Today, Friday the 15th of October, is Blog Action Day where bloggers from around the world write about one topic to raise awareness and help drive change through collaboration.

This year, the topic is water – providing access to clean and safe drinking water to the nearly 1 billion people around the world that are currently without it. Facts from the official blog action day website point out that pollution, irrigation, poor infrastructure, and inefficiencies all contribute to the problems at hand.  In addition, as much as 10% of illnesses and disease could potentially be eliminated just by having access to healthy water.

It is definitely not too late to contribute posts and comments from students and teachers alike.

We’ve scoured the Edublogs site to look for student and educator blogs that are participating in Blog Action Day.  The day isn’t over, but as of the time this post was published, there looks to be hundreds of posts just on Edublogs.org blogs alone!

Here is a list of posts on water found on Edublogs that you might want to visit:

• Water Is Never always there (Blog Action Day 2010) – Student Blog – Grade 7 – Australia
• Water – With Wallwisher – Adult ESL Class Blog – Australia
• Dr. Snow and Clean Water – Educator Blog – England
• Water* – Educator Blog – USA
• Water in Oman – Educator Blog – Oman
• Blog Action Day 2010 – Student Blog – Year 6 – Australia
• Blog Action Day – Conservation – Class Blog – Australia
• Blog Action Day – Bottled Water – Student Blog – Australia

If you don’t see you post here, please leave a comment below with a link so that we can all share!

Top #ebshare tweets from the week:

The Blogger’s Cafe is open for business, after hols do you want your students to be better bloggers? http://thebloggerscafe.edublogs.org/Tue Oct 12 03:53:29 via webHenrietta Miller henriettaMi our school librarian is awsome! check out her blog…prezi, glogster, youtube, wiki…she does it all! http://bit.ly/cziyEf #edtechWed Oct 13 13:51:44 via webMichelle Sumner edtechdhh via @datruss – Moodle Schmoodle and no point to Sharepoint – A blogging alternative experience – http://bit.ly/bUBWw9 #ebshareFri Oct 15 12:51:56 via TweetDeckedublogs edublogs

Want to share a post, ask others to visit a blog for comments, or show off cool student work? Use the hashtag #ebshare to let us know so we can re-tweet it for you!

Featured Edublog of the Week

Technology Integration and 21st Century Classrooms FULL of excellent tech resources! From an Edublogs Campus site. Technology Integration Blog – Pennsylvania, USA

Find more great blogs like this one in our International Edublogs Directory.

Summing it up

It is collaboration and community that shows the real power of blogging. Blog Action Day is a great opportunity for students and educators to blog right alongside professional bloggers and organizations from around the world.

Don’t forget to share your favorite posts from Blog Action Day below!

Happy World Teachers’ Day!

October the 5th was World Teachers’ Day, and we here at Edublogs are sending out a huge thank you to all of the teachers and educators around the globe!

There is no doubt that educating future generations is the single most important responsibility that exists, and it certainly is no easy task. The dedication, patience, professionalism, and time it takes to reach students and foster their learning is worth celebrating more than just one day each year!

World Teachers’ Day is a joint effort by International Education and The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. You can visit the official World Teachers’ Day website here.

Put together for this week’s celebration, you might enjoy getting a glimpse into these classrooms from across the globe.

• Slate – Teach! – An historical look at 24 photos throughout the 1900’s of classrooms from all over
• UNESECO – A Tribute to Teachers – A montage of modern classrooms from the remote to the high tech

Growing the Profession

Also this week, the US Department of Education launched a new website, Teach.gov, aimed at increasing awareness of the teaching profession and encouraging new generations to seek teaching as a career.

The website has considerable information for anyone considering becoming an educator, not just in the US, and also several inspirational videos that showcase the significant job that teachers have.

Top #ebshare tweets from the week:

a deep-thinking 7th grade blogger! who knew? (note occasional use of @snappywords for interesting words) http://bit.ly/c8QgZU (on @edublogs)Thu Oct 07 04:25:44 via webDierdre Shetler dierdreshetler Check out this post: “Do Twendships Exist?” => http://is.gd/fMZvd #ebshareWed Oct 06 00:39:37 via Seesmic twhirlSean Nash nashworld Our international blog directory is now well over 1,000 strong! Have you added your blog yet? http://bit.ly/bCO9mT #ebshareWed Oct 06 13:52:29 via TweetDeckedublogs edublogs

Want to share a post, ask others to visit a blog for comments, or show off cool student work? Use the hashtag #ebshare to let us know so we can re-tweet it for you!

Featured Edublog of the Week

Ms Woodward’s Class Blog A great example of a class blog! From an Edublogs Campus site. A composite grade 1/2 class in Victoria, Australia

Find more great blogs like this one in our International Edublogs Directory.

Summing it up

In honor of World Teachers’ Day, do you have a story to share or a link to your blog about a teacher from your past?

From all of us at Edublogs, thank you teachers for all that you do!

Over the past year, a grass roots movement in educator professional development has evolved into a widespread phenomenon.

EdCamps, mostly in the US, and Teach Meets, mostly in the UK, are popping up all over as a new type of collaborative conference.  In fact, they are often called an “unconference” as the attendees are the presenters and the focus is on the needs and wants of those attending.

This week, Edutopia published an Introduction to Edcamp: A New Conference Model Built on Collaboration which includes interesting information on the history of the EdCamp model.  Would you believe that the idea for EdCamp came after a few educators attended a similar “unconference” for computer programmers?

Jason Bedell also posted an exhaustive post on unconferences as part of his ongoing series on “Professional Development 2.0”.  He provides great tips on how to start your own.

One of the differences in these types of conferences is that anyone that attends is also encouraged to present. If you are thinking about presenting about blogging, web 2.0 tools, or other tech uses in the classroom, don’t hesitate to let us know!  We might be able to provide resources or tips for your presentation – we’re always happy to help out whenever we can.

Want to learn more about edCamps and Teach Meets and how to bring one to your area?

• edcamp.wikispaces.com – The complete list and resource for edCamps
• teachmeet.pbworks.com – The complete list and resource for Teach Meets
• Twitter Search – #edcamp – The hashtag dedicated to edCamps and attendees

Top #ebshare tweets from the week:

A 1:1 Progam is Possible in Your School! Interview with Rich Kiker http://bit.ly/d1qoUv via @shellterrellTue Sep 28 14:03:06 via webChuck Poole cpoole27 Via @amcollier: Storytelling in higher ed. What are your instructional strategies using storytelling? http://bit.ly/aX4ME4 #ebshareTue Sep 28 13:30:18 via TweetDeckedublogs edublogs A post on the impact of PLNs and the climate of American public education. http://alienpedagogy.edublogs.org/Mon Sep 27 12:51:09 via webRyan Skardal Skardalien

Want to share a post, ask others to visit a blog for comments, or show off cool student work? Use the hashtag #ebshare to let us know so we can re-tweet it for you!

Featured Edublog of the Week

Learning Science in the 7-8 at PDS Check out the daily student summaries – what a great idea! Poughkeepsie, New York

Find more great blogs like this one in our International Edublogs Directory.

Summing it up

The changes and advancements in professional development opportunities are exciting.

Leave a comment below if you know of an unconference near you or know of another great resource to share!  We would also love to hear from you if you have attended an unconference before and what you think about the model.

Have a great October weekend!

If the twitter stream and blog posts over the past week or so are an accurate representation, it seems that iPads and other tablet devices have really started to solidify their roles in and out of the classroom.

In fact, I should disclose, this post comes at the conclusion of my first week with an iPad. Would you believe that this entire post (with the exception of adding the tweet images down below) was composed from the couch using this free blogging app here?

Really, it isn’t the fastest way to compose blog posts on a regular basis, but it certainly is fun and convenient. :)

Most reviews and experiences seem to be positive about the use of iPads in the classroom. And as announced this week with Google Apps coming to iPad and Android, the number of tools and uses are still multiplying.

So how do you sift through all of these classroom apps?

Luckily, edubloggers are making this easy.

Here are our favorite five blog posts and resources from just this week related to iPad and tablet use in the classroom:

1. iPads in Education – Around the Corner-MGuhlin.org
2. The Essential iPad Guide for Principals – eduleadership.org
3. Education departments go wild for the iPad – delimiter.com.au
4. Top 200 Education Apps -appannie.com
5. The E-Textbook Experiment Turns A Page – NPR.org

What about personal and productivity apps too?

It’s only been a week, and the truth is, the iPad can be a great productivity tool useful to teachers, administrators, and edubloggers alike.

Here are a few must-have apps to download on your first day with an iPad:

• Reeder – Integrates with your Google Reader.  Can make catching up on all the great blogs you read a bit more interactive and fun!
• IM+ for Gtalk and IM – will run in the background and has been known to wake up our resident blogger and support hero, Sue Waters, in the middle of the night when the sound is left on. (Sorry, Sue!)
• Skype – Turns your iPad into a massive iPhone for messaging and free calls around the world. Not a bad speaker phone too for meetings or group conversations.
• MaxiVista iPad – For Windows machines, will turn your iPad into a second monitor for your computer. This is good for keeping email or chat open on the iPad while working in other windows.
• AirDisplay – The same as MaxiVista above, but for Macs.  AirDisplay has a Windows Beta version, but there seemed to be some bugs when testing it out.
• Mobile Mouse – Makes it easy to turn your iPad into a giant wireless mouse touch pad for your computer.  This would be useful when doing presentations or teaching a lesson and wanting to control a computer from a distance.  What is different about this than other wireless mouse technologies is that the iPad allows you to type on the keyboard as well!

Top #ebshare tweets from the week:

Just blogged: What does the ideal elementary report card look like? Comments appreciated! http://bit.ly/cxS8tl #elemchat #edchat #ebshareMon Sep 20 12:01:33 via Tweetie for MacTania Ash tcash Want to learn more about edu-blogging? Why not visit some student blogs & leave comments. Here’s how: http://tinyurl.com/368qbdrWed Sep 22 15:55:13 via webBill Genereux billgx Gr8 posts on homework -> http://bit.ly/cHQ8n3 by @TeachPaperless; http://bit.ly/cDO4XT by @ShellTerrell; http://bit.ly/c6SkeS by mccallumThu Sep 23 09:53:17 via HootSuitemari yamauchi m_yam

Want to share a post, ask others to visit a blog for comments, or show off cool student work? Use the hashtag #ebshare to let us know so we can re-tweet it for you!

Featured Edublog of the Week

Kids in the Mid Using technology in Middle School. Tasmania, Australia

Find more great blogs like this one in our International Edublogs Directory.

Summing it up

Getting to see more examples of iPads in the hands of students will be interesting over the coming months.

Let us know if we missed a great resource or app so we can share with the community!