RSS

My understanding of RSS (Really Simple Syndication) readers are that they are a great way for someone to keep up on certain types of news without browsing all the time.  The news comes into your reader without you having to spend the time looking for it. (USA)

Even though I remember RSS readers being mentioned in the Foundations of Educational Technology class with Dr. Jurkowski, I had never used an RSS reader before this assignment.  As we were directed, I installed Blog Bridge on my school computer.  The installation was easy.  I just followed the directions, and it installed properly.  I then subscribed to the class blogs and to other blogs that were related to educational technology or just educational blogs.   Since I already had an iGoogle page, I looked around and found the reader and set it up and subscribed to all the class blogs and to other educational blogs.  
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Installing things on my school computer makes me nervous because everything of mine at school is usually installed by the tech person. I was pleasantly surprised to find that anyone (including me) that could click on the link provided by the instructor and could read and follow directions could easily install BlogBridge; therefore, I don't think students, teachers, or administrators would have problems setting up this RSS reader.

After the initial setup and trial of both readers, Google reader is definitely my preference.  I have had a Google page for over two years, and I like the consistency of using Google.  I keep my Google page open at school because I have links on my page that I use daily.  I like having everything together in one place, so that is the reason I will continue to use Google reader instead of Blog Bridge.  If someone wanted an RSS reader and did not want to use Google, I would suggest BlogBridge because it was easy to install and user friendly.

When it comes to the RSS reader in general, it reminds me of my business education discussion list.  I really like my discussion list; and I get a lot of information and resources, but I also get a lot of things that I don’t need or want.  At first I had to “wade” through all of it.  Now if there is a subject line that has nothing to do with me, I just delete it without taking the time to read it.

I have the same issue with the RSS readers.  With approximately eighteen classmates’ blogs and at least ten others, that means a lot that comes through that feed.  I have already found that I’ve added some blogs that are not what I had thought they were going to be; and I need to delete them.  I also noticed somewhere that I could do something with keywords, and that is something that I want to look into so that I can narrow the information.

It is wonderful that it is so easy to access information, but in today’s world of technology, I sometimes feel like we get overwhelmed by so much information.  It is so much better than having to go to the library and check out books and magazines to get resources that I need for class.  Of course, I had to carry all of them and “wade” through all of them, too.  Just like with anything else that is new to me, I need to keep using it and figure out how to use it to fit my needs.  I’m hoping that when I read my classmates’ papers that I’ll get some ideas to help me be more efficient in using these RSS readers, possibly starting with keywords.

Besides my business education discussion list, there are a few business teachers' websites that I browse or to specifically look for something, and I believe that is where I found Free Technology for Teachers (an edublog).  It is a great ed tech blog.  Another good education blog, even though it is not technology intense, was The Innovative Educator.  As I continue to reevaluate the blogs that I have set up to come into my reader, these are two blogs that I will probably keep.

As I was finishing up this RSS paper, I was looking for ideas of how to use RSS readers in education. I found a very effective SlideShare presentation about RSS readers.  One suggestion in the presentation was that an administrator could use RSS readers to stay informed on available grants.  I believe that teachers (as we are in this class) can use RSS readers to stay current on educational news and cutting edge technologies.  I require my General Business students to submit an article review every week.  They could subscribe to blogs having to do with topics that I've provided for them.  Even though they may not want to use the blog, the blogs usually lead to other articles or resources, which I find to be one of the most exciting features of the RSS reader.

In summary, I believe that I like the concept of using the RSS readers.  I just need to get more efficient in reviewing them and in subscribing only to the blogs that has the information that would be the most helpful to my teaching.