Edublog Award 2009 Nominations

It is time again for the Edublog Awards.   My Google Reader features a diverse range of blogs and informs my practice on a daily basis.    The quality of material in the blogosphere makes it difficult to choose just one per category, but here are my picks for 2009:

• Best individual blog:  Joyce Valenza, Neverending Search;
  Joyce has a true gift for writing posts that push my thinking and practice.

• Best individual tweeter:  Bobbi Newman (Librarian by Day)
  Bobbi always has her pulse on ideas and practices relevant to librarians across all specialty areas and is not afraid to ask provocative questions.

• Best group blog:  Library Garden, Library Garden blog
  Always fresh and informative!

• Best new blog:  Andy Woodworth, Agnostic, Maybe
  Andy is the champion of librarian advocacy and reflective thinking.  He has a talent for helping us to look at challenges in our profession through many lenses.

• Best resource sharing blog:  David Kapuler, Technology Tidbits:  Thoughts of a Cyber Hero
  David has a talent for finding and sharing the most unique edtech apps on a regular basis; I also appreciate that he shares his thoughts on the tool after trying it out and/or an actual product he has created with the resource.

• Most influential blog post:  Doug Johnson, “Where are the others?”
  This is the blog post that led to considerable debate, discussion, and subsequent blog posts by many in the school library field.
• Best teacher blog:  Shelly Blake-Plock, Teach Paperless
  One of the most forward thinking blogs I read and a treasure trove of real classroom life and application.

• Best librarian / library blog:  Carolyn Foote, Not So Distant Future
  Carolyn has a gift for being able to look at the big picture and to consider multiple perspectives.  This is the most difficult selection to make because I follow so many amazing librarian blogs.  I wish I could submit multiple nominations, especially so that I could include Aaron Tay’s Musings About Librarianship, Bobbi Newman’s Librarian by Day, Cathy Jo Nelson’s Professional Thoughts, Andy Woodworth, Agnostic, Maybe, Helene Blowers’ Library Bytes and David Lankes’ Virtual Dave…Real Blog.

• Best educational wiki:  Michael Wesch, Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
  This wiki is an exemplary model of participatory learning incorporating the use of new media and web 2.0 tools for learning.

• Best educational use of a social networking service:  Classroom 2.0 Ning
  An essential part of my personal learning network.

• Lifetime achievement:  Karl Fish, The Fischbowl
  Karl generously shares best practices and creates conversations that are inspiring, compelling, and influential.