

Ideas and Thoughts

With a strong belief that school and learning must be different, this blog by Dean Shareski is his journey on learning about education.

EDUCATION, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL MEDIA

Stephen’s Web

Specializing in online learning, content syndication, and new media, this blog by Stephen Downes was created to follow new directions in online education. This is more than just a site about online learning, it is intended to demonstrate new directions in the field for practitioners and enthusiasts.

Ewan Mcintosh’s edu.blogs.com

Social Interaction on media, the education and its future. Discussing the “what’s next” and “what was”. Ewan Mcintosh is a good read on many topics on education and technology.

Apophenia :: making connections where none previously existed

Created to express random thoughts, Danah Boyd discusses identity, context, youth culture, social network sites, social media etc.

David Lee King – social media/ emerging trends/ libraries

Made to write, think, and speak about library websites and emerging digital technologies.

ResourceShelf

Full of resources for information professionals and journalists, a team of writers and editors add high-quality web-based resources, including databases, lists and rankings, real-time sources, and multimedia. They also post comments and observations about news in the information and web industry.

Tech & Learning

A collection of news, tips and other sources related to technology and online learning. If the latest gadgets and learning are your interest, this is a good site to visit.

Dangerously Irrelevant

A good mix of ideas on technology, leadership and the future of educational institutions. Dr. Scott Mcleod J.D. PhD regularly discusses technology leadership issues in this blog.

Moving at the Speed of Creativity

A personal blog by Wesley Fryer. This discusses the life of learning with experience and interacting with others with the focus primarily on issues related to engaged learning, digital storytelling, creativity, blended learning, appropriate uses of educational technologies, digital citizenship, and educational reform.

CogDogBlog

With the love of dogs seen in most parts, Alan Levine’s discusses technology in relation to education.

Half an Hour

Allowing 30 minutes for himself to write, Stephen Downes talks about research, education and the web.

The Blue Skunk Blog

Posting his learning materials, Doug makes learning more accessible and socially active.

Clive on Learning

Focusing on technology-assisted learning, this blog discusses how to make things easy with technology and computers.

Connectivism

Discussing about social networks and e-Learning.

E-learn space

The future of learning in relation to the world wide web, discussing how education will convenient and fast.

E-Learning Queen

This education blog focuses on real world e-learning issues and the appropriate use of future technologies. It also promotes interaction between blog owner and readers.

XplanaZine

Believing in the rise of e-learning technologies, this blog shows the latest trends in publishing companies, information technology, online education research, and programs implementing new methods to educate students.

Learning.Now

Exploring the deep relationship between internet culture and the teacher-student experience, both inside and outside the classroom.

Generation YES Blog

Thoughts about empowering students with technology, creating tools to help students and teachers achieve their full potential.

Weblogged-Ed

An in-depth discussion on the use of blogs, Weblogs, wikis, RSS, podcasts and other Web 2.0 related technologies in the K-12 realm.

Clif’s Notes

Clif Mims talks about education and technology. Being a researcher and teacher, he integrates technology and education with his blog.

Jane’s E-Learning Pick of the Day

Daily discussions on e-learning by Jane Hart of the Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies.

Hey Jude : Learning in an online World

Reflect, Learn, Socialize. A personal blog combining the library, education, K-12, and Web 2.0.

Random Walk in Learning

The journey of Albert Ip in the world of e-learning.

The Power of Educational Technology

Liz Davis shows how the power of technology can have the strong influence in creating a new dimension in learning.

Brave new world

Started as a progress record on the Web 2.0 program run by the School Library of Victoria in 2008, it evolved in a blog of sharing information and social networking.

Teach_J

Teach_J as the online name and title is one of the many contributors of this online blog on journalism, Social Media and Technology.

Kevin’s Meandering Mind

Kevin talks about teaching and technology. The journey doesn’t stop there, as readers are welcome to place their comments and suggestions for a greater blog and learning experience.

Box of Tricks

Discussing and taking advantage of the use of technology for a more effective teaching profession.

High Techpectations

Ideas and resources for educators can be found in this blog by Lucy Gray. News and tools are just some of the things you can find here.

Around the Corner-MGuhlin.org

A blog dedicated to enhancing the online learning experience, sharing tips and techniques to make e-learning more engaging and efficient.

Group blog for Learning & Technology Chalkies

“Chalkie” is an Australian term for teachers. This blog is designed for helping Oceania educators create the best educational outcomes for their students by engaging and socializing in this blog.

Sue Waters Blog

E-learning, Web 2.0 and Technology are some of the topics in this blog. Very engaging for it has simplified tips and advice on using technology and online media.

Infocult: Information, Culture, Policy, Education

Bryan Alexander focuses on an information-centric perspective. Topics here include: Cyberculture, intellectual property, computer games, the history of information, education, etc.

21st Century Learning

This blog is used to discover and create new ideas on e-learning for the 21st century and how these communities can be used to help teachers and families become lifelong learners.

The Thinking Stick

This blog by Jeff Utecht has covers technology in relation to education. Articles focuses on the enrichment of the education system with technology.

SMUG – Social Media University, Global

Learning social media requires the right tools and information. This personal blog by Lee Aase focuses on effective social media advice.

Learning and Technology: A Blog for Reflection

A personal blog on sharing one’s experience on the application of technology to the learning process.

MATH,  SCIENCE etc.

E-GFI : Dream up the Future

Created mainly for teachers, this blog has tools and many ideas to boost students’ math and science skills. Other benefits include enlivening the classroom with engineering projects and expand teachers’ professional horizons.

Teaching College Math

Dissertations, speaking, tutorials and other resources regarding Math and Technology are found on this blog with many stories from the journey of the writer.

PODCASTS

The Naked Scientists

With unique twists in their approach, this is a blog about a  group of physicians and researchers from Cambridge University who use radio, live lectures, and the Internet to strip science down to its bare essentials, and promote it to the general public.

Ideas Worth Spreading

A blog that features a collection of videos about ideas worth spreading. It has gathered talks and seminars from three main categories: Technology, Entertainment and Design.

The Teacher’s Podcast

A collection of podcasts designed for the improvement of teaching skills. Geared towards enhancing the teaching profession experience.

The Education Podcast Network

A great collection of podcasts in different fields. Collecting sources for teachers with materials they can use to teach or use as references.

Teachers Teaching Teachers

This is more of the combination of a blog, podcast, and webcast. Created by two teachers Paul Allison and Susan Ettenheim. Tools and resources made for the professional development of the growing number of teachers.

Free Domain Radio

One of the largest and most popular philosophy shosw on the web, it was a Top 10 Finalist in the 2007, 2008 and 2009 Podcast Awards. Learn topics ranging from politics, philosophy, science, economics, relationships to atheism. The new and the old, anything worth sharing and learning is here.

Creating Lifelong Learners

Offering practical tips for elementary teachers on their profession. The old and the new ways of dealing with students and enriching the learning experience with an emphasis on video production and podcasting.

UNIVERSITY BLOGS

Oxford University Press USA

With every topic under the sun covered, the Authors from the Oxford University Press created a  unique source for learning, understanding and reflection.

LIBRARY AND RESEARCH

Free Range Librarian

A personal blog on librarianship, writing and everything else that happens in the life of K.G. Schneider, a Librarian and Writer.

Library Bytes

News and observations about library science and new technologies.

Rambling Librarian

Dig into the mind of a Singaporean Librarian and blogger, posting thoughts on the world of libraries.

School Library Journal

With teens and children as the target market, this is said to be the world’s largest source of books, multimedia and technology.

LEARNING FOR FREE

The Stingy Scholar

Ideas here are for the money-conscious on how to learn for free on the web. Links and other resources are great finds here for people on a tight budget who still want to learn.

Free Technology for Teachers

A review of free technology resources and how teachers can use them. Ideas for technology integration in education by Richard Byrne and read by a daily audience of more than 15,000 subscribers.

LAW and POLITICS

Wisblawg-From the UW Law Library

Focusing on Wisconsin, it is about legal research and internet information from a law librarian.

American Presidents Blog

Blog by the online college instructor Jennie Weber and other contributors pertaining to the American Presidency, specific American Presidents, and First Ladies.

This Week in Education

Alexander Russo talks about news on education, schools and politics.

HISTORY

Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History

The past combined with an out-of-the-box approach from the unconventional Dan Carlin results in an intriguing approach to facts on our history.

Cardinal Wolsey’s Today in History

Cardinal Wolsey’s topics include Tudor history, medieval history, early modern history, and whatever comes to mind.

History Is Elementary

Topics in history and history education; this will benefit both students and teachers.

ENGLISH AND WRITING

Quick and Dirty Tips

Want to be a better writer? Read this blog by Grammar Girl and get updates. Enhance your writing skills, pronunciation,  and punctuation.

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day

English Language learners will sure benefit from this in-depth blog on the English Language which is designed to make learning languages as easy and as practical as possible.

ASTRONOMY

Astronomy Cast

For the avid astrology fan, take your questions and share ideas with the astrologers themselves. Take the journey to a fact-filled weekly discussions.

GENETICS AND EVOLUTION

Panda’s Thumb

Genetics, Evolution, Book Reviews etc. are just some of the topics discussed here. Open to topics and other discussions, this takes learning more interactive.

EDUCATION SYSTEM REFORM

Assorted Stuff

Mostly observations on the public school system and the dire passion to reform it, as well as comments on the progressing world of the internet.

D-Ed Reckoning

The problems and solutions of the K-12 education system is what this blog is all about.

DetentionSlip.org

Time Magazine, AllTop.com and the Blogger’s Choice awards notes this blog as one of the top 25 blogs of 2009. With topics focusing on news and educational reform.

KIDS AND HOME WORK

Homework Hotline

A very interactive website designed to help kids with their homework, and the parents guiding them. It won a 2008 parent’s choice silver honor award.

BIOLOGY

Extreme Biology Blog

All things biology is in this blog of Ms. Baker and her biology students.

Discovering Biology in a Digital World

The term Digital Biology is common in this blog, which means biological research that involves computers. All biology and biology-related topics are worth reading for both students and professionals.

EDUCATOR WELFARE

Dr. Homeslice

A teacher and a union member. Dr. Homeslice voices out teacher union happenings all around the United States, including grievances, contract negotiations, elections and strikes.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Digital Photography Tips from the Top Floor

Anything about the love for photography by Chris Marquardt made interactive with forums and workshops.

The Island of California

Creator: Joan Vinckeboons
Date: Around 1650
Why it’s cool: Believe it or not, explorers believed California was an island for a very long time and this map depicts that assumption. It would take over 50 years after the creation of this map before it was confirmed that California is indeed attached to the mainland of America.

View the Jumbo Sized Version at WDL.org

Map of the Battle of Catalan

Creator: Unknown
Date: 19th Century
Why it’s cool: Western students are taught little of South America’s struggle for independence from the European powers. This map depicts the Battle of Catalan, January 4, 1817, in which the Portuguese Army, operating from southern Brazil, defeated forces led by José Gervasio Artigas, the leader in the struggle for Uruguayan independence.

View the Jumbo Interactive Version at WDL.org

The Game of France

Creator: Pierre Duval
Date: 1659
Why it’s cool: A chutes-and-ladders game made up of 63 squares, each representing a French province, the game offers insight into the clichés and stereotypes that Parisians applied to the French provinces. Brittany is noted for its debauchery, Tours for its lovely avenues, Forez for its knives and scissors, and Ponthieu as a theater of operations for the king’s army.

View the Jumbo Interactive Version at WDL.org

Clark’s Map of 1810

Creator: William Clark
Date: 1810
Why it’s cool: We’ve all heard the story of Lewis and Clark, but it’s not often we take a look at their actual handy work. Clark’s map served as a valuable guide for trappers, traders, scientists, and adventurers, as well as shaped, for more than a quarter century, how Americans understood the geography of the American West.

View the Jumbo Interactive Version at WDL.org

Map of the Attack and the Taking of the Island of Grenada

Creator: Pierre Ozanne
Date: 1779
Why it’s cool: This elegant, well-executed French military map of the vicinity of St. George’s and the harbor depicts the July 1779 French attack on British-held Grenada. The map includes coastline, coastal features, anchorages, a grid of St. George’s, other settlements, British batteries and fortifications, roads, and pictorial representations of vegetation, cultivated fields, and relief.

View the Jumbo Interactive Version at WDL.org

Journey and Life of the Patriarch Abraham

Creator: Tilemann Stella
Date: 1590
Why it’s cool: A figure that looms large in multiple religions, this map traces Abraham’s journey to the Holy Land from the land of his birth, identified in the Bible as Ur of the Chaldees. The main map shows places in the Holy Land identified with Abraham, and is framed with colored illustrations of scenes from Abraham’s long and eventful life.

View the Jumbo Interactive Version at WDL.org

Map of Venice

Creator: Wagner & Debes
Date: 1886
Why it’s cool: This high quality map was included in guide books for wealthy tourists in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It displays in great detail the canals and streets of Venice, which have changed little to this day.

View the Jumbo Interactive Version at WDL.org

Belgium as a Lion

Creator: Jodocus Hondius
Date: 1611
Why it’s cool: What’s more badass than a map of Belgium? Why a map of Belgium shaped like a lion. In the 16th and 17th centuries, maps of the Low Countries frequently were drawn in the form of a lion, known by its Latin designation, Leo Belgicus. Symbols of Dutch patriotism, these maps often appeared in 17th-century Dutch paintings, hanging on the walls of inns or private homes, as in Jan Vermeer’s The Painter and His Studio.

View the Jumbo Interactive Version at WDL.org

Plan for the Improvement and Beautification of the City of Paris

Creator: Charles de Wailly
Date: 1789
Why it’s cool: One of the first examples of urban planning, de Wailly envisioned a profound remaking of the entire Parisian landscape. His plan included laying out large new avenues, constructing public squares, erecting monuments, providing more housing, conjoining the city’s islands (Cité, Saint-Louis, and Louviers), and improving the flow of the Seine. De Wailly planned not only to beautify the city, but to maximize the efficiency of urban space.

View the Jumbo Interactive Version at WDL.org

Maps of Bermuda, Iceland, Jan Mayen Island, and Newfoundland

Creator: Vincenzo Coronelli
Date: 1692
Why it’s cool: Vincenzo Coronelli (1650-1718) was one of the most important figures in the history of Western cartography. Although best known for his globes, he also produced numerous maps and atlases. These maps of four North Atlantic islands appear on a single plate in his Corso geografico universale, a two-volume work published in 1692. The map of “Iceland” is erroneous, and is based on a claim by the Venetian Nicolò Zeno, later discredited, that around 1380 he undertook a voyage to the northern seas where he found a large island that he called Frislandia. The map of Newfoundland (Isola di Terra Nuova) correctly notes its discovery in 1596 by John Cabot, a citizen of Venice, and his son Sebastian.

View the Jumbo Interactive Version at WDL.org

New Atlas of China, Chinese Tartary and Tibet

Creator: Jean Baptiste Bourguignon d’Anville
Date: 1737
Why it’s cool: D’Anville’s maps of China were based on a survey of the Chinese empire that was ordered by the emperor in 1708 and carried out by the Chinese, but under the supervision of Jesuit priests resident in China. The detail about the interior of China was far superior to any previous Western map or atlas. D’Anville’s work remained a standard Western source for the geography of China and adjacent regions until well into the 19th century, when it finally was superseded by more accurate maps.

View the Jumbo Interactive Version at WDL.org

Assault and Seige of the Fortified City of Khodzhend

Creator: FIlippov
Date: 1866
Why it’s cool: This map, from a drawing by a non-commissioned topographer identified only as Fillipov, provides valuable detail on the spatial arrangement of this historic city on the Syr Darya River, including the relation of its citadel to surrounding structures, as well as the wall and gates that enclosed the city. Also depicted in various colors are gardens, vegetable plots, pasturage, and cotton fields.

View the Jumbo Interactive Version at WDL.org

Palestine, Tribes, and Jerusalem

Creator: Jean Baptiste Bourguignon d’Anville
Date: 1783
Why it’s cool: This map of Palestine was part of d’Anville’s attempt to re-map the lands of the Old Testament. It displays insets of the city of Jerusalem, the territories of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, and the locations of the region’s cities in relation to each other.

View the Jumbo Interactive Version at WDL.org

British Empire Throughout the World

Creator: John Bartholomew
Date: 1850
Why it’s cool: A note at the top states: “The British Possessions are engraved in a bolder character and coloured Red.” The use of red or pink for this purpose became common practice in the Victorian age. The map is also framed by idealized images of friendly encounters between British colonists and indigenous inhabitants in four different parts of the globe: Australia, North America, British Asia and the East Indian Islands, and the Cape Colony and Southern Africa.

View the Jumbo Interactive Version at WDL.org

Great Trading Routes of the Sahara

Creator: Edouard Blanc
Date: 1890
Why it’s cool: n articles about his work, Blanc stressed the importance of identifying “natural” geographic routes that would connect French colonial possessions in west Africa, such as Senegal, to Algeria in north Africa, and link the Mediterranean coast to Sudan and central Africa. Blanc based his maps not only on his own travels but also on nearly a century of reports from European travelers dating back to the Englishman W. G. Browne’s 1793 voyage to Darfur. Features identified on the map include dunes, rivers, and dry valleys as well as Arab caravan routes, colonial railways, and roads.

View the Jumbo Interactive Version at WDL.org

Modern and Completely Correct Map of the Entire World

Creator: Joan Blaeu
Date: 1659
Why it’s cool: Modern at the time, yes. Completely correct, not so much. The map reveals the limitations of knowledge regarding the west coast of North America, the Arctic, and New Holland (present-day Australia).

View the Jumbo Interactive Version at WDL.org

Ethnographic Map of the Balkan Peninsula

Creator: Jovan Cvijić
Date: 1918
Why it’s cool:Cvijić’s map is a testament to the ethnic, religious, and national diversity of the Balkans, but it provides little sense of the demographic damage that the war wreaked on the peninsula, where an estimated one-quarter of the prewar populations of Serbia and Montenegro were killed, one of the highest casualty rates of any combatant country.

View the Jumbo Interactive Version at WDL.org

The Marañon or Amazon River

Creator: Samuel Fritz
Date: 1707
Why it’s cool: Born in the province of Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic), Fritz became a priest in 1673. He was sent to Quito in present-day Ecuador as a missionary in 1684 and spent the next 40 years ministering to the native people of the Upper Marañon region. He began mapping the region as part of a project to clarify the borders of missionary lands, Spanish lands, and Portuguese lands. He later undertook a project to chart the course of the Amazon. Despite having no training as a cartographer and using only very primitive instruments, Fritz completed a relatively accurate chart of the area. He was the first to follow the Marañon, a tributary of the Amazon, to its source.

View the Jumbo Interactive Version at WDL.org

Afghanistan and the Countries on the Northwest Border of India

Creator: Carl Zimmermann
Date: 1842
Why it’s cool: Carl Zimmermann was a first lieutenant in the Prussian Army who, in the early 1840s, developed a strong personal and professional interest in the conflict then being waged by the British Army in Afghanistan. In what became known as the First Anglo-Afghan War (1839-40), Britain tried to extend its control from India northwest into Afghanistan, but suffered a series of disastrous defeats at the hands of the Afghan tribes and eventually was forced to withdraw. Reminds me of another bumbling empire in that region.

View the Jumbo Interactive Version at WDL.org

Geographical Distribution of the Population in France

Creator: Victor Turquan
Date: 1887
Why it’s cool: Turquan’s powers of visualization and the aesthetic quality of his maps made his work stand out from that of other statisticians of his time, and prefigured the more systematic development of quantitative cartography in the 20th century.

View the Jumbo Interactive Version at WDL.org

More cool free stuff:

• Online college courses
• Audio Books
  

• PDF
• Audio Book

In case you’ve missed it, the “Free” has also inspired some great debate around the web:

• Malcolm Gladwell’s (negative) review of “Free”
• Chris Anderson’s response
• Seth Godin weighs in to back up Chris
• Mark Cuban gives us the business perspective

• Free Audio Books: Download Great Books for Free – at Open Culture
• List of Free Audio Book Sites – at PickTheBrain