You know how you see something all the time but you just never pay attention to it? Yeah, that was me when it came to the RSS feed symbol; I would notice it on several websites I have visited but didn’t stop to check it out.
This week in my 501 class I learned that I could subscribe and receive updates to many of the websites I frequent; and NOT bog down my email! I love it! This is new to me, and I am still learning how to set it up. I already like it because I am able to view my classmates learning logs and check out what they are learning and doing. Plus, I only have to go to one page to get updated, instead of many. It’s like a one-stop-shop location…..
If I were to incorporate this into my curriculum I would help my students set it up at the beginning of the school year. Then I would use it as a daily warm-up. They could subscribe to at least one local/regional news source. Then everyday as we begin class they could check for updates and write about it in a journal, whether it be digital or not. Making sure students stay (kinda) up-to-date on current events would be worth it to me.
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Jaci Prance: EDTECH Learning Log 
Jaci, I felt the same way about RSS Feeds. I’ve seen the icons but never really thought to investigate what it was. I like the idea of having the students stay up to date with current events. As a science teacher I would love to have my students keep up to date with scientific discoveries or events that are taking place like the recent lunar eclipse.
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Welcome to RSS feeds! I have been on Feedly for years, and I have a tip. Keep your feed organized! I hardly ever check my Feedly anymore. The reason being, I have subscribed to so many feeds and spent so little time on keeping it organized that I can never find the content I want when looking for it. My plan for my Digg Reader account is to be really picky about what gets added to my feed and how it is organized. This is just my 2 cents!
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Great tip, Jeff, thanks! I can easily see how this could become unruly very quickly.
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Jaci, like you I am new to RSS but I’m finding that the more I use it the more I like having all my news in one place. I think Jeff is probably right about keeping things organized- it seems like it would be very easy to subscribe to anything that catches your eye, but realistically it’s unlikely that you’ll have time to read everything all the time. I like your idea of using RSS as a quick and easy way for students to get news- it’d certainly cut down on search time.
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*ding, ding ding* Winner Winner! Yes Jaci, one of my favorite things about using RSS readers, it doesn’t clog up my email!!!! I can view my feeds on my desktop client or on my phone if I’m waiting in line or have some downtime. Being able to quickly glance over the headlines and brief descriptions is very handy and saves time.
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I felt the same way about the RSS feeds… I had no idea what it meant or what it was for.
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I really like your suggestion to have students subscribe and view updates in class. I think this will help the student get used to viewing the news every morning. Great idea!
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