Competency: RSS

I used google.com to search for my RSS feed. My search led me to the Library of Congress page, and when I clicked on RSS there was a place labeled specifically for teachers at the bottom that gave news relevant to technology and education. It is titled Library of Congress: News for Teachers.

The link is: http://www.loc.gov/index.html

One aspect of this RSS feed that is great is that it offers information for all types of curriculum and relates to technology. There are oral history interviews from veterans, so when students are writing letters to veterans in language arts, they can hear the interviews first to add a more personal feeling to their letters. The section about history offers collections and links over significant historical events that teachers can use with students in any history class, as well as comprehensive websites over wars that include maps, photographs, and external websites. NASA scientist Robert A. Bindschadler discusses warming in the polar regions, and students can watch this speech that took place at the Library of Congress from their teacher’s computer hooked to a projector. It would be a perfect activity for science.

As a librarian in a middle school, I will have the opportunity to share sites such as these with teachers and help them become familiar with the technology. Showing them the benefits and how this kind of technology can make learning even better for students is what my topic of teacher and librarian collaboration using technology is all about. It is imperative that I use RSS feeds such as this one to keep up with technology opportunities for teachers in the classroom.