Google_Reader

=Thing 19: Subscribe to an RSS Feed and/or Google Reader =

 The following video is "Google Reader in Plain English." Click Here if you have trouble viewing the video.

 Why did I select Google Reader?  I selected Google Reader for several different reasons.  First, I find it to be very user-friendly. It may feel and look strange to use it at first, but compared to other RSS Feeds it does not require the users to be too technologically advanced. It is much easier for the digital layman to use it in basic form, and still have a useful management tool for keeping track of blogs and articles.  Secondly, it is accessible from the school computers. Yahoo is an RSS Feed aggregator we used at the public library, but Yahoo features are not accessible at many school sites. Google has been making developments that are geared toward educators, so many school systems do not block all of the features provided by Google.  Finally, Google is turning into an all-in-one resource for me. Because Google does gear so many awesome features toward educators it makes it so easy to have one user-name and one password that allows me to jump from email, to my calendar, to my reader, to my sites and so on. I hope that once you have played with Google a while longer you will also take advantage of some of the great management features it offers on its site.

 Time to set up your account:
 * Go to Google.com. At the top left you will find you will see options for maps, gmail, calendars, etc. At the end is a drop-down-menu with the word 'more.' Click 'More' to find Reader.


 * If you already have a Google account than you can simply click on Reader and it will get you started. If you do not have a Google account yet you must create one now. Remember that usernames and passwords are often case-sensitive. To create a unique username it helps to use parts of your name or nickname and a combination of numbers. I often use the username 'tkenjock.' The combination of my first name initial and part of my last name is unique enough that I do not need to add numbers to it. If you use the name 'Sally' chances are someone has already used that name. Simply changing it to 'Sal5896' may make it unique enough to use as a username. The parameters for your password are set by the account. It's typical to have passwords that need to be at least 6-8 characters and sometimes need to include numbers.


 * Now that you have an account you can start subscribing. There are shortcuts to subscribe to a blog or site that you come across, and want to monitor. [[image:new-rss-xml-feed-icon.jpg width="90" height="90" align="left"]]Very often you will see an orange box like the one to the left (it's not always orange, but often when you hover over it you will see that it says 'RSS Feed,' 'Subscribe to this feed,' or something else along those lines to describe it as a feed button.). When you click on an RSS Feed button directly it will ask you to select an aggregator to subscribe this feed to. From here you will select Google Reader.


 * To subscribe to a site that does not have the shortcut you can copy the address of the website, and subscribe to it directly from you Google Reader account. When you are signed into Google Reader you can see 'Subscribe to a site' in your menu to the left. When you click on that a text box will open. Here you can paste the website URL and save it. From there you will be able to place the subscription in a folder to better manage your feeds.

 When you set up your Google Reader account you will be offered a tutorial video. Click Here to view the tutorial from YouTube, if you miss the chance to watch it at the site.

=A Briefing of Thing Nineteen: =

When you finish Thing Nineteen you should have:


 * Set up a Google Reader account
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Set up at least one RSS Feed into your Google Reader

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Click Here to go onto Thing Twenty for a chance to share about RSS Feeds. Here you can also select other teachers' blogs you would like to follow on you Google Reader account. Share how any of these features can be used with students or other educators.