RSS FEEDS__Harding again___

RSS Feeds

I have never used the RSS feeds before.  I found that they were quite useful for what I do on the internet and could see them used in a variety of ways schools and in the workplace.  In schools teachers could pick specific sites for students to collect information.  It could be used for research, current events, latest science news and many more.  Professionally, a teacher could run feeds to professional development sites and current news on their profession.  For the business person, they could do the same, keying in on the latest news and developments and their profession.

At home, a person could run RSS feeds to news, sports, or whatever their interest may be.  Having an interest in the stock market, I have put in a number of my favorite websites concerning the stock market.  I also have weather, sports and some computer websites plugged into my feed.

The two RSS feeders I chose were Google Reader and FeedDemon.  I found that Google Reader was much easier to use, especially when it came to adding websites.  If there was no RSS icon posted, I could simply highlight the URL and paste it into the Google Reader.  From there Google Reader would access the site and post it with the other RSS feeds.

FeedDemon was a little harder to set up as far as collecting websites.  I did not find a place where you could copy and paste the URL.  However, I liked the features that FeedDemon had to offer better than Google Reader.  I found that FeedDemon was better because it was easier to read and access specific information.  FeedDemon also has the ability to collect the information from other readers, like Google Reader, so that you only have to go to FeedDemon to get all of your information.

Setup Google Reader was easier than FeedDemon.  With Google Reader, all I had to do was click the button and since I already had an account with Google, Google Reader did the rest.  I simply had to supply Google Reader with the RSS feeds that I wanted.

With FeedDemon, I first had to find the software on the internet.  After that, I downloaded the software and loaded it just like any other software.  So, the installation was a little harder that with Google Reader.  However, once FeedDemon was installed, it asked me if I wanted to link to my Google Reader and have those feeds added to FeedDemon.  All I had to do was click a button and FeedDemon added my Google Reader feeds to its list.

I can see using RSS feeds as an advantage for teachers and students.  The initial phases and implementation of RSS feeds could be difficult.  First you would need to get your technology staff onboard.  They would need to check firewalls and securities through the server.  That in itself could cause a number of teachers to throw in the towel.  Then you would need to plan for training for the teachers and time for them to get used to it.  Training would take at least a half a day of in-service, giving teachers time to set up and find good resources to use themselves and share with students.  Students would need to be taught on how to use RSS feeds. “Overall, it seems that it was useful and helpful to integrate blogs and RSS feeds into our pre-service course. However, through our experience, we noticed several barriers that need to be resolved before the students are able to effectively use the tools.” (West, R., Wright, G., Gabbitas, B., & Graham, C., 2006)  If this could be done as a technology lesson in the technology class, then there could be time saved in that.  In the case of middle school, it would need to be added in the 6th grade year so that students could take advantage of it throughout the middle school years and on.  

For student, RSS feeds would have to constantly updated and monitored to ensure they had feeds concerning the topics they were covering.  It would be a waste to have materials concerning a sixth grade class when you’re working on an eighth grade topic.  There would also be the concern of students not having the same abilities to use RSS feeds at home.  Everything would have to be in-class.

There are advantages to using RSS feeds in the classroom for teachers, as well as students.  Teachers can have access to a number of their favorite sites at the click of a button.  They would be getting the latest information posted to them without having to go out and look at each website over and over.  As for student, it is a skill that needs to be learned anyway.  Many colleges and universities are already incorporating RSS feeds into their classes as a means for research.  Purdue conducted a study on the use of RSS feeds and found the following. “This study found that including a RSS feed as part of the course created opportunities for further
research into the effective use of RSS feeds in education.” (Lee, M. W., Miller, C., & Newnham, L., 2008).
    There are a number of websites available for a person that would want to pursue the use of RSS feeds into their profession or as part of their instruction.  These sites can give you the basic ideas of the advantages and disadvantages of using RSS feeds and information on using technology as a means of instruction in the work place and in the classroom.
Pros and Cons of RSS Feeds
Feed for All
Tech & Learning

References

West, R., Wright, G., Gabbitas, B., & Graham, C. (2006). Reflections from the Introduction of Blogs and RSS Feeds into a Preservice Instructional Technology Course. TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning, 50(4), 54-60. doi:10.1007/s11528-006-0054-9

Lee, M. W., Miller, C., & Newnham, L. (2008). RSS and content syndication in higher education: subscribing to a new model of teaching and learning. Educational Media International, 45(4), 311-322. doi:10.1080/09523980802573255