Tim Lauer, Instructional Technology Specialist

Teachers know they can use the Web to gain access to vast amounts of news and content information. Many teachers have created well-organized Bookmarks/Favorites lists to help keep track of their favorite resources. Teachers may even start the day by visiting relevant Web sites to obtain lesson ideas or the latest news and research findings that apply to their classes.

As a teacher's circle of content resources grows, however, visiting favorite sites may become difficult and time-consuming. Web syndication is gaining attention as a more efficient way to gather and view Web content, because it allows a user to subscribe to content feeds from individual Web sites and view these feeds in a Web page or a separate application called a news aggregator. Using an aggregator is as convenient as scanning the headlines of a newspaper and then reading articles of interest. Rather than having to visit each Web site, the teacher relies on the news aggregator to bring the useful info to their computer. These content feeds usually include a title and a short description. A user only has to visit her news aggregator page or application to receive her subscribed news automatically. The latest information is always at the top of the page.

Sites such as NewsIsFree (www.newsisfree.com*) offer links to more than 3,200 ready-made Web feeds. These include everything from general news published by major media outlets to postings from Web sites catering to specific audiences. For example, a school may post news and announcements on its Web page. By using a Web publishing tool that supports the creation of news feeds, the school can allow parents to subscribe to the feed and have school news come to their news aggregator.

An Innovation Odyssey, the Intel® Innovation in Education Web site, features a daily story about how teachers are utilizing technology in their classrooms. Each school day a new story is posted with ideas from real teachers working in real classrooms implementing the integration of technology and instruction. This content is now available for syndication. To learn more about Web syndication, and how to subscribe to the Odyssey stories, please visit the Intel Innovation in Education Web site at www.intel.com/education/syndication.