For me, this "thing" was an exercise in extremes. On one hand, it was extremely simple in that I already use Google Reader and had subscribed to a number of blogs, Twitter feeds, and even a couple of webcomics that I follow on a daily basis. Adding a few more for good measure was not a problem at all. On the other hand, what was extremely frustrating was that Google Reader failed to load on any computer I tested it from at my house. This had never happened to me before. It turns out the problem lay with my internet connection: the high latency times were causing the connection to be reset. Once I reset my router, the problem ceased, and I had no trouble completing the assignment.
The convenience of having all my favorite blog, Twitter, and webcomic feeds in one spot is my favorite aspect of RSS and newsreaders. Rather than clicking through forty or fifty links, I can get all my daily feeds at once. I already use RSS quite a lot in my personal life, and I can see a lot of potential for using RSS in the classroom. Creating a public page of RSS feeds that students could use as resources would certainly be viable. I could also have students create individual blogs that both their classmates and I subscribe to by RSS.
There is an interesting new webapp called Magzinr which I found through the Free Technology for Teachers blog. It allows you to create a "magazine" of bookmarks that you can instantly share via Twitter. However, you can also attach tags to the bookmarks, which are then turned into pages that can be subscribed to by RSS. This could be used as a collaboration tool by students or with fellow teachers. Check out my Magzinr profile page to see how it works.
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