RSS

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RSS the Read/Write Web

• Darrel Branson
• ICT Educator
• Sunraysia Mallee Schools Network
• www.smsn.vic.edu.au

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Session Outline

• Background
• Blogging setup for the SMSN
• Participants blog comment (Hands on)
• RSS subscription readers
• Moodle resources

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Blogging, RSS and the Read/Write Web

• Blog A weblog, web log or simply a blog, as they
  are known are an easy-to-use web site (no HTML
  required), where you can quickly post thoughts,
  publish writing, and interact with people. Such a
  website would typically be accessible to any
  Internet user.

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Blogging, RSS and the Read/Write Web

• RSS RSS stands for 'Really Simple Syndication'
  or 'Rich Site Summary'
• RSS is being used to provide items containing
  short descriptions of web content together with a
  link to the full version of the content.

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Blogging, RSS and the Read/Write Web

• The Read/Write web
• Will Richardson
• http//www.weblogg-ed.com/
• The Read/Write web is about contributing to, and
  having a voice on the Internet as opposed to just
  being consumers of information.

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Blogging, RSS and the Read/Write Web

• Example Blogs
• http//www.bloglines.com/topblogs
• http//dir.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Intern
  et/World_Wide_Web/Weblogs/
• Example Wikis
• Wikipedia - Free encyclopedia written by
  everyone!http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
• Wiki bookshttp//en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Main_Page
  

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Sunraysia Mallee Schools Network

• SMSN School blogs
• http//www.smsn.vic.edu.au/blogs.php
• What were the needs of our network for schools to
  get into blogging?
• Blogging software requirements
• Serverside vs clientside
• Support for multiple blogs
• Support for multiple authors
• WYSIWYG editor
• Good management for posts, comments etc

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Sunraysia Mallee Schools Network

• We went for the open source solution called pLog
  http//www.plogworld.net
• List of blogging software
• http//opensourcecms.com/
• http//weblogs.about.com/od/weblogsoftwareandhosts
  /a/topfreeblogs.htm
• One of the most well known is www.blogger.com

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What is a blog
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Logging on

• http//www.smsn.vic.edu.au/ictev
• Choose the log on link on the right
• Type in your
• Username
• Password

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Why is it powerful?

• A way to improve writing
• Provide a real audience for writing
• An easy way to create a web site quickly
• Weblogs are a personal writing space. Easy,
  sharable, automatically archived.
• Weblogs are easily linked and cross-linked to
  form learning communities.
• Weblogs can become digital portfolios of
  students' assignments and achievements.
• Weblogs are a novice's web authoring tool.

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What can you do with blogs?

• What are the possibilities for weblogs in
  education?
• http//anvil.gsu.edu/NECC2004/stories/storyReader
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• post short current events articles to invite
  students thoughts, reactions, and possible
  solutions
• create a literature circle
• post photos and ask students to create captions
• foster book discussions in the form of an online
  book club
• post a daily/weekly synopsis of?the curriculum
  taught?homework assignments
• a birdseye view of the class for parents
• honour and celebrate class achievements
• Cardross Blog Developing a community

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Keeping track RSS

• Really Simple Syndication
• Look for an RSS link or a button on a web page.
• Copy the link from the blog.
• (Right mouse click the link -gt copy link location
  or URL)

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Keeping track RSS

• Really Simple Syndication
• Copy the link into your News Reader

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Keeping track RSS
List of topics

• Really Simple Syndication
• You should now be subscribed to the feed

List of feeds
Content of the post
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More Resources
http//www.smsn.vic.edu.au/moodle/ Click
on The Read/Write Web link

• I have been developing a Moodle course called
  The Read/Write web which also uses open source
  software and enables the Read/Write web.
• You can find many more resources, files and links
  by accessing this course.