using rss feeds norma smith instructional technology

29
Using RSS Feeds Norma Smith Instructional Technology

Upload: andrew-gray

Post on 23-Dec-2015

243 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Using RSS Feeds Norma Smith Instructional Technology

Using RSS Feeds

Norma Smith

Instructional Technology

Page 2: 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. – 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

Page 3: Using RSS Feeds Norma Smith Instructional Technology

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

Page 4: Using RSS Feeds Norma Smith Instructional Technology

What Kind of Content?

• Usually, content that is updated regularly such as:– Newspapers– Journals/ Magazines– Blogs– Social Networking Sites– Picture Sites– Movies– Others

Page 5: Using RSS Feeds Norma Smith Instructional Technology

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)

Page 6: Using RSS Feeds Norma Smith Instructional Technology

• 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?

Page 7: Using RSS Feeds Norma Smith Instructional Technology

Use RSS Feeds to:

a. track news

b. track professional areas of interest

c. keep up with multiple blogs

d. avoid spam on newsletters

e. do research on current topics – “global warming”

f. others

Page 8: Using RSS Feeds Norma Smith Instructional Technology

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

Page 9: Using RSS Feeds Norma Smith Instructional Technology

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

Page 10: Using RSS Feeds Norma Smith Instructional Technology

Aggregators

Page 11: Using RSS Feeds Norma Smith Instructional Technology

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.

Page 12: Using RSS Feeds Norma Smith Instructional Technology

Kinds of News Aggregators

• Desktop – IE7

• Online – – Google Reader– Yahoo Mail– Bloglines

• Others

Page 13: Using RSS Feeds Norma Smith Instructional Technology

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

Page 14: Using RSS Feeds Norma Smith Instructional Technology

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”

Page 15: Using RSS Feeds Norma Smith Instructional Technology

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/

Page 16: Using RSS Feeds Norma Smith Instructional Technology

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

Page 17: Using RSS Feeds Norma Smith Instructional Technology

If No Icon, Look for….

• subscribe

• syndicate

• feed

• rss

• xml

• atom

Page 18: Using RSS Feeds Norma Smith Instructional Technology

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

Page 19: Using RSS Feeds Norma Smith Instructional Technology

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

Page 20: Using RSS Feeds Norma Smith Instructional Technology

• Whoop-te-doos– Starred items– Shared items– Trends

Page 21: Using RSS Feeds Norma Smith Instructional Technology

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, ????/

Page 22: Using RSS Feeds Norma Smith Instructional Technology

Manage Subscriptions

• Select all or none

• Place subsriptions in folders/tags

• Can be in more than one for organization

• Can delete subscriptions

Page 23: Using RSS Feeds Norma Smith Instructional Technology

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

Page 24: Using RSS Feeds Norma Smith Instructional Technology

DemoStudents Monitor Teacher Blog

• Teacher has a blog

• Students each subscribe with an online aggregator

• Students know when something new is up

Page 25: Using RSS Feeds Norma Smith Instructional Technology

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

Page 26: Using RSS Feeds Norma Smith Instructional Technology

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

Page 27: Using RSS Feeds Norma Smith Instructional Technology

On Google Reader

• Create these three folders

• Search to find feeds using– Google +RSS– Technorati– www.about.com– GoogleAlerts– other

• Start reading regularly

Page 28: Using RSS Feeds Norma Smith Instructional Technology

RSS Negatives V Positives

• 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

http://www.slideshare.net/celliott/assembling-your-web-20-toolbox

Page 29: Using RSS Feeds Norma Smith Instructional Technology