Thing #6

RSS and Readers...I had never heard of them before this summer. This is one "Thing" that very closely resembles one of the "Tools" I had to learn for Spring Branch ISD. However, I had never seen Netvibes before. After setting up my account, I was bombarded with all these widgets and tabs. I got very confused very quickly. I played around with it for a little while, but there was a lot going on. Perhaps when I have more time, I can seriously delve into what all it has to offer. I was able to subscribe to blogs and newsfeeds, but that was about it. 

For my 11 Tools,  played around with Google Reader. This seems much more manageable. I can have all of my blogs and sites that I want to keep up with in one place. It's an awesome way to stay current with educational happenings as well as news. Below is part of my blog post of "Tool #2) complete with blogs that I subscribed to in Google Reader.

On another note, I think I just fell in love...with Google Reader. I had no idea such a thing existed. I have a delicious account and am familiar with what Diigo does, but Google Reader is a new one for me. The major reason why I have not followed particular blogs up to this point is because I don't always have time during the week to sit at my computer and just look at blogs I'm interested in. Google Reader is AMAZING because I don't have to search for new blog posts. Google does it for me. Come to think of it, if Google could cook dinner and do my laundry, I'm pretty sure my search for a mate would be over.

Lastly, the blogs below are ones that I have found useful in the past. 

www.philosophybro.com is a great source if you're trying to put really difficult philosophical primary texts into language your kids can understand. WARNING: The material is not school appropriate, however, I emailed the author of the blog and was given permission to edit his material in order to distribute it to my pre AP students. If you're looking for something to make you smile, go read his version of the "Allegory of the Cave." It's hilarious.

www.secondaryworlds.com, like 11 Tools, has helped me see all of the different ways technology can be used and updated in the classroom. Because my Masters work is in Curriculum and Instruction with Specialization in Instructional Technology, this blog is incredibly useful.

www.scholastic-scribe.blogspot.com caters to English teachers and adds an AP element. I find it intriguing to see others ideas and to feed off the wit and word play of my peers. Seeing others in my position have fun in the classroom is reaffirming. It ISN'T at all strange to love your job as an English teacher. :)