Learning Journal #3- RSS Activity Reaction

1. What sites are you following?

I am following various news sites, some science sites, as well as some sites referencing my major (Speech-Language Pathology).

The news sites I am following are:

• ABCNews.com
• CNN.com
• FoxNews.com 
• University of Florida News
• Technology News
• New York Times.

The science sites I am following include:

• The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Elementary Science Education
• Middle School Portal- the network for middle school math and science
• Science for All Children
• Science/ AAAS| Scientific research, news and career information.

The SLP sites I am following are:

• ADVANCE for Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists
• American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology
• Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research
• Speech Language Pathology Sharing

2. Why did you choose those sites?

     I chose to follow the news sites in order to stay up to date with what's going on around me. It's a quick way to keep up with current events. I also chose to follow the campus news site because I figure since I make up a part of this campus, it would be good to know what's going on, in terms of events around campus, ongoing research, and whatever other updates they provide. This way I can stay in the loop! I am also following a technology news site because I thought it would talk about the latest technology and so on, but it mainly references what's going on in major tech companies, and talks about a few new additions.
     I chose to follow a couple science sites, because I have an interest in the subject. I especially like elementary and early middle school science, and a couple of the sites I'm following talk about science for these grade levels. If I were to become a teacher, I'd probably choose to teach science to late elementary-early middle school students. These sites give a lot of scientific information and also some helpful things for teachers.
     Finally, I chose to follow some Speech Language Pathology sites because that's my major, and I plan to go to grad school for it. These sites had a lot of helpful information, not just for those going into the career, but also for clinicians in the field.

3. What was challenging (or not) about this activity?

The hardest part of this activity was becoming familiar with RSS, and then deciding what sites I wanted to follow. There are so many sites to choose from, and looking through everything was quite tedious. I'm actually not completely sure whether I set it up correctly, but it does show the sites I am subscribed to, so I guess maybe it's correct.

4. As a teacher, in what ways could you use a feed reader in your classroom?

As a teacher, the feed reader could be used to find some helpful suggestions from other teachers on how to enhance learning. You can also use the feed to find articles that could be used as additional resources for your students. The feed can also be used to discuss current events with your students. The feed gives you quick access to many helpful resources, and I'm sure both my students and I could benefit from this.

5. What more do you want to know about feed readers?

I'd like to know if there's a less tedious way of finding sites to follow. I know that there's a search, but sometimes I feel that even when I've made my search topic as narrow as possible, the sites that show up aren't really what I'm looking for. There's not much else that I'd like to know about the feed. While it is a helpful tool, I can't honestly say that I'd continue to use it outside of this class.