23 Great Library Blogs

Jason — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 16:14:02 +0000

Let’s say that you are a school librarian, and let’s say you’ve decided that like many of the teachers in your school, you too are ready to use a blog to connect with parents and students, to share your latest news and events, or perhaps to develop your own personal learning network (PLN).

You’re motivated and ready to begin, but you may have some lingering questions about the best way to get started and maybe you’re not entirely sure how to organize your new blog.

Unfortunately, searching the internet for “how to create a great library blog” doesn’t yield many helpful answers. There are some sites that come up in that search that appear useful, but overall it seems to make more sense to just visit library blogs, see what works and what doesn’t, and craft your blog around the ideas you like the best.

To make that process easier, we’ve compiled a list of library blogs on Edublogs. These blogs are wonderful examples of what library blogs can be, and they will hopefully provide you with a little inspiration and a lot of good ideas.

Library & Librarian Blogs

Know of any library blogs on Edublogs that we should add to this list?

If so, let us know in the comments below!

The Edublogger’s Guide to Connected Educator Month 2014

Jason — Thu, 02 Oct 2014 16:47:24 +0000

October is Connected Educator Month (CEM). This is a time when educators from all over the world are connecting, collaborating, and sharing resources with each other. It’s a time when you can share your ideas, discover new ideas, and take some time to develop relationships with like-minded educators who can inspire and motivate you to continue to develop your teaching strategies and skills.

2014 Connected Educator Month Themes

Unlike in years past, this year’s CEM themes were nominated and voted upon by the CEM community. Hundreds of organizations and educators cast ballots. Below is a list of the themes that were selected by the community:

Blended Learning
Collaboration and Capacity Building
Diversity, Inclusiveness and Global Education
Educator Professional Development & Learning
Leadership For Change
Student Agency, Student Voice, and the Maker Movement
Whole Community Engagement (Parents, Teachers, Students, Community Members)

To find out more about these themes and the organizations leading the events for a particular theme, go to http://connectededucators.org/connected-educator-month-2014-themes/.

CEM 2014: How To Get Started

If this is your first year taking part in CEM, then the best place to start would be the Connected Educator Month Starter Kit. You can find the link to that kit, plus a number of other great resources on the CEM Getting Started page.

You can also stay up to date with everything that is happening throughout the month by signing up for the CEM newsletter. If you if you’re an avid tweeter, then you can also follow all the action using the hashtag #CE14.

Get Connected With Edublogs

As part of CEM 2014, Edublogs is inviting educators to take our “Build a PLN” Teacher Challenge.

We all have a personal learning network (PLN) that could be made up of friends, colleagues, mentors, and even students. Our challenge will show you how to leverage the power of the web to expand your PLN online, and make meaningful connections that can be a continuous source of knowledge and inspiration as you continue to grow as an educator.

The PLN challenge is perfect for individuals who are just discovering what it means to be a connected educator and for those of you looking for a refresher on all of the benefits of being connected through your own personal learning network.

How Does The PLN Challenge Work?

Getting started is easy. The PLN Teacher Challenge is completely free of charge and lasts for 30 days. You can enroll by filling out the Google form on our blog The Edublogger.

The next PLN challenge begins tomorrow, October 3, 2014! So sign up now if you are interested.

When you finish the Teacher Challenge, we’ll give you a badge to proudly display on your blog and we’ll send you a certificate of completion.

If you have any questions about getting involved in this year’s Connected Educator Month events, feel free to leave a comment and we’ll do our best to get you the answers you need.

You can also visit the CEM 2014 website for a ton of helpful information, or ask a question on their Facebook or Twitter pages.