RSS_Feeds

= Thing 18: What are RSS Feeds? = RSS, or real simple syndication, is a way for us to keep up with favorite sites and blogs without having to search them out daily. Searching for a favorite blog to see if there were any new posts can be time consuming. Setting up an RSS feed allows you to check updates to your favorite sites all in one place, which saves time. For anyone who has been monitoring or keeping up with a blog on a semi-regular basis RSS is definitely for you.

For the next thing we will set up an RSS feed through Google Reader. This will allow us to keep up with professional literature in education, and keep track of new posts in our co-workers blogs.

Until you begin to use RSS Feeds the descriptions may be a bit confusing. That is why I have included other articles with descriptions of RSS Feeds and a video. Do not feel bad if it is still a bit confusing. I went through an entire training at the St.Joe County Public Library for RSS Feeds, and had no clue what they were talking about until I set up my own feed. Suddenly I was hit with that 'Ah-ha' moment of clarity. (I am finding I am more of a visual and kinesthetic learner, so it helps me to get past the reading and descriptions, and just get my hands dirty trying it out.)

A little more information:
Click Here to check out Will Richardson's article, "RSS: A Quick Start Guide for Educators." Here you will receive some more details about RSS Feeds and get instructions for setting them up through different programs. For the next 'thing' we will set up Google Reader as our RSS Feed, but feel free to use a different RSS aggregator if you prefer.

Click Here to read the article "What is RSS, and Why Should You Care?" by Chris Sherman.This article goes into the definitions and transformations RSS has taken over the past few years.

Suggestions for Sites to Use in your RSS Feed:
Click Here to check out Richard Byrne's blog entry "21 Must-Read RSS Feeds." Byrne's favorite sites are focused on teachers and technology.

(Do not intimidate yourself by subscribing to too many feeds in the beginning. It might help to subscribe to one blog that really stands out to you, and add a few of our teachers' blogs to your reader. When you include too many of the pre-packaged subscriptions to your blog you may find yourself going back to Google Reader after only a couple of days and finding hundreds of articles and blog posts there for you to read.)

Video about RSS Feeds:
"RSS in Plain English" Click Here if you have trouble viewing the video below.

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=A Briefing of Thing Eighteen: =

When you finish Thing Eighteen you should have:


 * Read about...
 * Watched about...

RSS Feeds.

Click Here to go onto Thing Nineteen where you will create your own RSS Feed with Google Reader.