Top 50 Edublogs? – Follow-up
Every time I make a list of the ‘top’ edublogs (as measured by Technorati ranking), it seems that I also end up writing a follow-up post. For example, I wrote Linked after my last list almost a year ago. Here are a few thoughts about the conversation that has ensued regarding this year’s list…
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Academics’ brains are weird
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As Sir Ken Robinson said, professors’ bodies are basically transportation for our heads [which is probably why my brain’s in a lot better shape than the rest of me].
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I like to play with numbers and ideas. I don’t know why so many people get upset about a simple list. For me it’s about trying to wrap my head around the edublogosphere as a phenomenon. How does it work? If you want to spread an idea, what’s the best way to do so? What valuable contributions can it make? And so on. No harm or self-aggrandizement intended. I’m just thinking in public.
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Different strokes for different folks
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For every person that thinks the list is interesting, another thinks it’s ‘one of the more inconsequential things [he] had seen in a long time.’ That’s cool. Given my previous point, I don’t mind being ‘libeled.’ I understand what Dan Meyer meant and thought Darren Draper’s comment 3 was accurate too. I did think Bill Fitzgerald’s comment 4 was perhaps a little uncharitable but that’s okay. Each of us finds value in different things.
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Imputing intent
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Lots of people are more than willing to impute intent to others despite having never met them, spoken with them, or otherwise interacted with them other than maybe having read a few blog posts. This occurs across the blogosphere and, of course, in other expressive media as well. One of humanity’s less-admirable traits…
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Thesis + antithesis = synthesis
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I really liked Ben Wildeboer’s post on the recent disagreement between Dan Meyer and Darren Draper. Well said, Ben. Mindelei‘s got it right too. One of the most useful skills taught in law school is how to disagree without taking it personally.
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Subject-matter teacher blogs
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As Alfred Thompson said, we need – or at least need to find/identify – more subject-matter teacher blogs. Over time I’d like to collect more subject-matter blogs at the Moving Forward wiki so that we can show educators how other teachers in THEIR field are using blogs productively. Over the past few months I’ve put out calls for good elementary classroom blogs and good special education blogs. It’s time to do another call…
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Make your own list
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As I said in my post, make your own list! Call it Blogs you should be reading or Blogs that will blow your mind or Great blogs no one knows about or whatever. One of the best things about making my list is the new blogs that I come across, either in the comments or from the links back to my blog. It’s great to come across new, interesting voices. Send me your list. I’d love to see it and, if you so desire, also would be happy to publicize it!
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