Thing #17 - ELM Productivity Tools

I expected this to be easy, and it wasn't. I was unsuccessful with the RSS feed from the Student Edition. I WAS able to begin to create a Web page using Page Composer in EBSCO, entered some text, but got stuck trying to set the background (or I should say the computer got stuck setting the background). Following directions in Proquest went fairly well - I e-mailed and downloaded the items I'd marked from my search. I should add that a couple of years ago I signed up for a Booklist alert in EBSCO, but after a few months I cancelled it - this was not the way I wanted to read reviews! I have created an account in NetLibrary and did the suggested tasks there. Cool.
How would I apply these tools in my everyday work? I would like to try creating a Web page for my 6th graders' history research assignments - but maybe a wikki would be easier??? As far as setting up RSS feeds, I don't care to use this myself, but I suppose it would be useful to be able to show someone else how it can be done - which goes to the next question: how can these tools facilitate collaboration with colleagues? If I can show them how to do something they don't already know how to do, that impresses them and they see me as someone that they might want to work more with. I don't see my students setting up RSS feeds to Student Edition anytime soon! But it's much more likely that a demo of NetLibrary would impress and help them.