Today is the official launch of EdReach.us, the educational media network, a collaboration by educators from all over the United States.

Why EdReach?

Do we really need another Educational blog? There are so many others out there- aren’t there enough?

Well, that is true, there are a lot of voices out there. So many voices. So many, it seems that it’s getting harder and harder to hear them, harder to cut through the volume and rate of information, harder to even keep up with well-known colleagues, and harder to be heard.

EdReach.us aims to cut through this.

The EdReach Educational Media Network (EdReach.us) aims to gather these voices together, and create one stream of educational news, blogs, commentary, and interactive media that highlights the innovation, highlights the ideas, highlights the cutting-edge best practices that are happening in the world’s schools every day. Read the rest of this entry…

I’m pleased to announce that I Education Apps Review has been nominated for a 2010 Edublog Award in the Best Group Blog category. All votes must be cast by noon Eastern, December 14. Winners will be announced shortly after. I’d encourage you to spend some time checking out the lists. Make sure to vote for your favorites!

While I can take very little credit in the success of our community to date, I am proud to be a part of such a wonderful group of educators. It really is the work of the community that has built IEAR into what it is and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the tireless work of all those involved in the blog. A special thanks to Scott Meech, who had the vision for what was and is IEAR.

I gave a presentation yesterday titled “The Social Web for Early Elementary: Shifting Literacy from Individual Expression to Community Engagement” at Lorain Community College for a group of pre-kindergarten and kindergarten teachers from Lorain City Schools. Below, you can find the uStream.tv video archive* of the presentation and my Slideshare show. Here’s the complete presentation wiki.

Read the rest of this entry…

On Wednesday, June 10, 2009 I’ll be presenting at the Lorain City School’s Center for Early Literacy Excellence Summer Institute. The Summer Institute is a part of Lorain’s Early Reading First program.

Early Reading First, part of the President’s “Good Start, Grow Smart” initiative, is designed to transform existing early education programs into centers of excellence that provide high-quality, early education to young children, especially those from low-income families. The overall purpose of the Early Reading First Program is to prepare young children to enter kindergarten with the necessary language, cognitive, and early reading skills to prevent reading difficulties and ensure school success.

• Wikis: Getting Started
• Wikispaces
• PBworks
• Wetpaint
• VoiceThread
• Wesley Fryer’s “Teach Digital”
• Bill Ferriter’s “Using VoiceThread for Digital Conversations”
• VoiceThread 4 Education wiki
• VoiceThread Extends the Classroom with Interactive Multimedia Albums