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RSS, what does it mean anyway? Really Simple Syndication, Really Serious Stress-Relief, it doesn’t matter what you call it, it’s a great way to get information to you and your students. If you subscribe to an RSS feed from a site you enjoy, whenever that site is updated, you’ll receive the update automatically. Yes, by itself (as if by magic - automagically. Or something). Just look for the orange button-thingy on your favorite Web page or blog so you can subscribe.

Last week I showed you how to use an RSS tool, Pageflakes, which had some great tools (called flakes) like news from CNN and the New York Times. You might have wondered, “Yeah, that looks nice, but what do I put on it for my elementary students?” Here, dear readers, are some suggestions…

Highlights Magazine Online
Discovery Science News
Scholastic News Election Coverage

If you need a list of cool, yet appropriate resources and activities, that are updated by others (so that you don’t have to), look no further. If you have some suggestions of your own, we’re always looking for new stuff, so leave a comment. -ALICE MERCER

Related Stuff:
The Flaky Goodness of RSS with Pageflakes for Teacher
Explanations Abound at Common Craft

There are all kinds of flakes; the human kind (bad), and the food kind (pie crust, frosted, etc.) that are good. Pageflakes is a Web application that is in the second category. Pageflakes lets you create Web pages with a click of your mouse, and best of all, you can put up information that updates itself (ex. online calendars), without you having to type it all in.

Pageflakes is an RSS reader, which means that it pulls in information from other places (like news from CNN), but puts it in a small, easily formated form (flakes). It has lots of feeds, and other “flakes” (tools) that you can add. Pageflakes has recently added Pageflakes Teacher Edition, which quickly shows flakes geared towards education (class schedules, grade tracker, educational news feeds). Just click on the snowflake at the top right, and start adding tools (flakes) to your page.

If you’re a visual learner, and want to see it in action, here are some resources:

Video tutorials:
How to add a flake
What is Pageflakes

So, enjoy the flaky goodness of information on the Internet with Pageflakes! -ALICE MERCER

Do you struggle to explain Web 2.0 to interested but clueless administrators? Social networking, blogging and podcasting can be tough to describe to the uninitiated. If you need succinct explanations of social media to convince your principal to open the school’s firewall for you, show him or her a video by Common Craft.

Common Craft videos are free mini-tutorials on everything from wikis to RSS, and even what to do in case of a Zombie attack (that was a Halloween video, but zombies probably don’t know what day it is, so it’s good advice to heed year-round). Each video discusses a topic in plain English using a white board and simple paper drawings for visual aids. The simplicity of the production is Common Craft’s greatest asset - nebulous concepts like social bookmarking don’t look so daunting in a paper doll context.

Watching Common Craft videos may give you a few ideas for some class projects. Your class can make this type of video without much more than a white board and a Web cam. Making your videos as engaging and pithy as Common Craft, however, may take some practice. -BILL FERRIS

Common Craft

Related Stuff:
Learn How at VideoJug
Access Free E-Learning Content with Tutorom Beta

How to Proof Your Paper Like a Pro – 8 Proofreading Tips
If you’re sick of students turning in assignments with spelling errors and confusion among there, their and they’re, this post from studenthacks.org is a must. Drop what you’re doing and send your students there. Or should I say “they’re”?

101 Web 2.0 Teaching Tools
Pretty much what it sounds like, which I guess means you won’t need us anymore. Tomorrow on Instructify: best chicken soup recipes.

Vermont’s 23 Things
Every once in a while, it’s important to review the basics of Web 2.0 tools for folks who came in late. Vermont’s 23 Things gives you a rundown on blogs, wikis, RSS, all that stuff, so you can begin using it in your classroom.

Top 10 Harmless Geek Pranks
Just in time for April Fools Day, Lifehacker has a few computer-based practical jokes you can play on friends and coworkers. Who knows? If you get your printer to say “Insert Coin,” it may be the impetus for your administration to pony up some more dough for supplies. -BILL FERRIS

Photo credit: jurek d. on flickr