A Look at RSS

As a child growing up I was never very interested in news or current events. The biggest reason why is because it was something that I considered boring. Many children in today’s society also suffer from the same problem. Parents and educators realize that we can keep our children entertained with technological toys and gadgets. Cell phones, laptops, iPods, eReaders, gaming devices, and more are one way that we keep our children happy with electronic fun. Now there is a way to encourage to children to read and stay more informed about what is going on in the world around them. Children and adults can subscribe to RSS feeds to stay connected with news and happenings in their favorite areas; whether it is in sports, fashion, music, or animals.

According to the University of California at Berkeley's Library, RSS, or Real Simple Syndication, is technology that delivers frequently updated content on the web. In order to receive these updates, you need a reader. There are web-based readers such as Google Reader and NetVibes that can be accessed from any computer or other Internet device. Also, you can install RSSOwl, Feed Demon, or other desktop-based RSS readers. With any of these readers, the user can chose certain websites to include on their readers. The biggest advantage of the RSS reader is the ability to customize the news, blogs, or articles that come into the feed. This is a useful time-saver, since you do not have to go from website to website to read the information.

Since I already have a Google account, I chose to use Google Reader for my online reader. Setup was simple; all I had to do was click on Google Reader and everything was already done for me. The most difficult part was deciding which websites to include in my feed. The goal was to keep everything based in technology or education, but I could not resist checking out the Day in Rock Report and The Daily Treat: Animal Planet. These were both a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed reading the postings. Normally I would not take the time the look at these websites, but the RSS readers gave me a chance to check things quickly. Google Reader is easy to use, but I did not like it as much as my installed reader. I do like the fact that it can be accessed anywhere I go, but the layout was not very appealing to me. There is just too much information all bunched together and I found myself skimming very quickly through the updates.

For the installed reader, I decided to try RSSOwl. Installation was quick and easy, and I was able to import the subscriptions from Google Reader into RSSOwl. My favorite part of this desktop reader is that a window will pop up to let you know when your feeds update. It also appears less cluttered on the screen, and was easier for me to read. Another nice feature is that the new information is bolded, and once you click on it, the text goes to normal.

My experiences with the RSS readers has been very positive. I think that with a little guidance my students could set up RSS readers. Last week we started blogging in class, and I could have students use the RSS feeds to find information for the blogs. Previously the students would do a Google search on technology, which caused some frustration and wasted time. I really think that students would enjoy having some of their favorite websites included in the RSS feeds. There are many teachers and administrators who could benefit from this time-saving tool. Content teachers in Science, Social Studies, and English could subscribe to specific sites to incorporate in the curriculum. Administrators could stay informed of trends in education through several sites such as EduCause, and could encourage teachers to use RSS readers.

It has been difficult to follow all of my classmates' blogs, and keep up with ten other RSS feeds for this assignment. However, I have really learned so much through this activity, and there are a couple of feeds that I will continue to read. One of these is Stephen Downes' blog. He is Canadian researcher who encourages the use of online tools in education. His writing style is humorous, and at times very blunt. He is very passionate about using technology in education. Two others that I really like are TechCrunch and Wired. These sites provide so much information about changing technology, and although the focus is not specifically technology in education; it provides a lot of insight into the potential of using technology.

Since beginning my classes in Educational Technology, there have been so many new tools to incorporate into my classroom. Many of them are very intimidating and somewhat challenging to use. However, the RSS readers is something that anyone can use, and it is such a time-saving device.