CEP 810 - RSS Page Reflection

I checked my news feeds daily since subscribing to them in Google Reader.  By following the RSS feeds, I found that some news feeds have too many posts such as NPR.  It becomes overwhelming to look through all of them to find something that might be interesting.  Some subscriptions had so many that if they weren't checked daily there would be hundreds to go through, so most likely I would not go through them thoroughly and would probably miss information that could have been useful.  Other subscriptions haven't had any new feeds since May, such as the EduTech Today Newsletter.  The CEC Smartbriefs feed gives a good amount of posts daily and it is easy to scan them to see if there are any articles that I am interested in.  On the CEC feed I found information on how iPads can be used to help the visually impaired, and I have a visually impaired student.  On CEC I also found an interesting article on Down Syndrome and how their families live happy lives because they have a child with a disability.  This was particularly interesting to me because I have a daughter with Down Syndrome.   The Rifton feed about mobility equipment is my favorite because it has several success stories and videos of how to use the equipment that I have in my classroom.   I don't know how to provide proof that I have been reading feeds.  All I know is that I spend time engrossed in information that I had previously didn't even know was available, and this causes me to have to stay up very late to get my homework done.   Here is a screenshot that attempts to show my subscriptions up to date:

I don't find myself participating in, or commenting on, many of these news feed articles. I am the same way with my Facebook account. I like to read information, but I do not (yet) have the confidence to provide information. I did feel compelled to comment on a Rifton post about a new Activity Chair they have produced.  I have an Activity Chair in my class that I use with my students and we have just ordered another one.

Here is a screenshot of my RSS Page in Google Reader.  It includes the 4 feeds that were required as well as the 4 feeds of my choice, which were:
  1) Adaptive Mobility and Positioning Blog by Rifton
  2)  CEC Smartbrief
  3) Enabling Devices which is Assistive Technology Innovation
  4) The Ingham ISD News, which is where I work.

I have learned a lot about following feeds.  To start with, I had no idea what an RSS feed even was before taking this class.  The benefits of having an RSS Reader is that you can choose what feeds to follow and keep up with up to date information in the teaching field.  What was most interesting for me was to learn that I could follow the Ingham ISD's feeds to get the latest updates in one place and I no longer have to wait for our secretary to pass out the Boards News Briefs about what issues were discussed at the board meeting.  I can also follow Rifton's feeds to read articles and success stories without having to go to the Rifton site and search their news letters.  I have shared some of the success stories from the Rifton blog feeds with my parapro's to encourage them as well as to back up things that I do in the classroom that they have questioned such as beginning toileting students in my class that are in their twenties.

This learning about RSS feeds will certainly have an impact on my classroom.  As a teacher, the things that I have learned using Google Reader to see news feeds will impact me as a teacher because I will be able to check them weekly or daily to read up on what is current in education.  I will be able to use the things I learn from Rifton specifically in my training for the "MOVE" program.  When I am doing training, it is always best to use success stories that are within the last year.  I can bundle my RSS feeds and make them available on my blog so that my trainee's can have access to all of these Rifton feeds by following my blog.  I plan on using news feeds to find lesson plans that are specific to special education.  I will be able to get materials that other have made for SMART Boards rather than spending my time making programs to use myself.  I am excited about having the ability to connect with other special educators that are in similar classrooms as mine.  It is very hard to create meaningful lessons that are created for severely multiply impaired students that are specific for students that have no or very limited ability to communicate.  I am not an expert in the area of technology and have found it difficult to come up with meaningful subject materials for older students that isn't geared towards young children.  Everything is suppose to be "age appropriate" for our students, but their cognitive ability is on the average between 6 months and 2 years old, so you can imagine how difficult this is.  It would be nice to collaborate among other teachers that have the same challenge across the country.  although my students wouldn't be able to access my RSS feeds to benefit them in the classroom, I plan on using RSS feeds to share with my students parents to keep them up to date with articles and information that is pertinent to their child or to things we are doing in the classroom.

CEP 810 - Blogging Lab

Differences Between Traditional Web Pages and Blogs

There are several differences between traditional web pages and blogs.  Traditional web pages are collected together within a web site.  These pages are informational and usually static in nature.  Web pages can contain hyperlinks, which direct the user to other web pages within a web site, or to other related information located in other web sites.  Web pages are typically meant to be one way informational, where the reader pretty much can just read the information.  A 'blog', or 'Web Log', is a type of website that has appeared with the advent of 'Web 2.0', where web sites have become more interactive, personal, and conversational.  Blogs provide a means for an individual, or a group of common individuals, to publish their thoughts and opinions on just about any topic they desire.  It is typical for a blog to be on specific topic or idea, but that is not required.  A blog contains 'posts', where a post is a published entry by an author, which allows them to express their thoughts or information that they may have.  The collection of posts in a blog are typically ordered from newest post to oldest.  Readers of the blog have the opportunity to make comments about what the author has posted, making blogging a truly interactive and converstaional forum for users to express their thoughts.  Web pages opened up the world of information, and have evolved into blogging, where it is now easier for anyone, not just web site authors, to put their views out there and allow the world to comment on them.