It’s an honor, and a delightful surprise, to have made the shortlist for this year’s Edublog Awards. I didn’t know nominations were being solicited; if I had, I would have sent over a list of my favorites. I didn’t know the shortlist had been announced until I saw the Technorati link. Voting started yesterday, but I just now saw the page for the first time. So much ignorance on my part! And yet someone was gracious enough to nominate Gardner Writes for the shortlist.

My thanks to that someone, or perhaps someones. My thanks also to Josie Fraser and all the folks who’re working on this project. I’m not too much on popularity contests, but in this case the more I think about it the more I’m convinced that it’s a worthy way to draw attention to worthy writers (even if I am in the bunch). For me it’s already been of great value: simply checking out my fellow nominees has introduced me to many splendid sites I had not seen before. More folks to add to my suite of trusted and inspiring experts … what’s not to like about that?

And those shortlist sites I have seen before? Humbling, and as with the sites that were new to me, high standards to aspire to.