Chapter Five - RSS: The New Killer App for Educators

                I found Richardson’s chapter on RSS answered a major concern I have about the readily available access to so many sources of information; how to narrow it down and organize it.  Having said that, I once again feel I’m on learning overload; so much to learn, and so little time!  The good news is, Richardson gives step by step instructions on how to go about this with the ever appreciated admonition to “start small.”  You better believe I’m all over that!  I also love the idea that after setting up my aggregator(s), it (they) will not only keep me abreast of topics of particular interest to me, but also vastly reduce the amount of time needed to gather that information.  I was already sold on RSS just from Keri’s quick demonstration in class of using RSS to monitor student additions to blogs without having to go into each student’s weblog.  Richardson's thorough discussion of how to do it gives me confidence that with time I’ll be able to utilize this tool effectively.

                In addition to how to use RSS, Richardson’s point that being able to effectively utilize RSS is an indispensable tool for students when learning to disseminate vast amounts of information (p. 73).  This tool then dovetails with the Common Core State Standards Initiative that states that students should “habitually perform the critical reading necessary to pick carefully through the staggering amount of information available today in print and digitally.”  Likewise, Richardson quotes the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) decree that “twenty-first century readers and writers need to manage, analyze, and synthesize multiple streams of simultaneous information” (p. 73).  RSS seems made to order to help students reach these levels of literacy.