Gathering and Sharing Information with RSS

1
Gathering and Sharing Informationwith RSS

• Helping teachers and administrators collect and
  disseminate information for classroom use with
  students and/or for communication purposes with
  parents and the community.

2
Agenda

• Definition
• Ideas for Classroom Use
• Using RSS-Subscribe to feeds
• RSS Search Engines
• Useful Resources
• Practice
• Creating an RSS feed

3
RSS Definition

• RSS
• stands for Rich Site Summary or Real Simple
  Syndication. In simple terms, weblogs (blogs)
  and an ever-growing number of other websites
  generate a behind-the-scenes code in a language
  similar to HTML called XML. This code, usually
  referred to as a "feed" (as in "news feed"),
  makes it possible for readers to "subscribe" to
  the content that is created on a particular
  weblog/website so they no longer have to visit
  the blog/site itself to get it. As is true with
  traditional syndication, the content comes to you
  instead of you going to it.

4
Ideas for Classroom Use

• Subscribe to student blogs for easy reading
• Search for topic specific newsfeeds
• Yahoo Search http//news.search.yahoo.com/
• Google News http//news.google.com/
• Moreover http//w.moreover.com/categories/category
  _list_rss.html
• Syndic8 http//www.syndic8.com/
• Collaboratively collect and distribute bookmarks
  of topic related websites
• Furl http//www.furl.net/
• Publish syndicated content on course websites or
  blogs
• Subscribe to feeds from learning object
  repositories to see the newest objects added in a
  specific topic

5
RSS Search Engines

• Feedster - http//feedster.com/
• Technorati - http//technorati.com/
• Daypop - http//www.daypop.com/
• Blogdigger - http//www.blogdigger.com/
• FeedsFarm - http//www.feedsfarm.com/
• CompleteRSS - http//www.completerss.com/
• Weblogs Compendium - http//allrss.com/rsssearch.h
  tml

6
Using an RSS feed

• Download a free feed reader http//www.feedreader.
  com/ (PC) or http//ranchero.com/netnewswire/
  (MAC) or use a web-based service such as
  Bloglines (http//www.bloglines.com/) or a
  browser that supports RSS (Firefox or Safari) or
  a browser add-on (Pluck - http//www.pluck.com/
  ).
• Locate specific websites/blogs with RSS feeds,
  find pre-defined RSS categories, or create
  customized searches. Copy and paste the feed URL
  to your feedreader.
• Optional Burn the RSS feed (stats, advanced
  features) http//www.feedburner.com/fb/a/home
  (Choose SmartFeed Browser-friendly). Make a
  headline animator for use in email, Blackboard,
  or on your website.

7
Creating an RSS feed

• Create an XML file http//www.webdevtips.com/webde
  vtips/codegen/rss.shtml, have your Blog create
  it, download/purchase software (http//www.feedfor
  all.com/), or use MyWebFeeds (http//mywebfeeds.co
  m/) to scrape content from an existing webpage.
• Make sure the code is correct by validating it at
  Feed Validator (http//feedvalidator.org/. Place
  a link or image on your website for visitors to
  subscribe to the feed using their feedreader.
• Optional Burn the RSS feed (stats, advanced
  features) http//www.feedburner.com/fb/a/home
  (Choose SmartFeed Browser-friendly). Make a
  headline animator for use in email, Blackboard,
  or on your website.
• When you make changes to your feed, be sure to
  ping it so updates are sent immediately instead
  of on an automatic interval and directory
  services are automatically notified.

8
Useful Websites-RSS

• RSS Quick Start Guide http//static.hcrhs.k12.nj.
  us/gems/tech/RSSFAQ4.pdf
• Making an RSS Feed http//searchenginewatch.com/s
  ereport/article.php/2175271
• Speed Read the Internet with RSS
• http//www.marketing-ideas.org/RSS.php?l
• RSS The Next Killer App For Education
• http//technologysource.org/article/rss/

9
Practice

• Subscribe to a New York Times RSS
• Locate and subscribe to a blog or website of
  personal interest
• Search and subscribe to a topic/subject specific
  newsfeed
• Collect and subscribe to websites in a Furl
  account
• Optional Use Feedburner to make a Headline
  Animator
• Create a Feed

10
Contact Information

• Craig Gerdes, M.Ed.
• Educational Technology Consultant
• Kansas State Department of Education
• 120 SE 10th Street
• Topeka, KS 66612
• 785-296-2182
• cgerdes_at_ksde.org
• http//www.taken.org