When I have been accessing RSS feeds for this assignment, I have been struck by the amount and variety of information that is available out there. I think that students using the feeds would help them with information gathering on a research project, as well as helping them to discern good sites from bad sites. This would help to enhance their information literacy. I could see myself benefitting from RSS for the classroom and instruction tips and plans. It would be much needed “shot in the arm” with fresh ideas to teach and encourage students to learn.
Five of the RSS blogs and feeds that I have found to beneficial in the future for my practice and classroom are:
- TED Talks about Education – There is a lot of good information and some motivational speaking to be found here.
- Grammargeddon – This is a humorous site with jokes and puns about grammar and the English language.
- Pennsylvania Education – This RSS can keep me up to date on current news on education and life in Pennsylvania.
- Education Trends – Another RSS feed I think will keep me up on current national educational trends.
- Daring English Teacher – This RSS feed contains some humor and many lesson ideas for the English classroom.
Jerry, I love your chalkboard blog!
I also love the idea of encouraging students to use RSS feeds throughout a research project. They could save their resources as they go so they can easily refer back to them. I like how you point out that this can also guide them to discern quality sources.
Finally, I enjoyed checking out Grammargeddon. What a fun site! Thanks for sharing.
Gerald,
I really appreciate how you view yourself using RSS feeds in your classroom. I think I need to use it more before I would implement it in my classroom, but you seem to have a great grasp on how you could use them in your classes. I think that using a feed to gather information for a research project would be a good start with RSS feeds in class. I do agree that it is a great way for us as teachers to find new information, ideas, and technologies that other teachers are using! I definitely plan to continue using RSS feeds in this way. I also followed the Ted Talks for education, I think this is a great source to use in any classroom because it provides life lessons and applies to content as well. Lastly, Grammargeddon seems like an RSS feed I should follow. As someone who often makes grammar mistakes it might be helpful!
Eric
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on how you think RSS feeds can benefit you and your students. I also think that using RSS feeds to help students find and gather sources for research projects would be a great idea–I like that I could add credible websites and then students can search the most current articles for their project. Using this tool to help them also discern between good and bad sources is a great idea I hadn’t thought of! I also appreciated learning about some of the resources you included in your own RSS feed. Some of them, like the Daring English Teacher, I also included on my own RSS, but I hadn’t heard of Grammargeddon before, so I appreciated getting to learn about a new site that included tips and discussions on English grammar. I think sharing some of the posts on Grammargeddon with my students in creative writing classes could help them learn more about ways to use their voice and the importance of certain grammar rules. Thanks again for sharing.
Gerald, nice collection of RSS feed resources. I’m a big fan of Ted Talks. I often try and incorporate them into lesson plans when appropriate. I agree RSS feeds would be a big help for a student’s research on a project or presentation.