To begin with, Word still has a great deal to offer students, and the more practice students have, the easier the tool becomes. For example, students need to know how to set up pages in a document, reorganize a document by using cut and paste, manipulate a document, save a document: this list goes on and on. Now, I know what you are thinking: “I am NOT a computer teacher,” but in reality, aren’t we all? These days, that statement and attitude is like saying, “I don’t teach writing in my class.”

The trick here is to be creative. Roblyer and Doering (2013) assert that teachers need to design integration strategies and prepare the learning environment. So, use a brochure template to travel through the Harlem Renaissance; create a resume for Lincoln or Huck Finn, or use a newsletter template to cover Freud’s Oedipus complex; you get the idea.

The same goes with using spreadsheets. A spreadsheet, according to Roblyer and Doering (2013), “puts numerical information in row column format” and allows “quick calculations and recalculations.” So what does an English teacher do with this tool? A lot! Take a survey of your class on a character’s point of view given a specific topic and create a bar graph or pie chart, then follow up with a written reflection; create a timeline of a literary period, chart a character’s travels, compare and contrast data that students pull from reading nonfiction material; again, creativity is key.

The bottom line is that kids need these skills, and we need to teach them and encourage tools that can be used everyday and translate into 21st century skills. Quite frankly, some of the tools we like to use in the classroom will never be accessed by our students outside of our environment; however, Word and Excel have a pretty good chance of making that leap.

References

Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. H. (2013). Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching (6th ed.). Allyn & Bacon.

60 great ways to use Word in the Classroom

By conducting this research I was able to locate several powerful pieces of writing on these subjects.  Most of these articles were explanations of case studies that researchers have completed about the various topics.  The majority of them validate my interest in digitized primary sources and have provided me with support that I can take to my administrator when I request the technological materials required to accomplish my goal.  I am hoping this will lead to the kind of learning environment my students deserve.

It is important to stay on top of developments in educational technology for several reasons.  Technology changes at an exponential rate, and these changes will dramatically impact the ways we teach and learn.  I truly believe the future model for education will involve teachers in the role of facilitators because they are no longer the only medium from which students can “receive” information.  Today’s students need more guidance in how to interpret and qualify the information they access.  Not staying on top of this type of change will leave teachers, and as a result students, behind the rest of the world.  This is one of the main reasons I chose to enroll in this program.  I know that it will forever shape the content and context of my classes.

To access my annotated bibliography and read more about this research please  click the following link: JonesR_AnnotatedBib

“educational technology:”

• Albertsons – 94.387 results
• Google Scholar – 467.000 results

“technology in the classroom:”

• Albertsons – 2.040 results
• Google Scholar – 21.000 results

“benefits of technology for learning:”

• Albertsons – no results
• Google Scholar – 38 results

In general, it appears that the Google Scholar database is much larger than the Albertsons’. It struck me as slightly odd that in the last search Albertsons Library came up with no results. However, when I searched Google Scholar and hit “Find it at Boise State,” the result showed up at Albertsons!

I like the Albertsons page lay-out better than Google’s, especially the front cover thumbnails that show up in a search. If you are searching for a particular book or periodical, this may speed up the scanning of your search results. Also, the quick overview of

In the Google Scholar results, I like the feature informing the reader of how many times a resource was cited. This will help you find popular resources quickly. It can be a bit frustrating though, to find a great resource and not having access to the full-text version through Google Scholar! In some cases “Find it at Boise State” may show the full text version, but not always.

I feel that both have their own strengths and weaknesses: for my research I would be inclined to start with Google Scholar, simply for the larger database. If I need a full-text version that I cannot get in Google, “Find it at Boise State” may help. If I search a specific book or periodical, Albertsons would be the preferred point-of-entry, because their search results are presented much more user friendly and the cover thumbnails enable quick scanning.

I would like to develop an action plan to help our instructor engage their online students with educational technology tools. We have wonderful content within our online courses, but sometimes the interaction with the other students and the feeling or collaboration is lacking. We want to have all our classes feel challenging, engaging and a sense of community. Currently, most classes are set up with little or no interaction with other students; I want to create a list of proven educational online tools that can aid instructors to help engage their students. For the purpose of this paper I have decided to concentrate my research on using Twitter in the classroom.

My objectives are to ensure that our instructors have successful communication with their students. I want students to feel connected to their instructors and be able to stay up to date on key deadlines, important dates, aid in research, and collaborate with other students . Using Twitter as a resource will not only help the student feel apart of a community, it will help the instructor be able to save time and make sure that all students are given the same opportunity to receive all the proper tools to become successful.

Annotated Bibliography

Blessing, S. B., Blessing, J. S., & Fleck, B. K. (2012). Using Twitter to reinforce classroom concepts. Teaching of Psychology, 39(4), 268-271. DOI: 10.1177/0098628312461484.

Summary: Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites have been used by college student for years. Twitter can be used to expand student knowledge and discuss course content outside the classroom. Students can collaborate with others, get course questions clarified, share insights and share other online tools with students. With Twitter questions can be answered quickly, students will feel much more engaged. Along with this student might become distracted and miss important information if they are not able to easily weed out the material that does not apply. To effectively use this resource guidelines would need to be created by the instructor and expectations would need to be clear to all students.

Kassens-Noor, E. (2012). Twitter as a teaching practice to enhance active and informal learning in higher education: The case of sustainable tweets. Active Learning in Higher Education, 13(1), 9-21. DOI: 10.1177/146978741129190.

Summary: This study explores the teaching practice of Twitter as an active, informal, outside-of-class learning tool. Through a comparative experiment in a small classroom setting, this study asks whether the use of Twitter aids students in learning of a particular subject. And if so, in which learning contexts Twitter offers advantages over more traditional teaching methods. This exploratory study showed potential opportunities and pitfalls that Twitter could bring to the e-learning community in higher education.

Lin, M. G., Hoffman, E. S., & Borengasser, C. (2013). Is social media too social for class? A case study of Twitter use. TechTrends, 57(2), 39-45

Summary: This case study examined Twitter use by undergraduate and graduate students in three classes and how they perceived Twitter as a classroom tool. The researchers found students enjoyed tweeting but seldom retweeted or replied. Questions remain as to whether the informal social focus of Twitter may overwhelm attempts to use it in more structured educational settings.

Rath, L. (2011). The effects of Twitter in an online learning environment. eLearn, 2011(2) DOI:10.1145/1943208.1944486

Summary: If instructors use Twitter in the classroom as a resource within their online learning portal can it also be used inside and outside the classroom? This article covered the implications of the user of Twitter in the classroom. The study concluded that students prefer discussion boards to social media sites, but if Twitter feeds are posted within the LMS students did find the information useful. Students did feel sharing ideas on Twitter was helpful and they felt they would not have found the information otherwise.

Young, J. R. (2010). Teaching with Twitter: Not for the faint of heart. The Education Digest: Essential Readings Condensed for Quick Review, 75(7), 9-12.

Summary: What if you asked 250 students to post questions on Twitter? If we open up Twitter as a channel for professors and students, how does it alter the classroom dynamics? Many professors have decided to experiment with the concept to see how beneficial it really is. Students seem to like using Twitter, this is especially true for students that prefer not to raise their hand in class, but might be very active in Twitter. Opening up the use of Twitter may not help every student, but having the option for other students might be what they need to be successful in the course.

Recommendation

Based on the research, adding Twitter as a tool within the classroom will benefit the student and instructor in many ways. Next semester, I will use Twitter to communicate with our open learning students sharing bits of important information about drop deadlines, registration windows and scheduling final exams. It is an exciting tool that I know has not been utilized at my college to its full potential. I am going to start a test group to see how beneficial the tool is to our online students, based on the findings we can tweak the use and build a good reference to carry forward into future semesters.

Reflection

This week’s assignment was very informational. I had never heard of Google scholar and I had never been asked to find peer-reviewed articles. An entire world opened up to me on research. I used three main libraries, Google Scholar, Albertsons Library and Sheridan College Library.

References

Walker, L. (2009). Nine reasons to twitter in schools. Tech & Learning, 29(10), 50.

AECT Standards: 4.4 Information Management: Relates to gathering and analyzing information. I used Google Scholar, Albertsons Library and Sheridan College Library.

I have now begun my journey into the overwhelming world of RSS feeds. Really Simple Syndication, or RSS feeds, are a way to organize and streamline information from your favorite websites.

Even though I am familiar finding ten or more daily new emails from websites or blogs I subscribe to, I am finding my Google Reader feed to be quite mind-boggling. I’m not sure if this is because I am reading my feed in addition to my emails, or because my feed is a new system I am getting use to. Currently, I read multiple emails from multiple email accounts and delete or archive the email once I am done reading the article.

The way I see myself using RSS in the classroom is using my feed as a database for new ways of effectively using technology in the classroom. I do not plan on having my students use it at this time, but I do plan on “unsubscribing” to all the emails I am receiving and now just checking my Google Reader for all the new updates.  RSS seems to fit well with my motto of work smarter, not harder.

RSS stands for really simple syndication.  RSS feeds are used harmoniously with blogs in order to keep readers up to date on new material being pushed out by the blog-master.  There are several advantages to using an RSS feed rather than manually checking a blog.  The primary benefit is the time saving element.  People who read one blog, most likely read several blogs and it takes time to browse through the myriad of material on each website or blog.  If you subscribe to an RSS feed, the updated information will be sent to you automatically.  Another advantage to using RSS is the fact that it protects your privacy.  Rather than subscribing to an e-mail newsletter list and putting your personal information at risk, you can simply subscribe to an RSS feed.

You must have an RSS reader in order to get updates from the blog in which the RSS feed originated.  There are hundreds of RSS readers available today and they differ very little in functionality, but their presentation can vary considerably.  It comes down personal preference and ease of use for the user.  Google Reader is an extremely convenient RSS reader for individuals already using a G-mail accounts.

RSS feeds can be an extremely powerful tool within the classroom.  Firstly, it can provide an infinite amount of resources for a teacher’s subject matter via RSS feed bundles.  The link at the top of this posting is an example of an RSS feed bundle filled with resources pertaining to educational technology that I will be using throughout this course and within my own classroom.  Secondly, teachers can improve their communication with their students (and parents for that matter) by setting up a class blog and posting a weekly overview of learned concepts, assigned projects, and future goals for the class.  Lastly, teachers can have their students acquire their own RSS feed reader and assign relevant feeds to follow.  This would allow students to witness learned concepts within a classroom being discussed and applied in a “real world” setting.

In conclusion, RSS feeds have made an immense amount of information available without the need for costly subscriptions or time consuming searches.  The functionality of RSS feeds within a classroom setting can be endless and I expect to see the use of these syndications increase as more and more teachers expand their use of technology within an educational setting.

• Form an online community

A sense of community gives education context by which we form meaning and purpose.  Many educational theories include a social element as part of their basis; in theory terms it is referred to as community of practice and community of learners (Jonassen & Land, 2012).   As education moves more into online environments these practices of community may look different from the traditional form of education, yet they are necessary to establish. The community edifies the learner through his or her participation.  Even as I write this, I am motivated by the fact that someone in my learning community will read it.

One popular idea related to community in online learning is “social presence” (Palloff & Pratt, 2006). Earlier attempts at distance education and online learning were not as successful due to the isolation of the learner from the source of instruction.  Even now, many still believe that online learning is inferior to traditional classrooms because of this same perception.  However, advancement in web tools are creating more opportunities for social presence online, and in some ways create more enriching learning communities than the traditional counterpart.

• Establish a regulated learning environment

One key concept related to a regulated learning environment is netiquette (Rice, 2011).  In order for the learners of an online community to feel safe and valued, guidelines need to be set for acceptable and unacceptable behavior online.

• Be aware of digital inequality and learning disabilities

I have included the gap in digital inequality as a reminder to myself because sometimes its easy to overlook that some students have not obtained certain skills with computers and online tools.  Many online educators are developing software, hardware, and online instructional techniques as part of a plan called universal design, which considers the needs of all learners without sacrificing the content (Hall, Strangman, & Meyer).

• Engage the virtual senses

Information is not only transmitted in text.  Tap into the visual and auditory techniques for sharing information. This is a reminder to use the vast amount of multimedia resources available online.  In many ways technology tools provide for a more enriching learning experiences than the traditional classroom because it gives the learner more direct and individual contact to multimedia sources.  Besides textual information, video recordings, audio recordings, and screencasts can provide the teacher with great tools for communicating information to a student.

• Chunk educational scaffolding in time segments

Deadline related tasks encourage students to participate regularly with the course and the instructor (Graham, Cagiltay, Lim, Craner, & Duffy, 2001).  Tasks should be presented with scaffolding techniques so that the learners can build a foundation in which knowledge and understanding of a specific concept can grow (Patnoudes, 2012)

• Provide collaboration with measurable objectives

Students can collaborate by providing opportunities for open discussion with a topic or by having students work together to accomplish a task (Carwile, 2007). The online educational environments provide many opportunities for the constructivist approach to learning.

Questions and Response:

What does good online instruction look like?

It returns the “awe” to learning.  Online instruction is a breath of fresh air for many learners and teachers who have watched traditional forms of education stagnate in old practices, or turn their back on modern social practices. It is hard to speak of good online instruction in a specific sense because the opportunities are so numerous.  So generally speaking, good online instruction is open to the possibilities.  Since I have chosen this road, I have developed my own personal motto for any problem that arises in the epistemological practices of education; if technology does not have the solution, it will soon. 

Does it look the same for all grade levels and content areas?

As I mentioned in my introduction, the scope of education is very wide.  The list of best practices is intended to be general enough that it can apply to all levels of education.  However, the teacher will certainly have to accommodate specific strategies to meet the cognitive and maturity levels of his or her students.

Will effective face-to-face teachers be effective online teachers?

Yes and no.  Good teaching is a versatile skill that can transfer easily from traditional learning environments to non-traditional online environments.  However, each teacher is an individual, harnessing skills, experiences, and special talents into his or her instruction.  Therefore, not everyone is going to be equally as effective in one environment as the other.

References:

Working through this assignment has opened up another world to me that I never knew existed. I have seen the RSS icon on many websites while browsing the internet and—like many other technology tools that I will be introduced to in this program—I placed no real interest in what it meant, or its use. The quote by Martin H. Fischer, “All the world is a laboratory to the inquiring mind,” epitomizes my interactions with RSS feeds this past week. The easy-to-use interface took away any complication from this new experience. Subscribing could become addictive, when you think of having your favorite or most useful feeds in one designated place.

Having created a bundle for the purpose of this assignment, my mind darted in many directions, considering the ways that I could engage my fifth graders using my latest find. I am always interested in anything I can use to help my class, but RSS feeds presented a concern for me thinking of my students being overly exposed (if there is such a thing in this “day and age”). It took some thought on my part in trying to figure out ways that I could use RSS feeds in my classroom context, considering my students’ ages.

Recently I have set up an Edmodo learning environment for my students. (I learned about Edmodo from one of the Cool Teachers Podcasts). Incidentally, Edmodo allows the teacher to subscribe groups within the class setup,  to sites with RSS feeds. With this feature, I can tailor feeds to my students’ specific needs as they relate to their subjects. Students will get the opportunity to access information to help them dialogue, or create projects as directed. If I wish, I can easily unsubscribe when I am finished with a particular topic. This allows for some control over how much information my young fifth graders are immersed in at any given time.

As a teacher I will definitely embrace the use of RSS feeds as a professional development tool. I can keep up with topics that are trending. With my favorite blogs or websites in one place, it makes staying current convenient. We all know busy teachers need as much conveniences as they can get.

I now have Google Reader and have subscribed to several RSS feeds that will keep me updated on websites that I enjoy reading. Most importantly, I have subscribed to teaching resource websites that will enable me to stay connected to what is new and trending in the educational world. It makes it easier to see the latest information in one location. The only problem is the over-whelming amount of information you can get in one day. It is hard to stop reading all that is on the feed.

I plan on using the feeds to keep lesson plans interactive and fun. More specifically, I have subscribed to the TeacherTube feed and hope to keep updated on all the new videos that have been uploaded and how they can be used in the classroom. I also think it would be a good idea to have students create their own list of feeds that would help them with research on various topics. It is a good way for students to get the latest information all in one place instead of having to look all over the internet to find it. Students could also subscribe to fellow students’ blogs, just as I am with my classmates’ learning logs, to keep in touch with how their work is coming along, as well as share information with one another.

The following is a link to my Google Reader teaching resource folder. It is still in the works and will more than likely be modified in the days to come as I become more comfortable with using it.

Google Reader: Teaching Resources Bundle

Since I am not a teacher as of yet, I had to be creative and think outside the box just a little to see how I would implement RSS feeds into classroom instruction.  First, RSS Feeds would be helpful in keeping up with current events.    Another way I would use RSS feeds in the classroom is I can set up my own blog or website and have students subscribe to them.  Homework, reminders of important dates and even lecture notes can be posted on the blog or website.  If a student misses a class it would be easy for him/her to keep up with the lesson(s).  Students can subscribe to my blog or website via Twitter, Facebook, Google Reader, etc and will be updated of any change instantly.  As an Accountant I follow the AICPA for updates as it relates to accounting.  For students who wish to become members of the AICPA or take the CPA exam, this would be a good feed where one can keep abreast of any changes and upcoming events.  Professionally, I could use RSS feeds to keep up with industry updates and conferences around the world.  It is good to stay up to date and be able to implement new controls into my organization.

As I continue my studies in the EdTech program, I will think about new ways to incorporate RSS Feeds into my future classroom and my current place of employment.  I will continue to use RSS for my personal and professional endeavors, for it is an easier way for me to get updates and news from all of my favorite websites.  This technological tool is beneficial “really simple” to use!

Below are the links to my RSS Feeds:

Teaching Resources

Accounting Resources

RSS technology is a passive connection to your knowledge needs, allowing you to browse your RSS reader for updates, rather than having to search your favorite websites or sift through your email inbox for newsletters, list servs or articles. You can pick and choose what RSS feeds to subscribe to and monitor them as needed.

In an educational setting, RSS feeds can have the same purpose as it does on a personal or professional basis: to share valuable information. At our university library, we use RSS feeds on our website that when enabled by a user, will tell them of our latest material acquisitions. I can envision this particular technology being used on a professional development level as well, as my fellow library staff members experience many policy changes and new developments in the workplace.

We currently use a wiki and mass emailing for policy updating but I fear that it is not as effective as using RSS feeds could be. There are many things that may be included in these RSS feeds that could lead to a cohesive, well-functioning library environment and may be valuable to my co-workers. Things like: notification of library and campus events, upcoming conferences and those who’ve attended conferences sharing what they learned, new staff announcements and open positions, and the aforementioned policy and operational updates as well.

This past fall, I attended a conference in Westminster, Colorado called Accessing Higher Ground: Accessible Media, Web and Technology. It was an eye opening experience to understand how others access information and how we (educators, designers and librarians) should strive to provide accessible information for all learners/users/patrons. I have compiled a group of accessibility resources related to educational technology, many of which I learned of at this conference and am sharing with you through this feed bundle.

Teaching Resources RSS FEED

Using RSS and Google Reader is a seemingly boundless pathway for discovering information about societies around the world.  And that makes it a great resource for the sociology classroom, particularly as a way to “feed” current news events into the online classroom discussions.  The weekly discussions in my Sociology courses are often structured around significant world events which students are asked to examine critically with the aid of concepts and theories from their reading.  Discussing public issues within a sociological framework not only helps students better understand  sociology but it also helps them see the world  in a new way. RSS feeds are an excellent way for me to quickly cull through and select current events on a daily basis in order to keep the class discussions lively and relevant.

Because I am an avid information hound and because sociologists are trained to look at both the pros and cons of issues, a question kept creeping into my mind while I was searching for subscriptions for my Teaching Resources feed:  is RSS a useful tool that will help me sort large amounts of information more efficiently or is it a counter-productive black hole?  Like any media tool, RSS is what we make of it.  However, it seems important for those of us who are newly entering the field of education technology  to consider the potential problems created when our limitless desire for more information and knowledge comes up against our limited capacity as human beings to absorb, organize and make good from that information.

If, in the world of online education, we create a professional environment that makes standard the constant monitoring and parsing of information in yet another form (Reader), does it add real value to teaching and learning? Or, are we simply acquiring new technology tools and new expectations that create more stress and are nearly impossible to manage?  I believe that my success at using tools such as Google Reader in the classroom will depend on my ability to create a strong and intuitive organizational structure that advances creativity and learning.

Because RSS feeds allow users to track multiple data streams without having to visit numerous sites and because it is customized by the user, I have identified several potential uses in my teaching. First, I have toyed with idea of using student blogs as science journals/notebooks. An RSS feed to bundle the journals for me to track and assess would save an enormous amount of time, plus students could peer review from the bundle without having to visit each site (much as we are currently doing in 501). I think most high school students give heightened attention to writing that their peers will read. Second, I have bundled some of the science news resources that I often refer students to for assignments, like our Current Events in Biology. The true advantage is of this type of bundle is directing students to reliable sources for new information. Third, I intend to bundle some of the video tutorial sites like Khan Academy, Teacher Tube and Virtual Cell for student review or simply as alternative to “Biology according to Straub.”  Fourth, I looked into setting up keyword based RSS feeds and would probably try something like Feed Findings for research projects in cutting edge biotechnology; I can envision pairing a great Tedtalk with a search feed for a discussion or writing assignment. Finally, I could use RSS as another means to push out class content changes, podcasts, reminders and classroom news to both students and parents.

Outside of my classroom, I also see the potential for RSS as professional sharing tool.  Right now I monitor several course websites and learning modules of fellow teachers in my building and in my district Unfortunately, I don’t get around to visiting them as often as I would like, especially since starting graduate school. We could use RSS if we syndicated our sites. And if we created bundles of teacher or student resources, we could share those much more efficiently as well. I have bundled a group of RSS feeds related to Blended and Flipped classrooms, including a teacher who is in the thick of flipping and publishing her student data. I will be sharing this link with other teachers on my Blended Learning PLT (Professional Learning Team).

At this point in our course, I am somewhat overwhelmed with new tools and options that seem to have a significant amount of overlap. I know how anxious I feel right now about information flowing in from so many arenas, whether they are centralized or not. I am concerned about doing the same to my students. Should they be expected to manage information from RSS, their blog, Twitter and Google+? Should I saturate my market because they each will have a favorite method or will I just create a lot of threads that I have to maintain (I don’t think I will ever keep up with as many platforms as Prof. Schroeder does on a daily basis.) Perhaps I could choose to introduce one type per month or per unit until they feel truly comfortable with them all. I have a lot to consider regarding how, when and via which tools I will implement new technology in the classroom.

AECT Standards
4.3 Delivery System Management
Delivery system management involves planning, monitoring and controlling ‘the method by which distribution of instructional materials is organized’ . . . [It is] a combination of medium and method of usage that is employed to present instructional information to a learner.

4.4 Information Management
Information management involves planning, monitoring, and controlling the storage, transfer, or processing of information in order to provide resources for learning.

Rationale
This artifact uses current technology (RSS feeds) for multiple educational tasks including managing student products for effective assessment, creating student resources for learning tasks, and teaching students to set up their own RSS feeds for projects.

EdTech Resources RSS Bundle

Google Reader works fairly intuitively. For someone used to working with Google/Google+/Google Drive/Gmail and the like, it is easy enough to figure out its possibilities. The look and feel of Google Reader is similar to the other services, so it is a welcome addition to the Google package.

I’m not quite sure yet how I will be able to use RSS in the classroom. I use a website for my students, so I can see how it would be useful for them to be able to subscribe to my site and receive updates on new content. This will give me yet another way of connecting with my students. For a school in general, it can be a very powerful tool to connect with students (e.g. changes in the daily schedule), parents (e.g. reminders of upcoming events), and staff (e.g. news items). These could be supplementary to existing newsletters but in future replace the need for a separate weekly summary.

However, as I wrote above, it will be extremely useful in lesson planning and curriculum mapping. Staying up-to-date with technological developments will give me fresh ideas for delivery of content to students. I hope to find new ideas for integrative projects, especially while my employer moves into delivering a more transdisciplinary program in middle school starting in August. It will give me ample opportunities to integrate my own subjects (economics, trade and administration) into projects with different subjects (e.g. languages, mathematics etc.). In my opinion, integration of different subjects in overarching projects makes for more relevant and realistic learning for students.

I’ve created an RSS bundle with a number of interesting sites and blogs I have started following. I’m sure that in the next weeks (and hopefully in the future in general) I will continue to add sites to my list of subscriptions.

RSS stands for Rich Site Summary or Real Simple Syndication. RSS feeds allow people to keep up with news and information that is important to them. There is no need to clutter your inbox with unimportant information or multiple emails on a daily basis. Instead, by subscribing to RSS feeds you are always informed of the latest content from the sites that you are interested in. This can save time because you no longer have to visit each site individually to see if it has been updated.

How do you use RSS feeds?

It is important that you first choose an RSS reader. One RSS reader that I would recommend and is very easy to use is the Google Reader. Once you have a RSS reader it is a simple task to start subscribing to the various sites of interest.

How can RSS feeds be used in the classroom?

There are many different ways that RSS feeds can be used in the classroom depending on the age of the students and the subject it is being used for. For my purposes, when I am determining how to use a new educational technology I know that I need to be able to use it in an elementary classroom.One way that I could use RSS feeds in my classroom is through student blogging.  Often in my classroom the students spend a lot of their time on reading, writing, and mathematics. I often try to make these learning experiences different so that the students can maintain focus and stay on task.Having the students blog not only helps with their writing skills, but also with their technology skills as well. RSS feeds can be used in blogging in a couple of different ways. First the students can learn how to subscribe to the feed of their fellow student bloggers. In addition the RSS feeds can be used as topic starters for their blogs. If something new or exciting pops up on their RSS feed they can write about in their blog.

Another way that RSS feeds would work well in a classroom is during research projects. Often times when students are researching information for their project they are overwhelmed with the amount of information. With RSS feeds they can pinpoint specific topics and keep up with new information without spending a lot of time re-checking the site.

Below is a link to the RSS feeds that I am subscribed to. These feeds are related to teaching and educational technology. They are all very informative and excellent teaching resources.

Teaching Resources Bundle

An RSS (Real Simple Syndication) feed is coding in a webpage or blog that sends updates of blogs, news from websites, etc… to you as opposed to you having to go to the individual websites or blogs.  You can have multiple RSS feeds sent to your one RSS feed reader.  I have created a bundle of my educational technology feeds below.  As you can see, you can also share your feeds with other people.

Edtech RSS Feeds Bundle

RSS Feeds can be used in education in many ways. My first thought would be to use them as a means of communication to the students.  I can create a blog or podcast and have the students subscribe to them.  Whenever I create new content that needs to be distributed to the students, they would get it directly from their feed.  This is very similar to the way that I could use twitter, but it does not limit me to 140 characters.

In subjects like social studies where current events and news are important, the possibilities for obtaining and using updated information are endless.  Any subject, such as English, that would need research topics can subscribe to services that would feed them current research information daily.

Of course you can always get the students involved in blogging and creating the information.  This would be a great writing or journal exercise for any student.  Once all the blogs were created and the assignments laid out, each student could subscribe to a bundle for the other students in the way that we are using Google Bundles for Edtech 501.  This way the students could follow each others post and progress.  If students are using their blog as a showcase of assignments or knowledge the teacher could receive the RSS feed as well and comment through the blog on any changes that need to be made.

Finally, schools could use RSS feeds to send news stories about the school to interested parties.  Any news that shows up on a school website could have an RSS feed for the updated school stories.  Creating an RSS feed is easy through services like Feed Burner.

AECT Commentary

4.4 Information Management – using RSS feeds to stay informed is a way of accessing a variety of information sources.

So I feel like I am a bit behind the times, I hadn’t known about RSS until this activity.  I’ve seen the symbol for it on several sites, but I really had no idea what it was for.  I’ve already subscribed to all of my favorite movie and cooking blogs along with teaching and Edtech blogs as well.  Having a simple one-stop-shop to check out all of the news and changes has simplified my morning routine immensely.

One way that I will use it in the classroom is to set up an RSS bundle for my students to subscribe to. This will help save them time and effort while looking for blogs on certain topics.  Part of our science curriculum is to keep up with and discuss the latest scientific advances and discoveries in the fields that we are studying.  By compiling an RSS bundle with relevant websites, we would be able to concentrate their readings to relevant and scholarly blogs that manage to stay on topic with the class.  For example, if everyone read the article from NASA about the meteor passing close to earth, we could actually have a meaningful discussion about it without taking the time to read the article in class.  I’ve already made a bundle for my Earth Science class and will be linking to it to my classes’ Moodle account.

Next year I will be teaching middle school technology and one of our units is to create and maintain a simple blog.  Using an RSS, I would easily be able to  keep track of my student’s progress by subscribing to each of the blogs through Google reader.  This would make it quite simple to keep up with their updates, and with 120 different students, anyway of saving time or steps will help.  I could also use it to once again create a bundle of blogs that will have relevant information to the course work as well.  I am also designing a short professional development to share with my fellow teachers this exciting tool to use in the classroom and beyond.

Overall, I think that using an RSS will be very helpful in the classroom and I am already looking forward to sharing it with others at my school.

I can see RSS feeds as being a valuable tool for putting a variety of resources at one’s fingertips, in one easy-to-navigate location (Google Reader). Instead of going from blog to blog, one feed reader allows you to keep track of the latest posts on the blogs you follow. It’s a great way to keep up on the latest news or research for education. I can see many possibilities in using RSS feeds with my colleagues and in the classroom.

For professional development, RSS feeds and readers provide teachers with ways to organize and share links with each other regarding relevant education topics. RSS feeds allow the teachers to peruse the links on their own time, which is great for a teacher’s schedule. I’ve found that through the short amount of time I’ve been using RSS feeds to follow educator blogs, that I’m bound to pick up something inspiring or useful every time I look at the updates. Additionally, a school could benefit from an RSS feed with updates regarding school activities, events, sports schedules, and other essential information. Parents, teachers, and students could stay informed by subscribing to the feed.

Students could benefit from using RSS feeds in a variety of ways. If each student has a blog for certain assignments, a teacher could create an RSS feed to subscribe to each of them and see updates immediately instead of searching for a particular post on a student’s blog. Students could also use RSS feeds as daily warm ups for a particular subject. A teacher could set up a feed for daily math drills and students could access it daily. An RSS feed could also work as an ongoing study guide; a teacher could post daily questions about the current unit of study, and students could answer them, continually building a study guide to use at the end of the unit. Teachers could also share bundles of links via Google Reader on a unit to provide additional reading or research resources.

I am pretty new to RSS feeds. I’ve seen the symbol on various websites that I visit and haven’t really taken the time to explore what they are and what they do. I’m glad I’ve been introduced to them and will find ways to incorporate them into my teaching.

Fortunately, as an EdTech student, I have worked collaboratively with some very mature and capable students. These experiences have all been online and it served my professional skills to participate in these collaborative tasks.  As a K-12 teacher, many of my collaboration fairy tales have not come true, yet, it has been the challenges that help me to plan and facilitate more effectively.

• Do you see value in Web-based collaborative tools?

I have experienced first hand the value of collaborative tools both as a teacher and a student.  My “student” benefit is more obvious.  If it weren’t for the web-based collaboration tools, I would not be able to study this program and collaborate with my peers, while living in Saudi Arabia.  As a teacher, I have also been able to use web based tools, even though I teach in a traditional classroom setting.  Web based tools have helped me communicate better with my students by creating an online network, sending detailed instructions, and recording information multimedia.  Additionally, some of these tools have helped me track accountability, especially in the collaboration tasks.

• What are potential pitfalls in implementing collaborative activities using Web-based tools?

As a teacher, the pitfall has been the digital inequality of my students.  Even though all of my students have access to most of the latest technology, not all of them are accustomed to using it in the way that I require, or they just don’t know how to navigate through web-based tools.  Many of the issues have been related to maturity level.  Students don’t remember their password, or they prefer to be spoon-fed the instructions rather than trying to be problem solvers.  Also, when students have the opportunity to be sneaky, they always seem to find the capacity.  Some web-based tools are not set with accountability measures so it is hard to track fraudulent identities or other undesirable activities.

501: Created a webpage on Word Press, the beginning of my learning log that will ultimately serve as the culmination project for my masters in educational technology.  I learned how to set up a page, personalize it and download information.

I first came across RSS feeds a couple of years ago, but it wasn’t until last year that I began using them.  Currently, I use a program called Pulse on my Android to subscribe to my favorite feeds.  I do not get the opportunity to check my feeds as often as I would like, but as an educator, RSS feeds are invaluable for continuing education. A nearly limitless source of ideas and strategies exists on the internet and rather than going to search for them, RSS brings them to me in one organized location. Through these feeds I stay caught up, and in some instances hopefully ahead on current educational trends and strategies.  With the feeds I am not limited to colleagues in my building or district. I am able to learn from people around the world who have already gone through the trial and error and have shared what worked or what did not.

As for direct application for my students, I’m having trouble thinking of and even finding ways to use RSS feeds in an elementary classroom considering their reading levels and familiarity with this aspect of technology.  As students get a little older perhaps the feeds could be used in a similar aspect to how this course is formatted. Students could keep a working portfolio of coursework that could be frequently updated and improved according to comments and suggestions of classmates who subscribe to their feed. As I was talking to some colleagues at eTech Ohio last week, we discussed how honest students can be when evaluating one another’s work. I feel that students may be more likely to respond to comments from their peers if they are made in a non-threatening, non-degrading way.  This could get out of hand if guidelines are not firmly established and enforced.

AECT Standards

This assignment fits Standard 4.4 as it applies to the evaluation and utilization of information to benefit myself and my students. With so many resources available one must become very comfortable with quickly evaluating and finding which strategies would benefit themselves and their students.