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?
RSS = Really Simple Syndication
A file format for delivering
frequently updated information,
such as news headlines, blog
posts, and podcasts over the
web.
RSS
RSS Feeds
Web Feeds
http://www.thinkartificial.org/web/how-to-make-the-most-of-rss-feeds-redux/
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 Aggregators
Web-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 Traffic Updates
Shopping deals Travel deals
News headlines TV listings
Packages Tee times
Job listings Flickr photos
Real estate YouTube videos
New library materials Podcasts
Events New iTunes music
eBay listings Search results
Government info Fun stuff
Demonstration of Google Reader
Time for some hands-on learning!
http://flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/489257240/
Google Reader
http://www.google.com/reader
Google Reader
Sign in with free account
Follow the steps on the
screen Create a new account
RSS Feed: Subscribing
1. Find a feed.
2. Find the RSS link.
3. Copy the URL or link.
4. Go to Google Reader. Skip Steps 3 – 6 if the page
has an automated feature
5. Click on Add Subscription.
6. Paste in the link.
7. Organize the new feed into your folders or
subject structure.
Manually Add Automated
a Subscription Subscription
Step 1 - Find Webpage
Google News Search
Step 2 - Find RSS Link
Feed Button
RSS Links
Step 3 - Copy Link
Highlight the URL, ie http://edublogs.org/campus
Edit, Copy
or
Ctrl + C
or
Step 4 - Go to Reader
Step 5 - Add Feed
Click on Add subscription
Add subscription
This expands to give you
space to paste the URL.
Step 6 - Paste Link
Paste the URL in the box, then click ADD.
Step 7 - Sort Feed
The feed might
look like this
Manage
subscriptions
allow you to
group feeds
Manage Subscriptions
Step 7 - Sort Feed
Choose 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 Webpage
Brush 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
Click Add to
Click Subscribe Now
Google Reader
or
Select Google in the Drop
down box if necessary.
Checking the Always use
Google to subscribe to feeds
box will eliminate this step.
Step 4 - Sort Feeds
Shortcut to
organize feeds
The feed might
look like this
Manage
subscriptions
allow you to
group feeds
Manage Subscriptions
Step 4 - Sort Feeds
Choose 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 RSS
HOW TO: Getting Started with RSS
http://paulstamatiou.com/2005/11/13/how-to-getting-started-with-rss
What is RSS?
http://rss.softwaregarden.com/aboutrss.html
Wikipedia Article on RSS
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS_(file_format)
How to Explain RSS the Oprah Way
http://www.backinskinnyjeans.com/2006/09/how_to_explain_.html
RSS Feeds 101 – credit for presentation
http://docs.google.com/Present?docid=dfvx2r6j_52cvp94tfb&skipauth=true
What is RSS and Why Should I Care? A Presentation for Educators and School Administrators
http://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