RSS: How Can You Use It in the Classroom

Throughout this semester I have become more familiar with the RSS function through iGoogle.  This orange icon with three lines can be found on a majority of the websites I frequently visit.  However, I knew knew what RSS meant or how to use it.  Through this class I was able to explore this function and have learned the many uses of RSS.  

RSS through Google and many other search engines like Yahoo and MSN allows you to bookmark websites and have them appear on your main display or screen that you typically search from or use as a 'home page.'  

This picture is an example of my iGoogle page.  By using RSS, I was able to incorporate the Weather Channel, You Tube, and the Ed Tech & Design blog to my homepage. 

 

Now, you may be wondering how this relates to using technology in the classroom or how RSS can develop my skills at a teacher.  I have come to find that by using the RSS function, I can set websites I frequently visit to my iGoogle page. These websites include the Weather Channel, various blogs, news sites and even You Tube.  As a teacher,  if I find a website I want to use in a lesson or a video to present to my class via You Tube, I can easily go to my iGoogle page, which is where a new browser always starts for me.  This is more efficient then typing in the web address of the website, searching a video and then loading it to play.  

Not only can I use this as a teacher, but I can introduce this to my students, so they can be more efficient in their searching and have their 'top-hits' organized using iGoogle or another search engine similar to iGoogle. 

The Promethean Board

Promethean Boards

When I did my field experience I was in a school where all of the classrooms had Promethean boards.  I got to hear a lot about the advantages and disadvantages of the boards.  They are a really neat learning tool for teachers to use with their students.  Really, they are an over head, but instead of writing on a piece of plastic, students and teachers can write directly on the board with an electronic pen, and erase and save however much they want. The other neat thing about the Promethean board is that it is directly connected to your computer, so you can pull up files from your computer to view on the Promethean board and use for a lesson.  This saves a lot of paper and a lot of time running to the office to make copies or overhead slides.  You can also pull up the internet on the boards, and essentially teach by using a large touch screen computer in front of you. Visit the Promethean World website to view the Promethean boards and learn about the product and the many uses of it. 

With these boards being around for a couple of years now, all of the students know how to use them, and in the class I was in at Poyner Elementary,  the Promethean board was used a lot. One thing the teachers mentioned that they did not like, was that the board was so bulky and big and the way it was hung, it could not be easily moved.  This meant that the whiteboard behind the Promethean board could never be used, because the Promethean board blocked it and could not be moved to one side or the other, or up and down.  


Here is a picture of a Promethean board in the classroom

This picture shows a similar set up as the classrooms at Poyner.  As you can see the whiteboard behind the board cannot easily be accessed.  

Here is a picture of a Promethean board being used. 

Images used with permission in order of appearance:

www.flickr.com by mrkimmi

www.flickr.com by Andrea Christman

Learning in Hand

With the vast advancements in technology, new gadgets and tools are being introduced continuously. I came across the website Learning in Hand which discussed how teachers can use these tools to benefit learning in their classroom, or they can ban them.  Where we used to have have the Walkman and CD players, we now have iPods, iPod Touches, the iPad, and laptops.  

Macbook laptop

iPad

iPod touch

There are so many great tools and options on these devices that can be used in the classroom to promote student learning.  I can also see how many teachers would be nervous about using these tools in the classroom, because they are also a distraction.  It would be hard to monitor what your child is using the gadget for, and if they are focusing on their school work instead of playing a game. The website called this type of learning mobile learning, which was also called m-learning.  I have never heard that term used before but it makes sense! These new technologies have the potential to really advance learning in the classroom! 

I found a website called iSchool, which has a lot of great applications for an iPod or iPad that students can use in the classroom or at home to work on their homework.   One application that I think would be handy to use for some of my current classes was the flashcard application.  It makes flashcards for you that you can study from.  This would be nice so you don't have to carry around note cards!

Images in this blog in order of appearance are used with permission by:

no.wikipedia.org 

www.flickr.com by FalkPhotoDesign
www.flickr.com by Sir Stig

One Laptop Per Child

I recently came across the article/website discussing the idea and start of one laptop per child. Although this campaign ran a couple of years ago, this was the first time I had heard about it. The laptops are called XO laptops. The mission of the OLPC, the company who is building these unique laptops, is to provide educational opportunities for students in developing countries.  The computers are unique in themselves.  They are small, low maintenance and provide a way for students to learn and collaborate with each other and connect with the world. In addition to these features, the computers are low cost ($100) and low power, making it easier to distribute these computers to the poorest children in the most rugged environmental conditions.  Some children have to attend school outside where the sun is shining right in the students faces.  The computer screens are still visible even in direct sunlight.  I think these computers are an awesome thing and hope that in the next few years, the impact these laptops are having on childrens' education will be able to be seen. OLPC has a separate website which includes news and updates about the distribution of the XO laptops.  OLPC News.

Here is a picture of the laptops that the children are receiving. 

Watch the video below to learn more about OLSP's mission statement and to grasp the XO laptop in a nutshell!

Image used with permission from www.flickr.com by Wayan Vota