Week 2

I have really enjoyed using both the Blog and the RSS Readers. I’ve have some experience with a Blog, but I’ve actually never even heard of an RSS Reader. So I have found the RSS Reader to be really interesting and I have enjoyed learning how to use it. Once I figured out exactly what it was, I was really excited to see that some of my favorite web sites would be updated on my RSS Reader. I have definitely enjoyed going to my RSS Reader and easily seeing what’s new on different sites. The news sites are especially useful because I can quickly see what’s happening around the area without having to actually search the web site itself. I also really like being a subscriber to the Blogs from the other people in the class. It’s much easier to read their responses from the RSS Reader page than to log into Blackboard. It saves a lot of steps. So overall, I am really enjoying this new experience.With Dale’s Cone of Experience, I would say that the Blog would fall at the bottom under Direct Purposeful Experiences. If a student was asked to keep a Blog, this opportunity would give the student a hands-on experience. A very basic and simple Blog may not require the student to have any previous knowledge or experience. I would also say that a Blog could fall near the top of Dale’s Cone under visual symbols. Part of a person’s blog may contain charts, graphs, maps, etc. All of these symbols would then be displayed on the Blog and available for viewing by other followers. A RSS Reader, on the other hand, would fall under Contrived Experiences on Dale’s Cone of Experience. A contrived experience summarizes and simplifies information so that the student is not overwhelmed. The RSS Reader definitely simplifies things and lays out simple bits of information for the student. It is easy to read and very easy to find new updates. This would eliminate a lot of confusion and unnecessary information that the student does not need. An “imaginative” educational use for a Blog would be to have your students journal several times throughout the week to share what they have been learning. Sharing through a Blog would be more beneficial than writing on paper and turning it in because than other students would be able to see what their classmates are learning. One student may have a better understanding of a certain concept or idea. Other students who may not understand the idea as well may gain a better understanding after reading that student’s Blog. If the students just write their response on paper and turn it in, the teacher will be the only one to see what the students are learning. While this is beneficial information for the teacher, it will not benefit the other students in the class. With the RSS Reader, an “imaginative” educational use would go right along with the idea for the Blog. Just like with what we are doing in this class, you could have your students subscribe to each of their classmate’s Blogs. This would allow for easy access to view updates and stay informed with what their classmate’s are learning.