The Required Electronic Morning (or Afternoon) Education Reading
First off, I have just three words for you -- "wow" and "thank you." In our first official day of Educommunicators, more than 60 communication superstars joined the group. Folks came in through email, through Facebook, and through LinkedIn. Yes, we have PR firms represented, but we also have not-for-profits, advocacy organizations, writers, reporters, and institutions of higher education. And a good third of you can through "six degrees," and were new friends, introduced to me today.
We all recognize that information is power. Successful education communicators are at their best when they get their hands on all the relevant information they can. So that's where we are going to start the discussion -- the "gotta have" sources of education information. The plan is as follows -- today is all about emails and listserves. Tomorrow will be blogs. Thursday will be websites. Friday will be a summary and additions. Send me your thoughts and comments now. All ideas will be included. Be warned that today's list is the opinion of this author only, and doesn't reflect input from the group as a whole.
Daily emails and listserves. We all get a lot in our inbox. Much of it is garbage. But there are several information sources that I rely on, both to build my Eduflack entries and to counsel my Exemplar clients. These include:
* Fritzwire -- Each morning, I get my daily email from Fritz Edelstein. Fritz' mailings are legendary. They provide a blow-by-blow of the major events in the education industry, highlights of new and upcoming reports, and job opportunities. Recently, Fritz has even changed the format to help readers clearly see what is new from day to day. If you aren't on the list, you need to get on the list. Just email Fritz at fritzwire@lists.aacrao.org.
* Education News -- I'm an early riser, but each morning, my EdNews daily blast is in my inbox before my head leaves the pillow. Jimmy Kilpatrick assembles the email (and the companion website) down in Texas. He focused on the education headlines of the day, along with an international education section and an opinion/commentary section full of unique content. Check out www.ednews.org to see "the Internet's #1 source for education news and information."
* Inside Higher Ed -- For those who delve into the issues of colleges and universities, there is no better resource than Inside Higher Ed (www.insidehighered.com). Scott Jaschik and his editorial team do a tremendous job of capturing the daily pulse of institutions of higher education. You can visit the site or subscribe to the daily news blast.
* EdWonks -- This is a Google news group published daily by Kimberly Reeves, the Energizer news bunny down in Texas. While the group has a Texas focus, it also does a great job at capturing education-focused blogs and press releases (particularly from ED) that many folks may miss. Email her at edwonks@googlegroups.com.
* ASCD SmartBrief -- A terrific daily roundup of news headlines from around the country. ASCD releases the email in the afternoon, so it distinguishes itself from many of the other listserves you may get. It also includes an ever-expanding jobs board. www.smartbrief.com/ascd/
* ECS e-clips -- Similar to the ASCD SmartBrief, the Education Commission of the States issues a late-morning roundup of education headlines. The focus is more on state-level policy (where the real action is, according to my Eduflack posting yesterday). A limited number of articles, but good for the highlights. To subscribe, just send your contact info to e-Clips@ecs.org.
And these are just the dailies I depend on. There are a number of weekly distributions that I enjoy, probably far too many to list. But the top of that list includes:
* The Education Trust's Equity Express (released on Thursday evenings)
* PEN Weekly NewsBlast (released Friday mornings)
* EdWeek updates (particularly those alerting us to the online chat of the week, usually a Tuesday distribution)
* Edutopia News (usually a Wednesday email)
This obviously does not include the many newsletters coming from the different education organizations, like the Alliance for Excellent Education's Straight As, Fordham Foundation's Gadfly, or even IES' Newsflash. Those will be a discussion for a different day. This is simply the roundup of those emails and lists that, for the most part, capture the news and headlines of the day.
And those are just the emails I look for in my inbox. What am I missing? What do you rely on? What do you find most valuable? Share now, and we'll include it later this week and incorporate it in the resources we'll make available through www.educommunicators.com. Post your comments now, on any of the available forums.
In addition to the sources you cite, I'm in the habit of checking BlogNetNews and Polymeme to follow what's happening in education blogs.
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Wow... Day One and I'm already getting a great tip. Didn't know Kimberly ALSO coordinated a Google News group. Will definitely check it out, as I wonder when that girl ever sleeps!
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A lot of folks aren't willing to sharee their favorite sources...thanks Patrick for doing so. In addition to the sites you mentioned, I check out eSchool News and the Associated Press each day (I'm interested in breaking ed news)...and because I'm down here in Texas, I am a regular on Texas School News (Texasisd.com). It puts up ed news from all over the Lone Star state by 9 am each morning. Joe Smith, a retired superintendent, does a great job with the site. I believe it's a model for enterprising folks in other states.
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Thanks for the additions. I'm hoping that the evolution of this online community will help more of share our favorite sources. There's no magic secret here. Information is information. The real skill is not getting it, the skill is knowing what to do with the information and data once you've acquired it.
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