The RSS Feed is a great time saving tool that educators can use in their classroom and in their advocacy for students. I can immediately envision myself using it in two ways. I have taught a “Current Events” social studies class and know that RSS could be part of a lesson that integrates technology with the core objectives of the class. Also, as a special ed. case manager, RSS can be an important tool for staying up to date on education law, policy, and best practices.
In the Current Events class, we regularly use the internet to search for articles regarding current happenings in the world. There are many topics which we continually examine, whether America’s economy or the political upheaval in the Middle East, RSS could be a great tool for staying up to date on happenings around the world. For example, if we were following the Presidential Election, I could find or help students find some high quality sources for information on the election. Then, on a regular basis, students could browse through the updates from their RSS Feeds to find articles to use for class. It may help save time when searching and allow myself to easily share quality sources. If I broke students into groups based on their topic, it would allow them to build a personalized RSS Feed for their topic.
Inside the class is not the only place I see RSS Feeds being helpful. As a special education case manager, their are regularly new policies, practices, and political discourses which impact my students. The RSS Feed allows me one place to come to for updated information. Instead of regularly having to visit multiple websites, I can have all my favorite sites bundled into one site. By staying current on the issues, I can better provide advice and instruction to my students and their parents.