Current Events & RSS

Has anyone set up an RSS reader for current events assignment?

Instead of a standard HS student response to this project, ie a random Google search 10 minutes before it is due, they may show more of an interest in it. My thinking is that it allows you to more control of the sources and you could go cross-curriculum. Science sources, Foreign Language sources, blogs, etc.

I'd love to use Google Reader, but you get a Gmail account and giving kids unrestricted anonymous email won't really work. Bloglines is blocked. Newsgator or some other resource maybe???

Tags: current events, rss, social studies, socialstudies

0 members like this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Danyelle Kozma on September 11, 2010 at 9:27pm

I was looking for Howard's link "I've compiled RSS resources for education: https://www.socialtext.net/medialiteracy/index.cgi?rss_resources" I was asked Friday to compile a list of RSS feeds for our teachers to use in the classroom. I agreed thinking it would be easy to find one already compiled. Not so....

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Nancy Bosch on September 13, 2010 at 7:28am

Look at my post below dated 8/15/07, there are some good feeds listed there.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Rich White on August 15, 2007 at 2:23pm

Hi Christopher have you looked at Netvibes (http://www.netvibes.com)? ... When we do do our blogging and podcast trainings that is the aggregator we introduce to them to start .... It seems fairly intuitive for most people and students we show it to... and our schools in Kansas do not block its access !

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Christopher Potter on August 15, 2007 at 8:01pm

I am a Netvibian. I may go with that option. See above.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Nancy Bosch on August 15, 2007 at 5:28pm

I use feeds as possible blogging topics. I had to search long and hard to find some that would be appropriate for my learners; I teach gifted kids and the bloggers are 4-6 graders but most read on high school/adult levels. I blogged about the feeds I found several months ago and this is how it looks on my students' blog when the click on the link NEWS FEEDS

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Christopher Potter on August 15, 2007 at 8:02pm

That looks cool. I will have to play with those.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by K Thelin on August 16, 2007 at 6:28pm

Hello-I like your idea. Let me get this straight though....You have a rss feed on your webpage or wherever and kids choose what article to pick from?

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Christopher Potter on August 16, 2007 at 7:12pm

I am kind of reversing everything I believe and try to teach. I want them to look at and get used to certain sources (Msnbc, Cnn, etc.) rather than just going to Google and typing in "Republican" and taking the first choice without really reading it, by having them go to the feedreader and looking at just the sources I have picked out, I am hoping it would guide them in this direction. Sorry, rambling answer.

I open an account for a feedreader, install certain sources and they can choose from there.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Nancy Bosch on August 16, 2007 at 9:01pm

If you are asking me yes the feed is on the blog site, if a kiddo doesn't "know what to write about" they can choose a book review, a science article from National Geo or BBC, or a recommendation of a good website. You can see what they see here, http://areallydifferentplace.org/aggregator/categories I haven't looked recently for more feeds but six months ago it was a challenge to find feeds that didn't have randomly intersperced gruesome news stories or provacative themes.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Sandra Carswell on July 11, 2009 at 2:49pm

I love your blog! I can't wait to show the teachers at tech camp!
Thanks for sharing.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Nancy Bosch on July 11, 2009 at 5:27pm

Sandra, If you are talking to me--thanks! You can see the other tech related stuff we've done here.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Katie W. on September 4, 2007 at 11:08pm

This may seem basic, but in 8th grade current events, I am having the students select a news story from a reputable source, using Google News, and having them set news alerts. There is no need to have a Google account, and the alerts go to any e-mail. It's great because the kids can follow the life of a news story.