Thing 8 (finally): better vibes on the net

I like netvibes so much better than Google Reader! I like it because I can customize it and it's laid out in a much more logical format. It makes more sense to me, and it's easier to get to. This time, I see how this tool might be quite useful to me. I realize that there are certain things I would check regularly if they were instantly accessible on my computer screen, and netvibes opens the door for that. While I was not really interested in Google Reader, I feel much more open to netvibes. It is more user-friendly I think, and it really does make life a bit easier because most of the information I would look for is right at my fingertips. I put some news sites on my page, but also my email, weather updates, and the English Companion Ning (which I haven't quite found the time to explore just yet, but at least now it's there when I'm ready). Honestly, having a homepage like this might remind me to check into these sites and forums more often, which would probably be a good idea.

I think there is a lot of potential to use this sort of tool with students. Currently, I have students working on research papers about the Olympic Games, which are starting later this week in Vancouver. Many of the students have not been able to easily find information about their topics. But, if they had a home page like netvibes, they could easily link to sites that would help them, such as the NBC Olympics site, or the Team USA site. These sites are likely to provide updates regularly, which students could then access easily. A similar idea would work for 8th graders who are studying environmental global issues. Plus, students would enjoy making the page their own, just as I did. They could add a couple of sites that they are interested in that do not relate to school. I'm feeling quite satisfied with my Thing 8 experience so far.