RSS Feeds 101

Today's Agenda

RSS basics

Aggregators and readers

Ways to make use of RSS

Demonstration using Google Reader

Hands-on: It's your turn!

What is RSS?

http://www.thinkartificial.org/web/how-to-make-the-most-of-rss-feeds-redux/

RSS = Really Simple SyndicationA file format for delivering frequently updated information, such as news headlines, blog posts, and podcasts over the web.

RSSRSS Feeds Web Feeds

http://www.deskshare.com/Resources/articles/rss.aspx

hmm...anything new today?http://flickr.com/photos/glenshock/130800304/

new stuff delivered directly to you!http://flickr.com/photos/wurges/2132738610/

So, How Does It Work?

1. Choose an aggregator.2. Subscribe to RSS feeds. 3. Your aggregator gathers

fresh content and delivers it to you.

4. Open or login to your aggregator and read everything all in one place!

Synonymous:Aggregators and Readers

Different Types of AggregatorsWeb-based

Accessible from any computer with internet connection; requires username and password.

Desktop-based Requires downloading and installation of software applications on your computer.

Browser-based The latest versions of many browsers include the ability

to subscribe to and read RSS feeds directly in the browser.

Web-based Aggregators

Look for an RSS icon to see if a particular website offers feeds!

http://www.miguelsanchez.com/http://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelsphotos/279280606/

Take Advantage of RSS!Subscribe and track...

Favorite blogs Shopping deals News headlines Packages Job listings Real estate New library materials Events eBay listings Government info

Traffic UpdatesTravel dealsTV listingsTee timesFlickr photosYouTube videosPodcastsNew iTunes musicSearch resultsFun stuff

Demonstration of Google Reader

Time for some hands-on learning!http://flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/489257240/

Google Readerhttp://www.google.com/reader

Google Reader

Sign in with free account

Follow the steps on the screen Create a new account

RSS Feed: Subscribing1. Find a feed.2. Find the RSS link.3. Copy the URL or link.4. Go to Google Reader.5. Click on Add Subscription.6. Paste in the link. 7. Organize the new feed into your folders or

subject structure.

Skip Steps 3 – 6 if the pagehas an automated feature

Manually Add a Subscription

Automated Subscription

Step 1 - Find WebpageGoogle News Search

Step 2 - Find RSS Link

Feed Button

RSS Links

Step 3 - Copy Link

or

Highlight the URL, ie http://edublogs.org/campus

Edit, Copy or Ctrl + C

Step 4 - Go to Reader

Step 5 - Add Feed

Click on Add subscription

This expands to give you space to paste the URL.

Add subscription

Step 6 - Paste Link

Paste the URL in the box, then click ADD.

Step 7 - Sort FeedThe feed might look like this

Manage subscriptions allow you to group feeds

Manage Subscriptions

Step 7 - Sort FeedChoose a topic folder or create a new folder.

TIP: When you view a folder, you see the newest items for the topic all integrated together.

Automated Subscribing

Some pages offer buttons you can just click on to add a feed.

This allows you to skip steps 2-6!

Step 1 - Find WebpageBrush School District -- Document Manager

Step 2 - Find and click the RSS Link Scan the page for RSS links

Click the RSS button

Step 3 – Subscribe

orSelect Google in the Drop down box if necessary. Checking the Always use Google to subscribe to feeds box will eliminate this step.

Select Google in the Drop down box if necessary. Checking the Always use Google to subscribe to feeds box will eliminate this step.

Click Subscribe NowClick Add to Google Reader

Step 4 - Sort Feeds

The feed might look like this

Manage subscriptions allow you to group feeds

Manage Subscriptions

Shortcut to organize feeds

Step 4 - Sort FeedsChoose a topic folder or create a new folder.

TIP: When you view a folder, you see the newest items for the topic all integrated together.

Using RSS in Education

Pedagogy and Research

Why use RSS in education?

• RSS has transformed the way that content is distributed, accessed, and processed

• 21st century students are no longer faced with the challenge of “finding” enough information – rather, they are faced with an avalanche of information

• RSS is one way for students to locate information more efficiently

• Of course, they still need to be taught how to process, analyze, and evaluate

Why use RSS in education?

• It is also a way to leverage the talent of millions of individuals to identify truly useful information in the tidal wave of data the internet has become. – Mary Harrsch, “RSS: The Next Killer App for

Education” • http://technologysource.org/article/rss/

Using RSS is Research-Based

• Dr. Henry Jenkins– Director of the Comparative Media Studies

Program at MIT– “Confronting the Challenges of a Participatory

Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century”• Participatory culture and its implications for

learning in the 21st century (RSS is all about participation, networking, and community)

• 21st century skills and literacies (applied skills students need to be school, work, and life ready)

21st Century Participatory Culture

• Relatively low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement

• Strong support for creating and sharing one’s creations with others

• Some type of informal mentorship whereby what is known by the most experienced is passed along to novices

Confronting the Challenges of a Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century

21st Century Participatory Culture

• Members believe that their contributions matter

• Members feel some degree of social connection with one another (at the least they care what other people think about what they have created)

Confronting the Challenges of a Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century

Implications

• A growing body of scholarship suggests potential benefits of these forms of participatory culture, including:– opportunities for peer-to-peer learning, – a changed attitude toward intellectual

property, – the diversification of cultural expression, – the development of skills valued in the

modern workplace, and a more empowered conception of citizenship.

Confronting the Challenges of a Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century

RSS for Teaching and Learning

Practical Applications

Professional Learning Communities

• Educators are professionals who, by nature, are always learning

• Through RSS feed readers and personalized home pages educators can create their own learning network and learn from other educators

Classroom Applications for RSS

• Have students subscribe to each other’s blogs and/or the teacher’s blog

• Have students and parents subscribe to your blog, podcast, or wiki feed to keep abreast of what is going on in class

Classroom Applications for RSS

RSS Feeds for News, Blog, and Website Searches

– Create a feed for what’s in the daily news about a particular topic, you can make a syndicated feed of search results of Google News

– Aggregate targeted news feeds with a shared (published) feed reader (Pageflakes, Google, etc.)

– This basically creates a constantly updating targeted “current events” text for students

Targeted News Feeds

Classroom Applications for RSS

RSS Feeds for Bookmarks– Teachers can create a social bookmarking account

and publish the list for their students (instant hotlists)– Teachers can create a class account and all students

can add to the content– Students can create accounts to collaborate with

group members and share resources more effectively

All the feeds can be aggregated with the same feed readers used for blogs, podcasts, news, and other media sites

Classroom Applications for RSS

RSS Feeds for Bookmarks

• The following social bookmarking applications allow for publishing Internet bookmarks through RSS feeds:– http://del.icio.us/– http://www.diigo.com/– http://www.furl.net/– http://www.blinklist.com/

Classroom Blog

• Ready to build your own Classroom Blog– Edublogs - http://www.edublogs.org

More Explanations of RSSHOW TO: Getting Started with RSShttp://paulstamatiou.com/2005/11/13/how-to-getting-started-with-rss

What is RSS?http://rss.softwaregarden.com/aboutrss.html

Wikipedia Article on RSShttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS_(file_format)

How to Explain RSS the Oprah Wayhttp://www.backinskinnyjeans.com/2006/09/how_to_explain_.html

RSS Feeds 101 – credit for presentationhttp://docs.google.com/Present?docid=dfvx2r6j_52cvp94tfb&skipauth=true

What is RSS and Why Should I Care? A Presentation for Educators and School Administratorshttp://www.slideshare.net/lcstephenson/what-is-rss-and-why-should-i-care-a-presentation-for-educators-and-school-administrators

References

• RSS Feeds 101 - Google Docs– http://docs.google.com/Present?

docid=dfvx2r6j_52cvp94tfb&skipauth=true

• Britt Watwood, VCU• “Using RSS Personally and Professionally”

Patricia F. Anderson, U. Mich• “RSS Demystified”

Perter Bromberg, SJRLC