Within the last two weeks, Google has announced some changes. One of those changes is to discontinue iGoogle. If you're an iGoogle fan like I am, your page is safe... for now. As of November 2012, however, iGoogle will be discontinued. Now is the time to find an alternative.
I use my iGoogle account as a homepage and receive all of my RSS feeds there. I've really enjoyed the set-up and ease of use. Now what? I tried some suggestions that other blogs have offered, but didn't like them. Since I used my iGoogle mainly as an RSS reader, my best course of action was to switch to Google Reader.
Google Reader is another free Google product. It compiles the newest entries from each of your subscriptions and delivers them to one site. All in all, it works pretty well.
I use my iGoogle account as a homepage and receive all of my RSS feeds there. I've really enjoyed the set-up and ease of use. Now what? I tried some suggestions that other blogs have offered, but didn't like them. Since I used my iGoogle mainly as an RSS reader, my best course of action was to switch to Google Reader.
Google Reader is another free Google product. It compiles the newest entries from each of your subscriptions and delivers them to one site. All in all, it works pretty well.
If you look at my Google Reader page, you can see how it works. After each subscription is a number in parenthesis, which indicates how many new posts exist. My subscription list is located on the left.
As a bonus, Google Reader also has an Android app for smartphones. By installing the app, I can take my blogs with me to read during some down time. That's one feature that iGoogle didn't have - it didn't work well on a smartphone.
I still like iGoogle, but I think Google Reader will fit the bill nicely. If you read more than a couple of blogs, give Google Reader a try. Simple visit the Google homepage and click on "more" in the list at the top of the page. Select "Reader" from the menu. That's it.
The other tech update that occurred recently from Qwiki. I outlined their video services on my website here. They've recently added a new service that allow users to create their own Qwiki!
Users can search the web for sound bytes, visuals, videos, etc, and add narration to create their own brief Qwiki report. This would be a great alternative for having students present information to the class.
I have not used Qwiki creator very much and am still experimenting with it, but I can see some valuable uses in the classroom. Their terms of service, however, prohibit users under the age of 13 from creating anything. Students also need to register with the site and create an account, which will prevent some school districts/students from using it.
If you give Qwiki creator a try, please let me know. I'd love to see your creation!
As a bonus, Google Reader also has an Android app for smartphones. By installing the app, I can take my blogs with me to read during some down time. That's one feature that iGoogle didn't have - it didn't work well on a smartphone.
I still like iGoogle, but I think Google Reader will fit the bill nicely. If you read more than a couple of blogs, give Google Reader a try. Simple visit the Google homepage and click on "more" in the list at the top of the page. Select "Reader" from the menu. That's it.
The other tech update that occurred recently from Qwiki. I outlined their video services on my website here. They've recently added a new service that allow users to create their own Qwiki!
Users can search the web for sound bytes, visuals, videos, etc, and add narration to create their own brief Qwiki report. This would be a great alternative for having students present information to the class.
I have not used Qwiki creator very much and am still experimenting with it, but I can see some valuable uses in the classroom. Their terms of service, however, prohibit users under the age of 13 from creating anything. Students also need to register with the site and create an account, which will prevent some school districts/students from using it.
If you give Qwiki creator a try, please let me know. I'd love to see your creation!