RSS Page Refelection: Google Reader

I choose Google Reader as my RSS Reader because I consistently use many google features (google docs, gmail, google calendar) and I think it is more organized to keep an added RSS reading feature under the same account. Google Reader is very simple to use. I added the four necessary feeds, and used google to find four more sites to add, 3 of which are blogs and one of which is a web page. Here are some screen shots of what my RSS Page looks like:

I found the features very simple to use. Adding feeds could either be done through the original page or blog, or else through the Readers Add Feed option, where a url was put in and the Reader automatically found the feed and added it to your reading list.

I posted a comment on a blog that I found called The Thinking Stick, a blog written by an overseas educator that features great original content and links to happenings in the educational technology world as well as ideas for educators. It relates very well with my new position teaching overseas in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, as an elementary computers teacher. I posted a comment on this story:  It is a plan for a 1 to 1 student to laptop program in any school district, and I liked his ideas. Here is a screenshot of my post on that blog:

The blog post emphasized the usage of laptops for students in grades 6-12. Each student would be given a macbook pro that would be used at school and at home to do schoolwork, explore, etc. I liked the fact that he emphasized an open interface (no real limiting software to what can be installed) so the students had options to how they wanted to go about doing a project and were not limited to a small number of programs. This increases technology skills and outside the box thinking, something that is important for today's children.

RSS feeds are great because they are constantly updating, with new information being received by the hour that is often extremely pertinent to education and teaching with technology in our case. Every time I log in I have 10-20 posts that I find would benefit me as a future computers teacher, and I stop and read about them. I find that no matter what days I use Google Reader, I am still getting new updates. I am following around 10 feeds, so if 1 blog (which I notice usually don't update as often as websites) doesn't have a new post that day, I just go to another one that does.

I have been reading many posts and have already amassed a few ideas for when I start teaching next year. 2 blogs that I am following, 2 Cents Worth and the previously mentioned The Walking Stick, have great ideas with an international education background, something that will apply to me at my new job. I follow another RSS feed dealing with P.E, because I will be teaching a section or 2 of P.E every week. The site is found here, and is a great resource to find drills, activities, and games in relation to teaching P.E. I feel as though I have just touched the surface of all of the great resources out there that could help and make me a better educator.

I will use RSS feeds with Google Reader during my teaching to continue to read and learn to make myself a better educator by maintaining my own learning while teaching. Keeping up with technology is difficult because of the speed at which it moves, but having a tool like RSS can keep you in the loop and up to date on the most important technological advances in specific and applicable areas. Personally, I have been using Firefox's live RSS feeds to find the latest information on my favorite sports teams, world news developments, and travel tips. I find that it is a great resources for personal enjoyment as well as professional development.