With RSS (Really Simple Syndication), why would anyone purchase a newspaper anymore when you can save the trees and get only the news you want? Years ago I stopped reading newspapers or watching the news on tv. I found myself becoming too depressed and was angered by a lot of misinformation we receive from the media. Have you ever verified the details in a local newspaper? There are misprints in most articles, quotes taken out of context, and sometimes lies or deceit. Lemony Snicket knows what I'm talking about! I love the newspaper in The Series of Unfortunate Events, called the Daily Punctilio. Don't believe everything you read in print or online!
When I stopped receiving the daily news by print and tv I was worried that I might miss something big. The sky could be falling and I'd never know it. It turns out that through small town gossip, small talk with friends and co-workers, and conversation with my significant other I hear just about everything I ever need to know. The gaps are filled in by my Yahoo homepage where I choose the news and headlines I would like to read. I never realized I was already using an RSS.
Now with my knowledge and use of Google Reader, I can hear the news and opinions from classmates and other blogs I choose to read. I can choose the information I find most trustworthy from a much larger number of news sources.
Although I love using RSS, a question I once heard comes to mind. Will the ability to choose the news we want to hear narrow our opinions? Yes, it is nice to read articles that make me happy or that support my own personal beliefs, but will this escape prevent me from hearing two sides a story and close my mind more around my existing beliefs. I hope that my awareness of this possibility will help to keep me open minded.
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I like how you are thinking here! True, what if your world all of a sudden became narrower than before? What if you only surrounded yourself with what you wanted to hear or know? Hmm.. Is that such a bad thing? I am not sure. If you haven't noticed yet, this educational Web2.0 stuff is sort of a small community of people trying to make a really big impact. I guess I do surround myself with a narrow view, but it is really benefiting me in my teaching and professional development. (Sometimes maybe I am accused of being too focused on what I believe in, but that is OK with me!)
ReplyDeleteCheri,
ReplyDeleteI am also an avid avoider of the newspaper and TV news (avoiding the newspaper is having awful implications for my packing, but that's another story). However, the same thing happened to me, I got the news from the radio (which often gives two sides to the story) and from friends and the internet. One thing I did like, was when I was reading the internet articles, they provided links to similar articles, often being the opposing side. So I found that my avoidance of the news actually made me only investigate what I wanted to hear about, and I saved money and trees. On a side note, I have always thought that commercial for Tranition lenses is on to something. They show a newspaper on a device like a kindle (which I desperately want) which allows you to get that information anywhere. I do have an iphone, but the capabilities still aren't as good as a computer.
By the way, I just watched the video at the top of your page and LOVE IT! Yes I meant to yell. What a great idea, I'm going to use it for an opening writing project with my students this year. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed the video. If you check out Matt's website, you'll find more video and interesting information about how he ended up making these videos. I find him fascinating.
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