Feels like a year ago since I unfairly nominated only a few people for The Edublog Awards 2009. Unfairly because there are so many I would like to thank and mention but you know how the Oscar speeches go, right …?

Here are my nominees for The 2010 Edublog Awards:

Best individual blog

Im-bloody-possible task from so many quality bloggers out there. My top three must reads this year are Ira Socol‘s SpedChange for his insights, advice and eternal ‘give a damn’, Dave Cormier’s Educational Blog by Dave Cormier for his thoughtfully irreverent style and much-shared interests beyond the hype, and Join the dots by the indomitable Mark Drechsler, riding the orange Moodle tsunami so clearly, insightfully and consistently.

And because we ‘need a winner’, for all the reasons above and because he fell of his bike this year and because he is simply a top bloke (not suggesting Ira and Dave aren’t!), and not because it would look like I’m returning the favour … my Best Edu-Blog 2010 nomination goes to Mark Drechsler’s Join the dots.

Thank you Mark.

Best individual tweeter

I’ve talked to literally hundreds over Twitter this year but there is one helluva lucid, quick, feisty and damn eloquent, oustanding tweeter out there whose name I’ve already mentioned above – Ira Socol. This is not some sort of consolation for missing out on Best Blog (I am SURE Ira will live and deal with it OK 😀 ) but simply because he is – the best.

Go Gunners and thank you Ira for all your tweets (serious and less so), sharp insights, @, RTs,  DMs and connections made over the year(s).

Best resource sharing blog

Well, Moodlenews, run by Joseph Thibault definitely takes the honour in my eyes this year. Joe started the Moodlemonthly just over a year ago and has since developed into a wonderfully diverse and consistent source of news and all kinds of Moodle-related items.

Thank you Joe and keep up the great work in 2011!

Most influential blog post

Another ‘Mission Impossible’ with so many. But the one that really goes to the nub of so much edu-effort (and missed by most of edu-chatter brigade) was recently penned by Jonathan Powles, called ‘Knowledge and Learning; Our Imaginary Friends‘. I wont tell you what it is about, please read it yourself.

Best teacher blog

OK, broken record “so many to chose…” But I have always lurked at, read and enjoyed  Graham Wegner‘s Open Educator. Reflective, caring, no-bull writing by a man who is a passionate and expert teacher. Enough said!

Cheers Graham, please keep writing.

Best school administrator blog

The first time I nominated this guy I called him something like “a leader who leaps a 20ft chasm with a 30ft leap (bit of a waste, really 😉 ) – not two 10ft steps”. I remain firm in that observation and I’d be running to have him as my school administrator.

Yep, it’s Darcy Moore and his blog (please comment on his header too 😉 ). Thank you Darcy.

Lifetime achievement

I know it’s kinda awkward nominating people for ‘lifetime achievement’ (“What? I’m not dead yet!”), nevertheless I would like to acknowledge the fabulous and tireless work done by Steve Hargadon over many years in his passionate quest to connect educators around the world and champion Open Source initiatives all along.

Thank you Steve and sorry for that broken child lock in the back of my car on the way to dinner in Perth 😀 would love to share a meal again one day soon.

Is this a man’s world?

No, this isn’t an award but an acknowledgment that somehow all my nominees are male. Not deliberately I assure, nor am I courting the ‘women’s vote’.

I would simply like to acknowledge the professional friendships of many women over the year(s) – names like Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach for our rapid fire edu-philosophy Twitter-bursts, Helen Foster , the wonderful Moodle Community Manager who steadied my ship many times in my inaugural year at Moodle HQ,  Veronica Emery for our enduring friendship and sharing of ideas after (my) leaving school,  Jan Green for her care, Penny Coutas and Jean Anning for sharing and organising many of our local get-togethers,  wonderfully crazy Sue Hickton for sharing of the most irreverent tweets and hashatgs, the incredibly helpful Jo Hart locally and Maryel Mendiola internationally … and I could just keep going here (maybe I will in the next few days actually).

But since we are singling people out here tonight, fairly or not, a woman I would love to meet and thank  in person (in 2011) is the incredibly helpful, professional and the kindest of Moodle fairies 😉 there are. Mary Cooch – take a bow.

Thank you all, really. You feel like family.