Post by jsweber on Jan 29, 2013 10:40:50 GMT -5
RSS: The New Killer App for Educators
I found this title humorous because it works in two ways. RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a webtool used to help organize and manage your blog list. If you like reading blogs an RSS reader helps to connect them all so that you can see which blogs you have read and which have new content. For educators an RSS can be used to organize and manage the blogs students are writing in. This makes it easier to follow full classes of blog writers. Using a reader like Google or Netvibes you are able to make folders and pages to make it even easier to organize your blogs. The part that struck me as humorous was that just like all new tech there is a learning curve and it takes time to learn how to set it up and incorporate it. While RSS readers can make life easier now you have another piece of tech to add to the growing number of tools being used. So, killer in the sense that now I have one more thing to look at each day. Back to the quote from a few weeks ago, "there is more information in one week of the New York Times than people would know in a lifetime during the 19th century." RSS readers add to the ever expanding amount of information we are now consuming.
As you look at adding blogs to your RSS reader there are some elements to consider before jumping in. Does the blog have a lot of advertisements? These popups could get in the way of you enjoying the content you are there to soak in. Is there a designated author for the blog? What credentials does the blogger have? Are they trustworthy? If they are giving you false information then you shouldn't waste your time on that site. When was the last time the site was updated? With millions of blogs on the internet there isn't much sense in following someone who hasn't updated in several months to years. However, there is value in having quick access to a blog that you use often as a resource.
There are many RSS readers out there. Most of them are free and unless there is a reason you need to you shouldn't feel like you need to subscribe to a reader. Some readers, like Netvibes, give you the option of sharing your feed with someone else. This making building your PLN easier because you can just share your feed or get someone else's feed. This can also make setting up a classroom RSS reader easier. With a shared feed your whole class can read one another's blogs. This makes for more transparency and there isn't the factory style education where they turn it in and never see it again. You can also share your RSS feed on a blog that you create.
If you follow more than one blog there is a need to link in to an RSS reader. They help to organize your blog list and it save you time from having to click back and forth between sites.
I found this title humorous because it works in two ways. RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a webtool used to help organize and manage your blog list. If you like reading blogs an RSS reader helps to connect them all so that you can see which blogs you have read and which have new content. For educators an RSS can be used to organize and manage the blogs students are writing in. This makes it easier to follow full classes of blog writers. Using a reader like Google or Netvibes you are able to make folders and pages to make it even easier to organize your blogs. The part that struck me as humorous was that just like all new tech there is a learning curve and it takes time to learn how to set it up and incorporate it. While RSS readers can make life easier now you have another piece of tech to add to the growing number of tools being used. So, killer in the sense that now I have one more thing to look at each day. Back to the quote from a few weeks ago, "there is more information in one week of the New York Times than people would know in a lifetime during the 19th century." RSS readers add to the ever expanding amount of information we are now consuming.
As you look at adding blogs to your RSS reader there are some elements to consider before jumping in. Does the blog have a lot of advertisements? These popups could get in the way of you enjoying the content you are there to soak in. Is there a designated author for the blog? What credentials does the blogger have? Are they trustworthy? If they are giving you false information then you shouldn't waste your time on that site. When was the last time the site was updated? With millions of blogs on the internet there isn't much sense in following someone who hasn't updated in several months to years. However, there is value in having quick access to a blog that you use often as a resource.
There are many RSS readers out there. Most of them are free and unless there is a reason you need to you shouldn't feel like you need to subscribe to a reader. Some readers, like Netvibes, give you the option of sharing your feed with someone else. This making building your PLN easier because you can just share your feed or get someone else's feed. This can also make setting up a classroom RSS reader easier. With a shared feed your whole class can read one another's blogs. This makes for more transparency and there isn't the factory style education where they turn it in and never see it again. You can also share your RSS feed on a blog that you create.
If you follow more than one blog there is a need to link in to an RSS reader. They help to organize your blog list and it save you time from having to click back and forth between sites.
