Thing #10

This experience was definitely a new one!  I mean I always see those little orange boxes and RSS Feed, but never really knew what it was or why I would want to.  After this experience, I definitely see the benefits of it.  I created a GoogleReader (super easy like most Google Apps, btw).  The five feeds I subscribed to were: 

• Thoughts--my friend Katelyn's blog that I read every time she posts.  I hated having to look and see if she posted something new so now my news feed can do that for me.
• Mackenzie's Meanderings--a youth minister and close friend who blogs about everything from family to sports to Facebook to religion.  I also adore reading his stuff and had to rely on facebook posts to let me know he had updated.
• Blessings for Bible School Teachers--a resource I use to help prepare for Sunday School.  Even though they haven't updated in a while, they have promised to do so soon.  Now I will know when new information is available.
• Dangerously Irrelevant--this is a new read for me.  After Dr Wall suggested it, I took a look around and found lots of information I found useful.  I love how technology and education mix and this seems like the perfect place for me to learn.
• McMama--I started reading McMama several years ago after a friend suggested it.  She posts fabulous pictures and suggestions on how to take pictures.  She also holds contests, shares information on raising kids, and provides humorous tales about her family.  She is one of the original creators of "Not Me Mondays".

I like RSS and and newsreaders because they provide all of your news and information in one place.  You don't have to rely on filtering through hundreds of favorites or google searches.  I can see it being even more valuable as I add other news that interest me such as FoxNews and ESPN.

In my personal life, I can already see the benefits.  As far as school goes, I am tempted to create a google reader for our entire social studies department.  We have Professional Learning Communities once a week.  A google reader would give us a good place to store all of our departmental news so that we would be able to easily access it when we had our meetings.

Teachers can also take advantage of RSS by adding news specific to their content area and making it public to their students.  The students will have the news right at their fingertips when writing journals or doing other assignments.