I never liked to be the teacher that brought papers to grade into the faculty lounge or for just before the staff meeting started. I was the teacher that brought her cell phone to use just before the meeting. The great thing about having my phone just before the meeting was that I could export my Google Reader subscriptions to an OPML file onto my phone and read away. I understand it wasn’t the most social thing to do, but at least I was able to stay current with the latest education legislature or Biology news. So in a way I was working.
Now, Google Reader pairs well with my morning coffee. It helps that I can catch up with RSS feeds on my phone if I am on the go or within my browser. To increase my professional knowledge, I’ve added a few more subscriptions to the feed aggregator. I’ve taught in the DC metro area and wish to return there at some point so I like to keep up with the Washington Post, especially the education articles. Through reading the articles, I really feel connected as I recognize some of the schools and districts represented in the articles.
I’ve added NPR Topics: Education to my Google Reader feeds. This helps me get a view of the nation’s education at glance. From school districts using Kindles to Disney offering refunds for Baby Einstein videos, I get to stay current with interesting topics. It’s also great to be able to add the feeds directly to Del.icio.us.
Teacher Magazine also presents relevant news from across the country. Not only do the feeds present information that I could possible use in the classroom, but it contains leadership ideas and news. Education Week presents news and information about current happenings in the education realm. While published by the same company as Teacher Magazine, sometimes articles overlap ideas. This cross presentation will sometimes pull in a bit more information that can be useful.
I must admit that I have received ASCD Smart Briefs in my inbox for years. There have been periods where the emails have gone unread. It just dawned on me that I could receive the articles by RSS. I’m so thankful for fewer emails in my inbox and still being able to access valuable articles.
As a teacher, it is great to stay on top of new policies in education as well as current news. This helps me to get a pulse of what is going on in the nation as a teacher leader. Google Reader is a great tool to combine all of my favorite RSS feeds.
Image: Francesco Marino / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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