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Question 1: What are my early impressions of using a blog and an RSS Reader?
So far, it seems pretty straight forward and simple. I like the blog as a communication device to prompt discussion among readers. One thing I'm not sure about is if a reader makes a comment, and then someone else comments, will the first reader get an email of the new comment, or would s/he need to go back to the blog to check if there were new comments? I'm not sure what I would prefer. From my experience using Facebook, sometimes I like that feature, and sometimes I find it annoying. As for the RSS Reader, I must admit that I was a bit overwhelmed at first by the number of postings that compiled into one area. However, I do like the idea of the convenience of having all the news that is important to you in one place. I will probably continue to use it at least through the rest of the class to see if it takes hold of me.
Question 2: Which part(s) of the cone of experience does the blog and RSS lend itself best to and why?
Quite honestly, this was a brutal reading for me. I had a difficult time following, and kept drifting, and having to reread paragraphs. Funny, because one of the first things that the author of the next article stated was that online learning was not meant to put you to sleep at the keyboard. Ha! Amen! Anyway, to answer the question, I would probably put both the blog and RSS technology toward the top of the cone, as it does not physically involve the learner in the process of gaining the experience. Most often, blogs and RSS feeds contain, visual symbols, images, audio recordings, or videos. For example, while you might read of the devastation from a natural disaster in another country through Yahoo! News, and be moved or heartbroken over it, you cannot smell the air, or feel the physical pain of some of its victims.
Question 3: What is an imaginative way to use a blog and RSS in education?
I think it would be neat to use a blog to post a controversial topic related to the subject that I teach, for instance, alternative energy, including some background information of the pros and cons of various types of alternative energy, and have students comment on which sources they think are the best and why. Or, if each student had his/her own blog, I could assign each one to research one alternative energy source and report on it through the blog. Then ask students to read and comment to a certain number of other blogs that have reported on different alternative energy sources.
As for the RSS Reader, I could have students subscribe to an online engineering journal, blog, etc..., and check the reader regularly to learn about current trends in industry. I could then require students to summarize an interesting article a certain number of times per semester through their blog.
