Thing+4

=Thing 4: Review RSS and Feed Your Reader!= ==

= Introduction = One of the key concepts of "Web 2.0" in education is the understanding that we are all becoming "networked learners." The tools connect us to an expansive, interconnected web of experts, ideas and resources, and allow us to participate and contribute. A core element of your own PLN, or [|personal learning network], is your **RSS reader** (also known as a newsreader or aggregator). **Fill it with quality feeds and the expert knowledge, learning and ideas come to you!**

**What is RSS?**
==
 * RSS** is a special type of computer code that allows users to know automatically when new "stuff" is added to their favorite websites. An **RSS feed**, which looks like a scary piece of computer code is an incredibly powerful, amazingly useful piece of Web 2.0 technology that is not actually scary at all (honest!). **RSS**, which stands for **Rich Site Summary**, or **Really Simple Syndication**, allows web users to **subscribe** to multiple websites and have new content **delivered to them automatically in one location**, called an **RSS reader** or aggregator. Instead of visiting each website to check for new information, the user simply **checks his or her reader**, which has **collected and organized all of the new content using RSS**. In short, when you set up an RSS reader and subscribe to the content (feeds) you choose, it's just like creating a customized newspaper or magazine containing **only** the stories, media and information you **want to re****ad**, delivered "fresh" to you every day - spam-free, ad-free, and just-plain free!

**Why is it called a feed?**
Essentially, you (via your RSS reader) are **being __fed__ new content** (news, blog posts, journal articles, book and movie reviews, images, podcasts, etc). You don't have to go out and get it. It just comes to you.

**What do I need to take advantage of this wonderful RSS stuff?**
There are two basic parts to using RSS - first is the **feed**, which will be available as a link or icon on the website or blog you want to subscribe to, and second is the **reader** (or aggregator), which is the container that manages all of your subscriptions (or feeds). There are a number of different readers available. For this course, we will use Google Reader, a free, simple, browser-based reader. Basically, it's like this : **You visit a website you like**, **click the RSS feed/subscription link and add or paste the URL into your** **reader**. Then, you visit your reader anytime you want to see what's new at **all of the sites** you have subscribed to.

Don't Forget!
In the two-day session this summer, we set up your Google Reader (and added it on your iGoogle page). So, to read your feeds, you need only visit and log in (using your Gmail user name and password) to your iGoogle page.

**How can RSS help educators?**
Educators can use RSS feeds to **keep up-to-date with news items, favorite blogs, journal articles, book reviews or updated items from any area of interest, keep current in educational trends, track student blog posts or changes to a class wiki site, and share news or media items (such as podcasts, images or videos) with students, colleagues and parents**. For a list of fantastic ideas for using RSS in your classroom, check out [|Ten Tips for Using Web Feeds in the Classroom] from Annette Lamb and Larry Johnson.

**RSS in Plain English**
Our friends at CommonCraft explain the essence of RSS a short video (3:45). You might want to check it out if you're still not clear about how RSS works.Another helpful resource is Mark Wagner's post, [|It Really is Really Simple: RSS for Educators].

Discovery Exercise: Feed Your Reader (3 parts)
**PART 1: Find 2-3 Edublogs of interest to you and add them to your reader** You will have to invest a little time, over time, to find the first couple of bloggers whose voices really resonate for you, but once you find a couple of folks you really like, adding others becomes easy. In the "blogosphere," you will find that **the voices you value are often connected to one another**.

Probably the best way to build your "feed library" is to find one or two bloggers you like and **explore their "Blogrolls"** (a list of blogs they read/follow linked on their own blogs' sidebars). As you follow their blogs, you will also make new connections through their posts and comments. Again, it just takes a little time, over time -- like tending a garden. And you can always make adjustments as you go.


 * That said, here are a few places to begin looking for Education-focused blogs**


 * DISCLAIMER:** A "highly-ranked" or "award-winning" education blog is not the only indicator of quality or relevance in content. I am just trying to point you to some options to get you started finding feeds. There are, no doubt, many "little" and "niche" bloggers out there with important messages that would resonate for each of you. I hope you will take some time to find those voices and add them to your growing network of learning connections.

> This is a list of many "recognizable" names in the Edublogosphere. While it doesn't give a description of each blog, it's a great starting point for exploration. Edublogs Magazine profiles several of them in [|this 2008 article]. > > A fantastic resource for finding valuable education blogs. Check out the winners and nominees, especially in the first seven categories -- click a category under "2008 Nominees," then scroll to the bottom of each page to see the list. You can also explore the winners and nominees for last year by clicking the "2007" tab at the top of the blog. > An un-vetted but rich list of possibilities. Many recognizable names, some hopefully serendipitous finds. > An RSS-driven collection of the most recent posts from several dozen education-focused blogs and news sources. Click the title of any article to go to the originating blog or news source.
 * **Livemocha: Top 100 Technorati-Ranked Edublogs** - [|http://www.livemocha.com/pages/resources/education-blog-list]
 * **2****008 Edublog Award Winners and Nominees** - []
 * **Support Blogging! Links to School Bloggers** - []
 * **OEDb: Top 100 Edublogs** - []
 * **Alltop Education News** - []


 * ‡ HELP Tip: ** To add most blog feeds to Google Reader, just **copy and paste the main blog URL** (site address) into the **Add a Subscription** box in your **Google Reader**. The reader will "sniff" the site for a feed. Note: For more help/info, review the information provided at 12 Learning 2.0.

**PART 2: Use a "blog search engine" to find 1-2 additional blogs/feeds of interest to you** **(educational or otherwise)****and add them to your reader**.

There are a number of different "blog search" tools on the Web. Our omnipresent friend Google offers two such tools. Use these tools as you would a "regular" search engine to search for blogs or news feeds. Do not spend an inordinate amount of time on these: just experiment a bit.
 * Use a Blog Search Engine to Find Feeds**

> Type your terms into the search field and click **Search Blogs**. Use multiple keywords and phrases (in quotes) just as in a regular Google web search. Adding clarifying terms such as "education" or "elementary" or "chemistry" or "literacy" to your main topic may be helpful. > Perform a "Feed Search" from right inside your **Google Reader**. Here's a screen shot showing how.
 * **Google Blog Search** - []
 * **Google Reader "Browse for Feeds"** - []


 * ‡ HELP Tip: ** To add most blog feeds to Google Reader, just **copy and paste the main blog URL** (site address) into the **Add a Subscription** box in your **Google Reader**. The reader will "sniff" the site for a feed. For more help/info, review the information provided at 12 Learning 2.0.

**PART 3:** Add your 21clc team members to your Reader.
If you haven't done so, subscribe to your team members' blogs. You can find the list we created here. Also, subscribe to the district 21st Century Classrooms Project blog.

Two Stretch Feeds - Go Beyond Blogs...
(Optional, but really good to know). Your Google Reader can read __any__ kind of RSS-syndicated content, such as news stories, images, video clips, bookmarks and podcasts. Try adding a **news feed** and a **podcast feed** to your reader. It works the same as adding a blog feed.

> Subscribe to __any area of interest__, such as education, books, music, health, top stories. > Subscribe to __any of 616 podcast offerings__ in a wide variety of categories. (**TIP**: Note __duration__ of podcast before subscribing.)
 * **New York Times** - []
 * **NPR Podcasts** - []


 * ‡ HELP Page: **Step-by-step instructions for subscribing to the five required and two stretch feeds.


 * Google Reader Official Help:** [|Getting Started with Google Reader]

**Task (3 parts)**

Get comfortable using your Google Reader. Check your Google Reader **at least every other day (preferably daily) for 5-7 days**. Read through the "new items" in your Google Reader. This [|brief video] shows you how. **You are not expected to read every item thoroughly**, but rather to __scan and skim all items__ and read those that seem relevant, thought-provoking or interesting. You will need to click the **blue title** of an item to go to the actual site and read any **comments**. Be sure to **star** any items you want to save for later reference.
 * PART 1 :** ** Start Reading **


 * ‡ HELP Video: ** [|Using Google Reader to Read Your Feeds]

**¤ NOTE:** You are **not required** to retain all of the feeds you subscribed to up to now. if you do not want them (Go to **Manage Subscriptions** in your Google Reader and click the Trash can next to the feed you want to remove).

**¤ IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT YOUR GOOGLE READER: ** The content in your reader can be overwhelming because it will continue to "pile up" endlessly. BUT -- it's not actually there -- it hurts NOTHING for you to skim and skip items and mark them as "read" just by scrolling past them or marking them as "read." **You aren't actually deleting anything.** In fact, learning to **quickly scan and process a lot of news items is an essential part of RSS literacy and information management** -- the important ideas will always come back around, and you will also learn to pare down your subscriptions as you go. If you feel compelled to thoroughly read every item, you will remain completely overwhelmed and quickly "quit" your reader. Keep trying -- it gets easier!


 * PART 2 :** //After you have checked your Google Reader for a few days, w//rite a blog post reflecting on your experience and sharing one or more items of interest from your reader. Include links to any posts you refer to. Be sure to include "Thing 4" as part of your post title. **You will be asked to "share an item of interest from your Reader" at two other times during this course. Please continue to check your reader __at least every other day__ throughout the course. It's the only way to actually build a reading habit.** Don't forget to bookmark in Delicious your blog post, using the tag //bsd21things//.


 * PART 3 :** Check out the "Thing 4" posts of at least two teammates (find their blog addresses here). Leave a thoughtful comment if you find something interesting, helpful or provocative. Log into Google first to make commenting easier.

Stretch Task
Create a **Custom News Feed**. One of the most powerful features of [|Google News] is that it allows you to create a custom feed that checks 4,500 news sources for whatever keyword(s) you choose. **To set up your feed**, go to Google News: [], enter your desired search term(s) and click "Search News" (Use advanced search features to refine your search as needed). While viewing your results, click the **RSS link** in the left sidebar, and copy and paste the feed URL into the **Add Subscription** area of your reader. After monitoring the feed for a couple of days, write a brief blog post describing the feed you created and sharing an interesting item that has appeared in your reader as a result of the feed.

This page is modified from Thing 5, Thing 6, and Thing 7 at K12 Learning 2.0