Talking Tech

So you’ve read the last post and you want to get started with setting up your RSS reader.

You’ve chosen your format (a browser like Safari or an online reader like iGoogle or Netvibes), but now what?

How do you find content?

How do you find the feeds that are out there to put into your readers and get updates?

What do you do with them, when you get them?

Start with this: find the newspaper web site that you read regularly and look for their feeds.

They are sure to have plenty of different feeds that focus on front page news, local news, sports or anything in between. Here’s an example of a feed address for the Washington Post’s Top News page. This is the address you would copy and paste into your “Add Content” or “Add feed” box on your reader.

Once you have that, you may want to start looking for some professional reading by other bloggers in education or perhaps a special interest blog or online magazine. Technorati is a great site to search as they document and track blogs.

Below, I’ve listed some good education-focused blogs to get you started.

In each case, click on the main link to check out the site. If it’s something you like click on the feed link supplied at the end of each description, copy the address, and paste it into your reader under Add content.

• Dangerously Irrelevant: a blog on leadership and educational technology by Scott McLeod , professor at Iowa State University and head of CASTLE. (feed)
• Always Learning: Our own Kim Cofino’s blog on education, technology and creating a globally connected learning experience for students. She’s world famous! (feed)
• Medagogy: ISB ES tech stud Justin Medved’s take on pedagogy, technology, and education. Where it should go, great resources and a wonderful vision of learning in the 21st Century. (feed)
• MathNotations: High School Math ideas on assessment and teaching. Often looks at the math that is used on the SAT. (feed)
• Academic Aesthetic: As the blog states – Art. Education. Technology. Most of his stuff is recorded too, so you can listen to it if you want. (feed)
• Blue Skunk Blog: Doug Johnson’s blog on libraries. Great stuff. (feed)
• Weblogg-ed: Will Richardson’s blog on learning with the Read/Write web. He spoke at the Shanghai Conference and seems to be a leader in talking about how learning will change with available technologies. (feed)
• Crucial Thought: A MS Spanish and Latin teacher weighing in about technology and language education. (feed)
• Common Craft: A site with video tutorials on all things Web 2.0. The video RSS in Plain English is from their site. (feed)

Give these sites a look and copy the addresses from the feeds and paste that into your Add Content field.

Most importantly, give it a try and stop wasting time surfing the web.

Photo by Snowbadger, found at Flickr Creative Commons.

Technorati Tags: RSS blueskunk weblogg-ed medagogy alwayslearning teaching technology