I’m going to come right out and admit that I had no clue what RSS was. In my 25 years in education, I can’t say that I have ever heard the acronym RSS used. Even the name of the tool that we were to use to subscribe to RSS feeds seemed strange-The Old Reader !? Why in the world did they name it that?!

So, when I first created my Old Reader account I was sort of perplexed by how this tool was going to help me in the classroom. I read and reread the module about how to use this strange web-based tool and was super excited when I actually was able to subscribe to some blogs and websites. I can’t say that I’m ready to jump in and use this tool with students right away. I need to feel that I have mastered the ins and outs of it before that happens. However, I can see the benefits of using this tool to manage all your subscriptions to blogs, websites, etc. It was nice to be able to see all the blog posts in one location instead of clicking on them individually. This tool will be a great lifesaver when I try blogging in my classroom!

After my initial shock with what and how to use The Old Reader, I did find some great blogs and websites to subscribe to. I look forward to adding more resources when I have more time to explore. Here are five RSS feeds that I subscribed to that had great resources and information to help me in the classroom.

Apps in Education is a great website that shares apps that can be used in a variety of classes. The website saves you time by going through the apps on the iTunes Store to find educational apps that can be used in the classroom. It even breaks the apps into categories based on subject areas. This is a great resource since my school uses iPads as our 1:1 district-issued device.

Classroom 2.0 is a social network that helps you stay on top of Web 2.0, Social Media, and other collaborative technologies that can be used in the classroom. You can access this free network without a membership but to see all that this site has to offer you need to be approved by the owners. This is a great resource for connecting with others to learn their experiences with many of the tools that are discussed in this course. There also is another social network just for history teachers called The History 2.0 Classroom.

Histocrats is a blog for people who are educators and especially ones that teach and love Social Studies. It has great ideas for ways to make history fun and interactive. I found this blog to be quite interesting and I already found some cool ideas to try in the classroom.

History Tech is a website that offers information on history, technology, and other relevant subjects. This website offers presentations, podcasts, and strategies to help engage students in the Social Studies classroom at high-level learning. I can use it to find lesson plans that already incorporate web 2.0 technology and more.

Mike Anderson’s Ancient History Blog focuses on honoring the many accomplishments of civilizations in the ancient world. The first blog that I saw was on the extraordinary history of Mesopotamia which is what I’m currently teaching. It provided great background information and made connections to other ancient civilizations at the time. I can see this as a great resource tool for students to explore in the classroom.