RSS in Education

My assignment for EDTECH 501 was to create a tutorial for teachers that covered three key points: 1. The benefits of RSS feeds and readers, 2. Setting up a RSS reader, 3. A discussion on their potential uses within education.  The research and creation of my tutorial video allowed me to expand upon my experience with RSS readers and screen capturing software.

Several years ago I was an avid user of Google Reader.  I used Google Reader to stay on top of the blogs that I followed for professional development reasons.  When Google shut it down, I tried out Feedly.  At the time Feedly didn't match my needs and I eventually drifted away from using it and migrated more towards Flipboard.  Since I already had some knowledge of Feedly, I decided to focus my tutorial on The Old Reader.  That way I could compare and contrast the services offered by each. After going through the set up process for both Feedly and The Old Reader, I have come to the conclusion that I enjoy the flexibility of Feedly more.  The service it provides is more intuitive then The Old Reader and the flexibility in changing the layout of the feeds is enjoyable.

To create my tutorial video I decided to use Camtasia 2 and PowerPoint.  I have used Camtasia 2 in the past but only for basic screen capturing.  For this assignment, I decided to push myself to try combining screen shots with recordings of a presentation.  This was my first time trying to take many different recordings and combining them together to make a one video. Overall I am pleased with the video.  Although I am unsure if I should put citations for the images, even though the images were either personal or found in the clip-art gallery of PowerPoint.

When thinking about the use of RSS feeds and readers, I found myself being restricted because of the age restrictions and the need for parental permission when dealing with elementary students.  In intermediate and secondary school, I can see RSS readers proving to be an invaluable too across the curriculum for both teachers and students.

Elements of Educational Technology

Elements of Educational Technology

     As part of my assignment this week, I had to read A Definition of Educational Technology by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) and highlight three aspects as the most important. This was a difficult task, as I found that all aspects outlined in this paper are vitally important when considering Educational Technology.  However, I found that many of the aspects were related.

     In the end I decided to focus on Ethical Practice, Facilitation, and Resources.  The other aspects that were emphasized in the paper were, at least in my opinion, able to be combined into Ethical Practice and Facilitation.  Resources stood apart for me as I often get the impression that people are keen to bring in more technology into the classroom but oftentimes do not consider the bigger picture and the impact on budgeting, human resources, and infrastructure.

     A Definition of Education Technology helped to clarify the duties and responsibilities that I have as an IT Facilitator.  In the future I am sure that I will be referring back to this article as a guide to help ensure that I am conducting myself in a professional manner.

  
Note:

     While reading I made notes using Popplet.  This application is very easy for students to use and is available using Internet browsers or mobile applications.  It also includes embed capabilities and the option to add multiple others.  There is both a free and paid version of the application and you can also subscribe to be able to create more Popplets.