I kind of wish that this "Thing" had been done before "Thing # 4." If we had gone ahead and set up RSS feeds for the blogs of all our other classmates, commenting on their blogs would probably have started faster, and there may have been more communication, earlier, between peers. I really hate having to scroll all the way down, past a million other course sections, to get to our class to see who has updated.
What I like about RSS is how easy it is to get everything in one place. It's kind of the same reason I'm a fan of Google Chrome-- all my most visited websites are at the homepage, so I can click to where I want to go immediately.
I know I'll be able to use RSS in my daily life. It will help me to consolidate a lot of personal interests into one area, allowing me to visit one site quickly without having to continually visit multiple sites, hoping that they have updated their page.
As far as educationally, in a school setting, I can see how Google Reader would be a great tool to have. An educator could subscribe to RSS feeds that tie into standards that they're currently teaching, make their Google Reader public, and inform students how to access it. It will give the students another way to access information about subjects they may be really interested in.
I agree with your sentiments about this "thing." It seems like this one would have been more useful right after we had set up our blogs. Perhaps the idea was to allow us to get used to blogging first, then introduce this, but I fail to see how that is more effective.
ReplyDeleteI also agree about using Google Chrome; I was a long-time Firefox devotee until version 5, but started using Chrome about a year ago and have loved it ever since. All the little conveniences that are built-in and readily accessible (like Recently Closed, Most Visited, etc.) plus the minimal interface and customization options are great!