It has been really great getting back into using Google Reader again. As i mentioned in an earlier post, I had kind of 'neglected' this fantastic tool before starting CEP 810.
An earlier assignment for my PLN visualisation had made me realise what an important part of my PLN this is. David Warlick referred to it as Dynamically Maintained Asynchronous Connections, in other words, an RSS aggregator is at the core of your PLN and should be used to bring us information that helps us to complete our jobs. I have really enjoyed using my Google Reader in this way. To me it has really added value to my current PLN. I have been checking the blogs which I am subscribed to every other day and discovering some excellent material as a result. I have also added the RSS Subscription Extension to Google Chrome. This has allowed me to easily add more blogs to my reader.
Although I have gained a lot of information from the blogs on my reader, there is one that i have really enjoyed. Free Technology for Teachers is a fantastic blog and has many superb posts during the week. The blog offers a range of tips/ advice and guides on a range of Educational Technology topics. The posts are always well written and I have found myself using alot of this information to enhance my teaching and the jobs I do. Another blog I have recently subscribed to is the Docs Blog which provides the latest news on Google Docs and sites from the Docs team. I am really enjoying extending my knowledge of Google Apps, particularly examining how they can be used to enhance education and I am finding many of their posts extremely beneficial.
I have often discussed ways in which colleagues can develop their own Personal Learning Networks and it is not until now that I have added an RSS reader to the tool box. They are valuable tools which every teacher should have.
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