CHAPTER 5: RSS THE NEW KILLER APP FOR EDUCATORS By: Christina Cameron & Angel Joseph

RSS FEEDS This presentation will answer the following questions:  What is RSS?  Why use RSS?  What is RSS used for?  How do I create RSS Feeds?  How do I view RSS feeds?

RSS  RSS is an acronym for Really Simple Syndication.  RSS (noun) - an XML format for distributing news headlines on the Web.  XML code is better known as a “feed” as in “news feed”

INTRODUCTION  XML makes it possible for readers to subscribe to the content that is created on a particular Weblog so viewers no longer have to visit the blog itself to get it.  The content comes to you instead of you going to get it!  The aggregator, feed collector, checks the feeds you subscribe to, usually every hour, and it collects all the new content from those sites.

HOW IS RSS BENEFICIAL TO ME?  Opt-In – users elect which feeds which they subscribe to.  Content – steady stream of fresh web content  Aggregation – users can quickly scan multiple content streams and click on items of interest saving time.  Money-users may even be able to cancel the subscriptions to paper versions of magazines and newspapers.  Personalize- users can create your own collections of news and features that are personalized to your interests.  Research-as students, we can immediately be updated when new information about research topics is published.  Time- You can read more content from more sources in less time.

WHAT IS RSS USED FOR? Initially RSS was restricted to News Headlines. As RSS’ popularity increased the uses for RSS have expanded. Common uses include:  Blogs – summaries of daily blog posts  Newsletters – synopses of newsletters alerting users that a new newsletter is available  Weather Alerts – notification of severe weather  Press Announcements – new product announcements  Specials or Discounts – weekly deals or discount offers for customers  Calendars – listings of upcoming events, deadlines or holidays Common Industry specific uses for RSS include:  Service Industry – notification of viruses or security alerts  Real Estate – listings of open houses or new homes on the market  Schools – homework/project listings  Restaurants – lunch or dinner specials  Law Enforcement – announce sexual predators in area or any type of crime alerts

HOW DO I CREATE A RSS FEED? RSS feeds can be created using :  A text editor  Using desktop software (FeedForAll )  Google Reader  News on Feeds at tinyurl.com/2x7zhs

READING AND SHARING  Organize individual posts for later retrieval.  Add personal “tags” or keywords to identify the content. (single words work best) All information used with the same tag will be organized together.  Save information for closer reading in a later time (“ Add favorite” )  “Share” links directly to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc.  Have the ability to download and install software that allows you to save the text of whatever is on your reader on or offline. You can still star, share or edit tags, and when you get back online, it will automatically sync all of your previous actions.

WHY USE “RSS” IN THE CLASSROOM?  Preparing students for a more complex world. (advancing technology)  RSS can be a great help for the media and information literacy skills that some students may lack.  RSS can help you add information to your knowledge base, help you communicate, and make teaching better.

FEEDFORALL’S CREATION WIZARD Step 1 Feed Title:  Enter the title of your RSS feed. This is the generally the theme that your Feed will follow. Similar to the title of a website’s index page.

FEEDFORALL’S CREATION WIZARD Step 2 Feed Description:  Enter the description of your RSS feed. (Similar to a website’s description.) This is a summary of theme that the RSS feed will follow.

FEEDFORALL’S CREATION WIZARD Step 3 Feed Link:  Enter the link of your RSS feed. This is the link of the website containing contents related to the RSS feed.

FEEDFORALL’S CREATION WIZARD Step 4 Item Title:  Within each feed is a number of items. Each item contains information related to specific topic within the theme.  It could be a blog post, or a special offer.

FEEDFORALL’S CREATION WIZARD Step 5 Item Description:  Summary of item.  Often this is an overview of the item.

FEEDFORALL’S CREATION WIZARD Step 6 Item Link:  Include exact url to item on web page, its best for each item to have a unique link.

FEEDFORALL’S CREATION WIZARD  Additional information, including images can be added to RSS feeds to enhance them.

SETTING UP AN RSS FEED READER  It is best to focus on one topic to start building your reading around.  Just click on the “Add Subscription” link on the top left of the page and type the word(s) into the form that pops up.  Are there advertisements?  Is the author’s full name used?  What are the author’s (and the blogs) credentials?  How often is the site updated?  What is the quality of writing?  Are there any comments?

RSS FEEDS WITH STUDENT WEBLOGS  Collect student’s work in your aggregator using their RSS feeds.  Drastically reduces reading time and make classes paperless.  Parental Involvement  Control-you can track just about everything going on in your student's blogs using RSS.  Weblog software like WordPress and Blogger allow you to import RSS feeds into pages you crate for your or your student’s sites.

RSS FEEDS FOR WEBLOG SEARCHES  Getting a regular feed of searches in the blogosphere is easy but will not always be the most appropriate.  You should want to experiment with searching them on your own before showing students.  Easiest way is to go to Blogsearch.Google.com and type in search terms

RSS FEEDS FOR BOOKMARKS AND TWITTER  Feeds are a great way to keep track of what other people are reading and Tweeting about and bookmarking for future use.

VANITY FEEDS  Start building your blogging community by finding other bloggers out there with similar interests/themes.  Sign up for alerts so you know what someone is saying about your blog by linking it back to you. (Create a watchlist at Technorati for your blog address)  Just search for the subject at Google Blog Search and subscribe to the feed for the results

SOME COOL RSS FEEDS TO GET YOU STARTED!  Airport Delays: tinyurl.com/2snz9z  Weather: tinyurl.com/5c4m8h  Earthquake Notification: tinyurl.com/220pwd  Techbargains: tinyurl.com/5q5sw4  Word of the day: tinyurl.com/7ylnw  Ebay: tinyurl.com/5egkve

IN CONCLUSION  The bottom line is that RSS makes surfers more productive and saves time it is not burdened with the problems commonly associated with and offers a great communication venue.  Any questions????