I chose to use iGoogle as my RSS Reader. I like how I can visually see everything in a stimulating way with pictures and can add extra gadgets like the weather if I want to gather more daily information as well.
I responded to an article about how to effectively implement "time out". I really enjoyed the blog post and could relate to how I use time out or a similar technique with the kids in my classroom.
I have really enjoyed using my RSS Reader and having the information come to me rather than me searching out the information. I would like to find my blogs, publications, podcasts ecetera related to my interests that I can subscribe to. I usually get my news and information either from my yahoo page or see it from posts on Facebook. The advantage of the RSS Reader is that I can find specific topics that I want to learn more about and have it delivered right to me.
ReplyDeleteOne of my feeds is a blog from child-psych.org. I really enjoy the variety of topics presented on different days. For example, when I first found the blog I commented on the most recent article on how to effectively implement timeout. I work with managing children with difficult behavior on a daily basis and often use timeout tactics to help frustrated students calm down. The article did reinforce the strategies that I currently use. A more recent blog post was about a treatment for autism in children by using Secretin, a gastrointestinal peptide. I recently have discovered a huge interest in working with special needs populations particularly individuals on the autism spectrum so again I was pleased to learn about a subject important to me. It turns out that the recent studies using Secretin suggest that the medicine may not be effective. Although this does not directly apply to my teaching methods, it educates me on the population of students that I want to work with. Another recent post from child-psych.org was about adolescent sexual behavior. I considered becoming a health teacher (maybe I will one day) so this post also caught my attention. According to the article a positive parent-child relationship and an open communication network seemed to have the best outcomes for keeping adolescents sexually safe.
Some of the feeds have not been as busy. I added a blog on early childhood education, but it has only had one post the past few weeks. The author’s recent post was about how teacher training and preparation for the role of a teacher has changed tremendously (in a good way). Another feed I added was from the website thethoughtfulparent.com. In the month of April there were three posts added but since then there has only been one post on May 3. Hopefully more posts will be added soon.
I am following the National Institute for Early Education Research with my RSS Reader. This publication has new articles once every month or two, so when I did receive updates they were simultaneously. I have ten new articles I can read that I got all at once. This feed is something that I should check once every month.
I think RSS Reader pages could be useful in the preschool setting. If my classroom had a SMART board (which would be amazing), I could project the RSS Reader on the SMART board for my students to see. In this case I would have to search and find material relevant to preschoolers. Even if I didn’t have a SMART board, I could play audio podcasts or talk to them about current topics that come up on my feeds related to early childhood education. Maybe I could get ideas and lesson plans from some of the feeds. I could implement the information into small group or group time. The possibilities are endless!
Finding topics for feeds suitable for very young children is quite a challenge. I wonder if those who create for this age group have thought about feeds for new activities as something teachers and parents would find useful. Hmmmm???
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