From those I explored, Feedly is my blog reader of choice. The first thing I searched for as a gal on a budget was an RSS service with no monthly fee. As I read, I considered the purposes for which I would be using this blog reader and my personal visual organization preferences. Feedly had the most uncluttered background with a simple, streamlined feed and board/feed organization pane. I liked the option to add more than one topic to be able to follow so that they stay separated. Though the other readers contained this option as well, this simplicity of the organization for Feedly was most appealing to me.
A few of the blogs that stood out as appealing to me are:
Educational Technology and Mobile Learning
This blog contains a wealth of resources to the latest developments in educational technology including apps, tools, and guides to promote learning and collaboration.
I chose this site because it appears to be updated frequently and contains a wealth of information on topics with which I am familiar but would like to learn more about. I can see practical application in both the classroom and the library.
Free Technology for Teachers
This is another site that provides tutorials on using technology to enhance instruction. This blogger provides support for everything from using apps to creating your own websites and videos.
I chose this because it appeared to be another great tech support tool. Teachers are more inclined to try new things when we help by providing the support for them to dive in.
Lisa Nielson: The Innovative Educator
Nielson provides practical ways to apply the latest technology in a variety of ways in the school setting.
Her posts evaluating similar, but different resources appealed to me. Oftentimes we find tools that appear the same, but don't necessarily have the time to sit down and evaluate the differences, so articles on this topic are especially helpful.
School Library Journal
School Library Journal provides the most up to date and relevant news for all things related to the school library. The site includes new releases, recommendations, webcasts, case studies, and classroom and technology support.
SLJ is a site I already frequent and have found incredibly useful, so it was one of the first I added to my blog reader.
The Daring Librarian
A practicing librarian shares her ideas on this blog. Book lists, technology ideas and support, and ways to integrate and support digital literacy. She also travels and presents at major conferences such as ASTE, and she served on the ISTE Board of Directors.
Scrolling through the posts on The Daring Librarian I saw several ideas for lessons, social media tips, and other topics immediately applicable in the school library.
I created a Tumblr account and am excited to begin adding ideas here as well!
My Tumblr URL is: michellechristine24.tumblr.com
Hey Michelle! I also chose Feedly, and I liked it for many of the same reasons that you did... uncluttered, organized, and free! I'm hopping on Feedly now to add the first blog you mentioned; I don't know why it didnt occur to me to follow blogs about technology, but it's a great idea, and definitely a necessity! I also followed the Daring Librarian; that's a fun one!
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned some really good blogs, I am going to add the first couple to my list as well. Technology blogs are defiantly a must for me so I can try to keep up with the ever changing ideas and resources too. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteGreat points and I also chose Feedly! Seems to me that it is a popular reader for its ease of access and user friendliness. I especially like that you can download it as an app and plan on using it as a teacher and hopefully as a librarian as well.
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