Thing 9

Blogs and Newsfeeds and Info Overload - Oh my! I definitely like looking at others' blogrolls to explore best. Next fav is Edublogs Award Winners. I found several using these 2 methods to add to my Google Reader. Technorati was pretty easy to use but I need to spend much more time figuring out the finer points. AND, I think that when I have a more specific need then it will be easier to use than just cruising around -- which is what I did. I got very excited about Superglu but was disappointed. Perhaps I didn't spend enough time with it but it didn't deliver what I expected. Topix and Syndic8 were just too overwhelming for now. I'm still trying to form the new habit of consulting GReader every day. I do love the easy access to info -- it's the challenge of time-usage and quick discernment of who you want to have in your "circle of the wise."

Thing 8

I am finally coming back to work on the Things...I have not been on vacation, just catching up and continuing to learn techy stuff but neglected to keep up here. I'm hittin' it hard now though, I want to be complete by the end of July (before really). So here goes. I had taken classes on blogging back in 2006 and set up a Bloglines account. Hardly ever consulted it or kept up. Then a few years ago I took a class offered in my district called "All Things Google" and at that point set up an iGoogle page along with a Google Reader account. Again, rarely visited it and although I set up some feeds I just didn't quite get it. But...NOW...I get it. Guess I took the slow-burn route on this one. I viewed the Common Craft videos on both RSS and Google Reader and saved the website Newbies Guide to Google Reader and then I actually opened it and played and explored and consulted the "guide" and I really do get it now. I will use this professionally and personally on a much more consistent basis. I've been advised to make my iGoogle page my home page so that I actually SEE the reader list everytime I launch the internet. The saying "So many books, so little time" hardly begins to cover it these days!

I attended a Kathy Schrock workshop at NECC about tips for handling information overload so I will definitely consult my notes from that before I grow to my laptop! Next quest...move wanted subscriptions from Bloglines and keep only Google Reader -- but I gotta get up and move for a while!