Instructify

April 13, 2009

Too many students approach a research paper by using a database or searching aimlessly on Google. Instead of teaching students to find information, teach them how to get the information to come to them.

With Google Reader students can create a constantly updating library of information that requires little work on their part beyond reading. Google Reader was created to keep up with RSS feeds from various websites. If you don’t know what an RSS feed is, don’t feel alone. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication — if that doesn’t mean much to you, that’s okay. Just know that it enables every new edit or post on a webpage to feed directly into your reader. You can subscribe to a website’s RSS feed through your Google Reader account. This allows teachers and students to find up-to-date information from a variety of sources all in one place.

There are other RSS readers out there, but I have found that Google Reader has some cool features for students and teachers. First, you can search by key topic, or receive recommendations based on your current subscriptions. A subscription to Instructify, for example, will lead you to other technology or educational blogs and websites.

Once students have created a list of subscriptions they will get an update whenever there is a new post, comment, or edit on the page. They will get all their current events and blog posts on one page. If students are working on a collaborative wiki they will see each edit seconds after it happens without having to visit the site to see what has changed.

When the feeds start coming in, Google Reader keeps up with your students’ reading habits, producing a report of when, what, and how much they are reading each day. The Reader also allows students to share their favorite entries with friends. They can write comments or notes on all their favorite posts and share these with friends and teachers. “Starring” a post also helps students find the text later when it comes to writing a report or posting their findings online.

Google Reader is an easy way to help students find current information about different topics, get up-to-date information, keep track of their classmates’ work with the same materials, and keep notes on their favorite readings without having to spend half their computer time visiting random websites. Try setting your students up with a Google Reader account and start collecting information on a topic important to their education and interest. -MEGAN CURLEY

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