A large part of the model of the school I teach at is permaculture and healthy eating habits. I was happy to find that the U.S. Department of Education has more than $35,000,000 in grants for health and nutrition education. I have never written a grant proposal in my life but I was moved to do so when I read this article. And to think, I never would have known about it if I did not add the U.S. Dept of Education to my list of RSS feeds I am following.
Although it is too late to apply for this specific grant, I will be sure to be better kept in the loop by using Google Reader. Thanks, technology.
_____________
I will admit that at first I was hesitant to adopt RSS feeds. I have grown into a comfortable routine of checking my regular websites daily. It didn’t seem like much could change my habits of waking up with a cup of coffee and freep.com, npr.org, and a half dozen other websites, every now and then adding recommendations from friends. I began to look at RSS feeds differently after going through the RSS lab for CEP 810. Instead of me aimlessly browsing for the latest news stories and interesting articles, they now come to me in my Google Reader.
It began slowly, first one feed, then another, and another. Pretty soon I felt like I had yet another e-mail with dozens of articles to check. I could feel a mounting sense of data overload, so I decided to get educated on how to properly use RSS feeds to make me a better teacher. After reading a few blogs and youtube how-to videos I began to change the way I used Google Reader. I can quickly scan over dozens of articles a minute and easily read and share those that interest me. On the left column I can click on my subscription and only get information from the sites I want that day.
RSS feeds will help me become a better teacher. If I’m planning a specific unit I can add feeds related to that and easily find valuable resources and expert opinions. I teach history, and although not much changes in the way of history, there are a lot of resources that I simply do not know about. Nothing says I have to read every word of every article. I can quickly scan these bits of information for what is relevant to me. RSS feeds are as smart as you make them. Google Reader picks up on my habits and offers recommendations. It also lets me share stories that interest me and see what other people are interested in. Another benefit is that my information is not tied to one machine but can be accessed on any Internet connected device.
I noticed that some feeds add dozens of new stories throughout the day while others update perhaps once a week or less. Not all feeds are created equal. I can quickly read through my news feeds from freep.com and npr.org just like people used to read through the morning paper. When I want to learn about a new technology or something related to my professional life I can take my time browsing relevant blogs and news sources. RSS feeds allow me to feel connected without making me feel overwhelmed. I no longer have to travel to dozens of individual websites, they now come to me in one handy, organized place
I enjoy the way Google Reader works like my MacBook Pro. I can type in a keyword and Google Reader will browse through all my news stories to help me find what I am looking for. It is amazing that with 100s of stories coming into my feeder daily I still do not feel like the important stories are getting buried. For example, I can type in GIS and find every news story that mentions GIS, even if its weeks old. I can also share these links with friends via my Reader page or e-mail with the single click of a button.
I can see myself immediately using RSS feeds in my classroom. I hope to have students do current events. By having students set up their own blog and RSS feed they can gather news stories, share them with friends and write their own reflections. This information is easily documented, no more being accused of “losing” someones paper. I also don’t have to lug a stack of papers home with me to grade and lug them back to school the next day. Yes, RSS feeds have certainly grown on me. I look forward to finding new and exciting ways to use RSS feeds both in my personal and professional life.
It began slowly, first one feed, then another, and another. Pretty soon I felt like I had yet another e-mail with dozens of articles to check. I could feel a mounting sense of data overload, so I decided to get educated on how to properly use RSS feeds to make me a better teacher. After reading a few blogs and youtube how-to videos I began to change the way I used Google Reader. I can quickly scan over dozens of articles a minute and easily read and share those that interest me. On the left column I can click on my subscription and only get information from the sites I want that day.
RSS feeds will help me become a better teacher. If I’m planning a specific unit I can add feeds related to that and easily find valuable resources and expert opinions. I teach history, and although not much changes in the way of history, there are a lot of resources that I simply do not know about. Nothing says I have to read every word of every article. I can quickly scan these bits of information for what is relevant to me. RSS feeds are as smart as you make them. Google Reader picks up on my habits and offers recommendations. It also lets me share stories that interest me and see what other people are interested in. Another benefit is that my information is not tied to one machine but can be accessed on any Internet connected device.
I noticed that some feeds add dozens of new stories throughout the day while others update perhaps once a week or less. Not all feeds are created equal. I can quickly read through my news feeds from freep.com and npr.org just like people used to read through the morning paper. When I want to learn about a new technology or something related to my professional life I can take my time browsing relevant blogs and news sources. RSS feeds allow me to feel connected without making me feel overwhelmed. I no longer have to travel to dozens of individual websites, they now come to me in one handy, organized place
I enjoy the way Google Reader works like my MacBook Pro. I can type in a keyword and Google Reader will browse through all my news stories to help me find what I am looking for. It is amazing that with 100s of stories coming into my feeder daily I still do not feel like the important stories are getting buried. For example, I can type in GIS and find every news story that mentions GIS, even if its weeks old. I can also share these links with friends via my Reader page or e-mail with the single click of a button.
I can see myself immediately using RSS feeds in my classroom. I hope to have students do current events. By having students set up their own blog and RSS feed they can gather news stories, share them with friends and write their own reflections. This information is easily documented, no more being accused of “losing” someones paper. I also don’t have to lug a stack of papers home with me to grade and lug them back to school the next day. Yes, RSS feeds have certainly grown on me. I look forward to finding new and exciting ways to use RSS feeds both in my personal and professional life.
 |
| A comment I made on a blog I follow through my RSS feed |
 |
| What my RSS feeds look like on Google Reader |
Not only will you not have to lug papers home, you can create a feed in Google just for your students. You could do this on iGoogle and use different tabs for different classes. How organized is that??!!
ReplyDelete