RSS feeds (Ed Blogs)

RSS feeds are a great way to introduce ourselves to new or different pedagogical practices that we could implement into our classrooms. They are typically quick reading and are easy to follow. Below I have listed three feeds that I frequent when looking for new ideas.

1. Edutopia (https://www.edutopia.org/topics)

I LOVE edutopia. It is packed with new ideas and ways of approaching teaching. It provides all sorts of topics to look through. My personal favorite is the "New Teachers" section. Reading some of these articles has helped to calm my fears for starting out teaching next year. Many of the articles are in list format, "Six ways to better your....." or "Ten things to avoid when..." These articles are quick and easy to read and provide very practical and helpful tips and tricks.

2. Leading, Learning, Questioning (http://afhogan.com/blog/)

This blog contains lots of pedagogical tips and the posts are written with quick and easy take-aways, similar to Edutopia. One thing that this blog does differently and focuses on more is the educator's personal development. There are posts such as, "Giving more than you're able to give" or "Regret prevention" which focus on the educator themselves, rather than just the educator-student relationship. I really really like this. While our students are our first priority we need to be sure we are taking care of ourselves as well. If we aren't fueling ourselves properly we can't be our best for the students. These posts encourage educators to continue with self-development, even in the thick of it, in order to serve the students better.

3. Teach Thought https://www.teachthought.com

The sheer volume of information on this website is amazing. One thing that I really like about it is that it allows you to narrow the blog down to 5 major categories: Critical thinking, learning, teaching, future of learning, and technology and then has hundreds of posts about each topic. There is also a search bar that lets you look for a specific idea.

Again, RSS feeds are a great resource for discovering new ideas, finding tips and tricks, and encouraging teachers. They can help us to better our practices and serve students better.