Eight (8) "Best of ... in 2014" Lists Share Useful Resources

Best of ... in 2014 lists are beginning to appear in a variety of fields. I explored lists that are available for 2014 in education. Some interesting ones have already been published. This post shares eight such lists with useful resources.
 

You Want My Best Side? / Lori Branham / CC BY 2.0

ISTE Follow-Up 31: Miscellaneous education blogs (THE PUSH 2014)
http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2014/11/iste-follow-up-31-miscellaneous-education-blogs-the-push-2014.html
Dangerously ! Irrelevant (http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/)
by Scott McLeod (http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/bio)
 
McLeod and the readers of his blog are updating his THE BEST OF THE BEST list of education blogs. Their collection of BEST... blogs is mainly subject-specific (everything from agricultural education, art education, math education, … to world languages education). However, a few other categories (e.g., athletics / extracurricular activities, gifted education, … to superintendents / central office / districts) are also included. The list is designed for P-12 educators. The blogs included have RSS feeds so educators can subscribe to them. Because this list has been generated collectively it provides many more useful suggestions than any one alone could gather. 



2014 Recap: 15 Top Resources on Digital Citizenship
http://www.edudemic.com/15-resources-digital-citizenship-2014/
Edudemic: connecting education & technology (http://www.edudemic.com/)
by the Edudemic staff (http://www.edudemic.com/author/edudemic-staff/)
 
Edudemic provides resources teachers can use to help their students become good digital citizens. The resources are grouped into three categories:

• ready-made lesson plans to launch learning about digital citizenship
• engaging games to promote digital citizenship
• furthering the discussion.

The resources included in this collection are useful for a variety of grade levels and realistically speak to the need for our students to become “citizens of cyberspace.” 


 
The Dos and Don'ts of Classroom Management: Your 25 Best Tips
http://www.edutopia.org/discussion/dos-and-donts-classroom-management-your-25-best-tips
Edutopia (http://www.edutopia.org/)
by Lina Raffaelli (https://www.edutopia.org/users/lina-raffaelli)
 
Educators responded to Larry Ferlazzo's (https://www.edutopia.org/users/larry-ferlazzo) request (http://www.edutopia.org/groups/classroom-management/8278) for their "most valuable classroom management advice." Both novice and experienced educators can find worthwhile ideas in this list. 



The 23 Best Game-Based Education Resources for 2014
http://www.edudemic.com/23-best-game-based-resources-2014/
by the Edudemic Staff (http://www.edudemic.com/author/edudemic-staff/)
 
This collection of game-based education resources can help you:

• understand game-based education
• get started using game-based learning
• decide which games to use
• design your own games
• view current news about game-based education
• expand your knowledge in this area.

If you have not yet begun to use game-based education in your classroom, these resources can help you get started. 



2014 18th Annual Webby Awards
http://www.webbyawards.com/winners/2014/
 
The Webby Awards honors the "best of the web" in websites, online film & video, advertising & media, mobile sites & apps, and social. Two awards are presented in each category: the Webby Award and the Webby People's Voice Award.

My recommendation? Do NOT limit your viewing just to the "education" winners. Spend some time and explore winners in each category. The Webby Awards truly do honor the "best of the web"! 



My Best of series
http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/about/my-best-of-series/
Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day (http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/)
by Larry Ferlazzo (http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/about/)
 
Ferlazzo publishes best websites for students to access (http://larryferlazzo.com/Thebestwebsites.html). He also publishes websites of the year for educators (http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/about/websites-of-the-year/). In addition, he lists the best websites by topics (http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/about/my-best-of-series/). His topics include the usual disciplines (art, math, reading, science, ...) plus many more (reference, search engines, teacher resources, growth mindset, ...).

One of my favorites of his Best of sites is The Best Web 2.0 Applications for Education in 2014. This site is available at http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2014/12/02/the-best-web-2-0-applications-for-education-in-2014/. 



Best of History Websites
http://www.besthistorysites.net/
EdTechTeacher: Leading Change in Changing Times (http://www.besthistorysites.net/index.php)
 
Best of History Websites links to more than 1200 history websites. They also link to lesson plans, teacher guides, and history activities/games/quizzes. This website is recognized internationally as an excellent site. The categories of websites available include:

• prehistory
• ancient/Biblical history
• medieval history
• American history
• early modern Europe
• modern history
• World War II
• military history
• history today
• art history
• oral history
• general history resources
• social sciences
• maps
• geography
• lesson plans
• games and animations
• research.

I wish I had found this website previously! 



Fantastic Tools for Schools: 50+ Ways to Rock!
http://www.coolcatteacher.com/slides/50-favorite-tools-schools/
The CoolCatTeacher: a real teacher helping teachers be really excellent (http://www.coolcatteacher.com/)
by Vicki Davis (http://www.coolcatteacher.com/bio/)
 
Davis shares more than 50 of her favorite tools for teaching and learning. Her slide show is an opportunity to learn from the best!