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.