Learning to use RSS Feed

RSS is a common term used in the virtual world called the World Wide Web. The “Net” is a wonderful tool most of us use every day to accomplish small tasks such as looking up the correct spelling of a word and its’ meaning to making soap.  The World Wide Web has opened so many doors that we have become somewhat bombarded with information. We search the net to find the most credible resources for writing papers, learning to cook, and rear our children but, what happens if we are time constricted? Have you ever had one of those days where you had literally three minutes to read what has been recently posted on a site that you frequent? Well, RSS, Rich Site Summary (What is RSS, n.d.), is the answer to your scheduling crunch.

RSS creates a direct connection to you by delivering updated information that has been recently posted by your selected web sites. For instance, if you are a “gossip girl”, then you may frequent http://www.etonline.com/, this is the Entertainment Tonight web site that gives all the celebrity gossip, if this is the case then you would want to subscribe to their RSS feed in order to see the most updated information. You can do this by selecting the RSS feed icon that is orange with white stripes. You will then get the information delivered to your preferred reader. Now, that is the next step in this world of instant gratification. What is a reader?

What is a reader? A reader is a tool that is used to connect you the viewer to information you have selected to be added into your daily activities. I selected the Google reader which worked really well for me. The set up was extremely easy as I have had a Gmail account for some time so I just had to go on and select that I wanted a reader and Gmail/Google did all the work for me. They even had a video tutorial on how to use the reader and what types of information you can read. I have to say that I do have a short attention span and Google reader is my friend to the end…now. Google reader has a built in reading feature that allows you to see what you have read verses what you have not. Each item that has not been read is in a colored box that changes after you have read it. It really makes it easy to maneuver through all of those RSS feeds you have selected to have “fed” to you.

There is another type of reader which is web based. I chose to load the Sage reader that is a part of Firefox. Honestly, I do not like this reader as it was a little tricky to install. I first had to find the appropriate site to download it, which took a couple of tries. Then, I had to figure out how it worked because there was not a “tutorial” video or write up. I might have missed it as there was a lot of typed information in the same area but, I did not read through it all. I have to say now that I have been using it I really do not care for the way it is set up. I feel overwhelmed every time I access it as there is nothing but lists of things that need to be read. There aren’t any pretty color boxes to help me navigate through the oodles and oodles of information. All I can really count on is that if it is not bold I have read it. Also, Google reader seems to be more widely recognized as in the drop down when you select to have the RSS feed.

I think that reader would be a wonderful tool to have students and teachers use in their educational experience. It would be easy to teach them how to load and Google does a majority of the work for them. Another feature would also have to be the complementary tools that come with a Goggle account. You can share documents and create view groups to work on projects. It would be easy to have a teacher update a web site daily with activities that are fed to Google reader for the student to view. The student could then go to their assigned work groups’ documents and make the necessary additions required by the posted RSS fed assignment. What about snow days? Teachers could send information for assignments via web and the feed would then connect students to it. No hassle for the teacher or the student. What about the parents? Well, it would be a wonderful way to monitor what their children have been studying in class and what assignments have been assigned to work on in groups or at home.

I have found so many wonderful sites that I have learned from just by exploring Educational News. http://www.zdnet.com/blog/education/short-on-space-and-cash-try-an-interactive-projector/4462 is a wonderful place to find new technology for the classroom and see how it can help you become more affective. Interactive learning is going international, or maybe it has always been I just had not noticed, http://www.guardian.co.uk/classroom-innovation/bett-2011-review-ict-schools-technology is showing new ways to connect with the classroom and doing it worldwide. China is really moving forward in education. First, they send their children to school at age 3, which in my opinion is the ideal age. Next, they have formed the world’s largest online learning center. I know, http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mychineselearning-together-with-bjchinesebjeducn-launches-online-chinese-learning-for-global-chinese-language-students-114640059.html, PR Newswire is not a Educational Technology web site but, in some cases it is because PR seems to always have great articles about new technology throughout the world not just US based news.

I have always loved to learn and experience new places and things but, now more than ever I am learning new ways to improve myself and my family through the use of technology. I am grateful to have had the experience of digging in and exploring with my fellow classmates! I think the best feature I have been able to use is just keeping track of my peers’ blogs. There was a time that you would have to check everyday a few times a day to see if someone had loaded something but, now I just log on to Gmail and click on my beloved reader!

References

APA Style, American Psychological Association (n.d.).

Retrieved from http://www.apastyle.org/learn/faqs/cite-website-material.aspx

What is RSS? RSS Explained, (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.whatisrss.com/