"Personal Learning Networks Are Virtual Lockers for Schoolkids"

Based on Blog by Vicki Davis written on 1/7/2009

This article discusses how this teacher’s students are using their iGoogle reader as a personal locker for receiving their news with RSS technology.  These students are receiving their news from students who they have been partnered with other students from other places in the world.  I really liked the name of the teacher’s blog, which is “Cool Cat Teacher”.  A large part of this article discusses how a RSS reader works and how you can get various websites to feed to your reader.  Portaportal was mentioned as a website that teachers can use to direct or restrict their students to areas of the web that they can go to.  I think this would be an excellent avenue to take for high school students and younger students.  I liked reading this article because it summarizes the different readers that out there.  Also, the article talks about the pitfalls to using a reader, which can include getting Facebook notices and the fact that readers will allow students gaming and television feeds as well.  Anyway, I think that readers are great and I really think this form of technology can be used for any subject taught.  I plan on using a reader for many years to come and plan to teach my students how to use this technology.

Davis, V. (2009) Personal Learning Networks Are Virtual Lockers for Schoolkids. (Web log message) Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/pln-web-pages