Week 2: Reflections

Learning about Readers or RSS

It's Wednesday and I have not fully finished my Week 2 assignments. I have a few things left to do but I did want to post most of it today.

What did you learn?
I knew I was going out of town and I did set-up my Google Reader last weekend. I didn't see how this was different than my gadgets on my igoogle homepage - I get news feeds and e-mail access, even Jon Stewart quotes right there on one screen. So, I wasn't sure that the reader was for me. I watched the Google video and began adding news subscriptions and that's when I saw that Tim Russert from NBC had suddenly passed away. I open it up the link and read the entire article, I was not only saddened but shocked. I listen to him on the radio driving to school in the mornings, and after a while, you feel you know a person. He will be missed.

I have now figured out how to added my reader to my igoogle home page and I am hoping that will help me read it more often to stay informed on the latest news and happenings in our world.

What RSS reader did you chose and why?
Like I mentioned above I chose to use the Google reader, I already have an account so it seemed easier at the time. I did check out Pageflakes, but when the TV listings didn't have my cable company, I switched back to Google! Some things are just deal breakers!

What “non-classmate” blogs did you subscribe to?
On my Reader I have added subscriptions to several different blogs, including three Art Education blogs, and two from ABC and NBC news. I have added a few from my friends as well but those are in my Fun folder.

What made you chose those blogs? and How will you use what you have learned?
I do want to use my blog for educational purposes so I am looking for blogs or websites that will provide me with ideas and information I can use in my class or even in my lessons. The more I know, the better prepared I will be as a teacher.

How did you feel about this tool?
Like I mentioned above, I am not sure this is any different than one of my igoogle gadgets. Maybe I will find the Art Education feeds more informative, but I can get the news from other sources.

What do you not want to forget about this tool?
I don't want to forget to go and delete links and mark them as read! I had over 1000 articles this morning!

How can this be used in the classroom or in your educational role?
Should you use this in the classroom or your educational role?
Yes, if there are boundaries for our students. For the reader, I could use it two ways in my classroom,. One way is, I could have students find art related articles, like, for example; last fall, Hugh Grant put up for auction an original Andy Warhol painting, not the famous Marilyn, but still. He bought the painting for 1.5 million and it sold for something like 3 million - not a bad investment! The second way, would be for students to see what other students are doing and creating and making in art classes around the country. Those ideas are just off the top of my head but it is something to consider.

What questions do you still have about this tool?
I was pretty self-explanatory - I watched the video and began adding in subscriptions. But I was leery about home much information was coming in and thinking I could never read this much! I just have a feeling that when school starts......busy, busy, busy!