RSS: restructuring information - a revolution!

What I have learned:

RSS is a format for publishing updated web-based content to a program called "RSS reader". We can customize our reader to pull content - blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video -from our sites of interest, aggregate and display it in a single page.

 

How it will affect my life:

I won't have to take the time to visit each of my favorite sites and search for the latest content. My "favoritos" will be neatly and clearly organized hence easily accessible at a blink.

In addition to saving visiting time, using RSS will help preserve my privacy and reduce my email load as clearly stated in http://www.theindianblogger.com/blogging/rss_tutorial_for_newbies/ 

 

Above all, this handy service will give me more free time to enjoy the UNvirtual world!!!

 

Spotting a light at the end of the tunnel

Hi there! I had been feeling very frustrated for not being able to figure out how I could apply the new tools to my classes. As I had said before, I teach mostly one-to-one classes and a couple of very small groups. Daniel Pink's words - sent by Carla in the wrap-up - gave me the lead to sit back, relax, look from the distance and "see the big picture". While teaching my classes today I kept the tools in mind and made a mental picture of how and when I could add, replace, integrate them to the original lesson plan. To my surprise and relief, I figured out I can do it in various ways which will give my lessons pace, develop creativity, improve interaction, establishing a new challenge to students. How?   One example: I teach a course called "English through the Movies". I have two groups of 3 and 4 students each. How does it work nowadays? -We meet weekly, for 2 hours (each group); -We select a title to be watched at home (2 weeks in advance); -Prior to the first class, I send them links of specialized sites with movie trailer, summary, reviews, comments, trivia; -We work on each movie in class for 2 weeks (4 hours each group). -During the classes I play parts of the movie (carefully pre selected), we discuss the most interesting topics, learn new words, ask/answer questions. Classes are usually lively and students participate actively.   How can I enhance it with the Web tools? -I will create a blog to centralize all the information I nowadays send by email (pictures, trailers, etc). -Students will be invited to sign in, comment on the material posted in the same fashion we (our Webtools group) are doing nowadays.   I think I won't be able to get my (unsavvy) students to post stuff on the blog (except add comments). Except for one or two, they are adults who use the Web almost exclusively to send emails. I'll try to "blog them into it".   I have plans to introduce some tools to another basic level group (3 students), but I'll spare you now (this is already too long!), and let you know about it another day.   Your suggestions will be highly appreciated.   BTW, the video I've posted (I hope I have) has to do with making choices, changing outcomes. I don't know if that is the real "Chaos Theory", but it doesn't matter now. I identified with having a myriad of options and how it will affect your life and others'.

Crossroads

The information we've been delving into lately has made me think over and over about two things:
First, I suspected there was a myriad of tools lurking out there, and I knew, sooner or later, I'd have to deal with them.
Well now, the suspicion has been replaced by the sureness that I must move on.
And here comes the second: how to use all these resorts in a specific one-to-one class environment in which students are mostly very busy business people who are always on the run.
I have been using podcasts, Youtube/ TED/CNN videos; text messages and emails to discuss everyday stuff such as class schedule, arrangements etc, but this looks all too obvious - now more then ever.
I'm sure I'll have these answers as I go forth. There's no way backwards.