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Using RSS Feeds

Using RSS Feeds. Norma Smith Instructional Technology. Upon the completion of this session you should:. Understand what an RSS feed is. Understand why one would use a RSS feed. Understand what a news aggregator is. Be able to subscribe to RSS feeds using various aggregators.

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Using RSS Feeds

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  1. Using RSS Feeds Norma Smith Instructional Technology

  2. Upon the completion of this session you should: • Understand what an RSS feed is. • Understand why one would use a RSS feed. • Understand what a news aggregator is. • Be able to subscribe to RSS feeds using various aggregators. • Read RSS feeds • Find RSS feeds • Manage RSS feeds • Be knowledgeable about some educational uses • Have a “personal Curriculum” established on a web-based aggregator

  3. Understanding RSS Feeds • RSS stands for Rich Site Summary or Real Simple Syndication • Sites generate a behind-the-scenes code in a language similar to HTML called XML. • This code, usually referred to as a "feed" (as in "news feed,") makes RSS possible for readers to "subscribe" to the content that is created on a particular site so they no longer have to visit the site itself to get new information. • The content comes to you instead of you going to get it, • Hence “Real Simple Syndication

  4. What Kind of Content? • Usually, content that is updated regularly such as: • Newspapers • Journals/ Magazines • Blogs • Social Networking Sites • Picture Sites • Movies • Others

  5. Why Go Get Content? • The amount of information is overwhelming. • Knowledge and information used to be scarce...that's what our education system was built upon. • No more (MIT) • knowledge used to be hard or unchanging...but these days, knowledge is soft (WIkipedia)

  6. How do we cope with this information? • How do we structure what we read? • How do we help our students structure their reading and research? • How do we model new literacy?

  7. Use RSS Feeds to: a. track news b. track professional areas of interest c. keep up with multiple blogs d. avoid spam on newsletters • do research on current topics – “global warming” • others

  8. http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,20061225,00.html

  9. Why Learn and Use Feeds? Amy Gehran (Contentious) writes: The most effective, lasting way to adapt your online-media mindset, habits, and priorities is to actually use these skills — not just know about them in a theoretical sense…experience itself — the “doing” — is what opens people’s minds enough that they make significant changes in how they use media to inform and engage with others... the highly interconnected, engaged, conversational nature of today’s online media is a matter of experience

  10. Aggregators

  11. Understand News Aggregators The aggregator (software) checks the feeds you subscribe to, usually every hour, collects all the new content from those sites you are subscribed to and… Then, when you’re ready,you open up it up to read the individual stories, file them for later use, click through to the site itself, or delete them if they’re not relevant. In other words, you check one site instead of 30…not a bad tradeoff for a typically harried teacher.

  12. Kinds of News Aggregators • Desktop – IE7 • Online – • Google Reader • Yahoo Mail • Bloglines • Others

  13. Using IE7 Local Reader • Feeds Settings – Internet Options, Contents • To Read: • Click Favorites Center Star • Click Feeds • Select • To manage Feeds • Drag to folders • Right Click to create or delete Folders

  14. To Add Feeds • IE 7 Feeds are dynamic • Easiest example • Go to sportsillustrated.com • Tool Bar Orange Icon lights up • Click • Click “subscribe to this feed” • Organize • Easy example: • Go to http://www.esc11.net • Click on Feeds icon on the page • Scroll down and copy/paste the URL for the feed in the toolbar • Click “subscribe to this feed” • Practice on “interesting feeds”

  15. Cool Feeds to ExploreWill Richardson • Weather via RSS : http://www.rssweather.com/ • Techbargains via RSS: http://www.techbargains.com/ • Word of the day via RSs: http://dictionary.reference.com/wordoftheday/ • eBay via RSS: http://www.rssauction.com/ • National Council of Social Studies Teachers -http://www.socialstudies.org/resources/

  16. More Cool Feeds Norma Smith • EdTech Will Richardson • http://www.weblogg-ed.com/ • EdTech Miguel Guhlin • http://www.weblogg-ed.com/ • EdTech eschool News • http://www.eschoolnews.com/ • Interesting site • www.about.com

  17. If No Icon, Look for…. • subscribe • syndicate • feed • rss • xml • atom

  18. Finding Feeds • Use a Search engine and look around • www.google.com • Use a Blog search engine • http://technorati.com/ • To find news, • http://www.themediadrop.com/archives/001588.php#more

  19. An Online AggregatorGoogle Reader • Go to http://reader.google.com • Log in or get an account • Explore • Read feeds • Delete what you don’t want • Look under “Add subscriptions”, “Browse” add some you want • Click “Add subscriptions” and let google reader search for some feeds

  20. Whoop-te-doos • Starred items • Shared items • Trends

  21. Set up Folders for your Selected Areas • Folders are synonymous with Tags • Click on “manage subscriptions” • Click on drop down box to put subscription in a folder/tag • To add a new folder/tag, when you subscribe, type in the name of the tag • To delete a tag, ????/

  22. Manage Subscriptions • Select all or none • Place subsriptions in folders/tags • Can be in more than one for organization • Can delete subscriptions

  23. DemoMonitor Student Blogs • Every student has a blog with RSS feed • Set up a folder and subscribe • Know when additions are made • Same with web pages • Subscribe to all ESC XI IT blogs

  24. DemoStudents Monitor Teacher Blog • Teacher has a blog • Students each subscribe with an online aggregator • Students know when something new is up

  25. Student Research with RSS • New Searches • http://www.justinpfister.com/gnewfeed.php?q=your+terms+here • Googlealerts.com/ • Get an account • Up to 3 alerts • Feed settings • User settings

  26. Design Your own Personal Curriculum • List three areas that you want to be knowledgeable and current in (hobbies or interests) • Ex. • News • Weather • Sports • Cross Stitching • Professional

  27. On Google Reader • Create these three folders • Search to find feeds using • Google +RSS • Technorati • www.about.com • GoogleAlerts • other • Start reading regularly

  28. Amateur Researchers Poor tagging Something else to manage Dubious sites No spam Digital Native Friendly Free Simple to Use Easy to share Accessible anywhere Builds and Builds RSS Negatives V Positives http://www.slideshare.net/celliott/assembling-your-web-20-toolbox

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