7 Innovative Teacher Blogs You Should Be Following
Welcome to Blog Profiles! Each week, we select a topic and handful of blogs that do a great job contributing to the conversation. As families and educators head into back-to-school season, we thought it’d be the perfect time to recognize a few standout teacher blogs.
Do you have a blog that deserves recognition? Tweet our writers at @BeyondBylines.
Summer is nearing its end and many teachers are thinking about back-to-school. They’re beginning to write their lesson plans and get the classroom ready before students begin their new school year.
There are some amazing blogs out there written by and for teachers. They focus on a range of topics, covering lesson plans, assessment strategies, career development and even the humorous side of being a teacher.
This is in no way a comprehensive list, but these are a few teacher blogs that stood out for their fun, educational and unique content in support of educators.
1. WeAreTeachers
The goal at WeAreTeachers is “to inspire teachers and help them succeed by sharing practical classroom ideas, the best freebies and giveaways, and teacher-to-teacher advice and humor.”
This “virtual teacher’s lounge” has a large library of content for educators that’s updated regularly.
I especially appreciate the humor on the site. Teachers have incredibly difficult jobs, so it’s nice to see these posts that can bring a smile to their day.
Check out these great posts:
- 25 Creative Video Project Ideas Your Students Will Love
- The Craziest School Rules for Teachers … Yes, These Actually Exist!
- Help! I Hate Sharing My Lesson Plans!
Follow @WeAreTeachers on Twitter.
Superheroes, Star Wars, s'mores, emojis, and more. https://t.co/2a55mVXBBp
— We Are Teachers (@WeAreTeachers) August 5, 2022
2. TeachThought
TeachThought was founded in 2012 by Terry Heick, an author and former classroom teacher. The site is focused on advancing K-20 education by developing innovative teachers.
It works toward that goal by providing followers with a wide variety of “thought leadership, professional development, resource curation, curriculum development, podcast publishing, and collaboration with organizations around the world.”
I enjoyed reading these recent posts:
- 8 Ways To Improve How Schools Relate To Communities
- Questioning in the Classroom: An Updated Guide
- 50 Alternatives To Lecturing In The Classroom
Follow @TeachThought on Twitter.
12 Authentic Starting Points For Learning https://t.co/qmC3pPyREi
If the learning process started with an authentic problem that the student earnestly wanted to solve but lacked the knowledge or skills to do so, the process of learning changes dramatically.
— TeachThought (@TeachThought) June 16, 2022
3. TeacherToolkit
Ross Morrison McGill, a UK-based teacher with nearly 30 years of experience, founded TeacherToolkit in 2007. Since then, the blog has evolved into a team effort with a staff of writers and contributors posting helpful resources for teachers.
Articles include estimated reading times, which I love, and cover topics like lesson plans, research, exam tips, and more.
Check out these recent posts:
- 5 Self Care Tips For Teachers
- The 20-Question Autonomous School Test
- Start with Culture, End with Cake
Follow @TeacherToolkit on Twitter.
🚀 NEW RESOURCE
🗣️ This resource offers 25 pieces of edtech software to support teachers in and out of the classroom …
🟢 Includes video walkthrough and (optional) 60-minute demo CPD webinar at the end of this month. pic.twitter.com/8LXzZdsNO7
— 🇬🇧 TeacherToolkit.co.uk (@TeacherToolkit) August 1, 2022
4. Class Tech Tips
The Class Tech Tips blog was created by Dr. Monica Burns, an experienced teacher from New York City. Her mission is to help educators place “tasks before apps” and make the most out of technology in the classroom.
The posts are great for any teacher trying to navigate the ever-growing field of apps, websites and EdTech tools. There are great posts covering lesson ideas, coding, assessment, science tools and more.
These posts were interesting:
- How to Boost Productivity with Creative Journaling (podcast)
- 7 Google Calendar Tips for Teachers
- 3 Ways a Plagiarism Checker Can Help Students
Follow @ClassTechTips on Twitter.
NEW post 🎉
In today’s blog post, we’ll explore TARA and how you can leverage TARA to avoid #TeacherBurnout this school year.
Check out 4 ways (& a 5th bonus way) to use this powerful #EdTech platform!#sponsored by @tarateachershttps://t.co/KuwfuuOhht
— Monica Burns #EdTech #Education (@ClassTechTips) August 4, 2022
5. The Nerdy Teacher
Nicholas Provenzano, a teacher and Makerspace Director at University Liggett School in Michigan, is The Nerdy Teacher. Provenzano is also an author, speaker and consultant focused on the professional development and mental health of educators.
Readers will find unique project ideas, tips for working with different learning styles, assessment ideas and more.
Here are a few posts I enjoyed:
- Podcast Design Project
- Coloring and #MentalHealth
- I’m Neurodivergent. Would I be successful in your class?
Follow @thenerdyteacher on Twitter.
How is your class set up to support neurodiverse students? #EdChat https://t.co/0jJApcSnoT pic.twitter.com/wFiUWBPB2F
— Nicholas Provenzano (@thenerdyteacher) May 31, 2022
6. Cult of Pedagogy
This blog is all about preparing and supporting educators and functions as a “vibrant, encouraging, stimulating community of teachers, supporting each other toward excellence.”
Blog topics are separated into three buckets: The Craft (instruction, classroom management, etc.), Go Deep (learning theory, career development, book reviews) and Teacher Soul (inspiration, stories and more). You can also search for posts on a huge variety of topics, including grade level, LGBTQ, parent-teacher relationships and more.
In addition to the blog, visitors can find podcast episodes, videos (for the visual learners) and a shopping section full of classroom materials, courses, books and swag.
Here are a few posts to start with:
- Finding the Funk: 3 Ways to Add Culturally Responsive Critical Thinking to Your Lessons
- Why So Many Teachers Are Leaving, and Why Others Stay
- Lessons that Build Students’ Media and News Literacy
Follow @cultofpedagogy on Twitter.
"Over and over, students are interrupted, corrected, and told to speak proper English. This seemingly benevolent practice has long-lasting negative effects."
This week, Andrea Castellano (@teachbk) explores what should be happening instead. https://t.co/yiS3rXVksB— Cult of Pedagogy (@cultofpedagogy) July 12, 2022
7. eCampus News
The eCampus News site focuses on innovations in higher education. Higher ed teachers can find information on online learning, tech for the classroom, student wellness and more. Whether you’re looking for a blog post, whitepaper, podcast or video, the site has you covered.
The site aims to help teachers by providing the latest innovation news and stories and assisting teachers to connect and share ideas and best practices.
Recommended reads:
- 4 ways to modernize your application process for Gen Z
- How to ensure your remote testing is humanized, yet secure (video)
- 8 reasons to use texts to reach your students
Follow @ecampusnews on Twitter.
How to create a stellar digital experience for your students – eCampus News https://t.co/WHeFEmRVAN #highered #highereducation #studentexperience #campusexperience pic.twitter.com/lfA4m6iR8o
— eCampus News (@ecampusnews) August 3, 2022
P.S. Ever wonder how we come up with ideas for our blog profiles? Our handy list of industries and subjects on PR Newswire for Journalists stays top of mind. If you’re a blogger or journalist looking for education news, let us know. We can customize a newsfeed for you.
Rocky Parker is the Manager of Audience and Journalist Engagement at Cision PR Newswire. She's been with the company since 2010 and has worked with journalists and bloggers as well as PR and comms professionals. Outside of work, she can be found trying a new recipe, binging a new show, or cuddling with her pitbull, Hudson.