RSS

RSS or Really Simple Syndication allows users to easily keep track of content on the Web that is new and relevant. Discover exactly how Aggregators and RSS Feeds work and how to find the feeds you want. Explore the many ways RSS can be used in the classroom.

This video from Common Craft that explains RSS in Plain English

RSS Feeds
With Web1.0 users often would “bookmark” the sites that they wanted to visit often. As the list grew, users became overwhelmed with the vast amount of sites they visited to check for new information. Enter RSS. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. RSS allows users to “subscribe” allowing them to get an update on the newest content on websites, blogs, podcasts, and even news sites. Sites that have RSS generate a code called XML which is similar to HTML. This behind the scenes code is what allows subscription so users no longer have to visit the site itself to get the new content. Sites with a RSS feed have the familiar symbol somewhere on the page, often in the address bar, which you either click on or copy the address of to subscribe. Feeds are collected using an aggregator which goes out and compares the feeds to what you've already viewed and provides a listing of the new content since your last visit. As you might imagine, you are not longer visiting numerous sites looking for information. The newest content comes to you.

Using RSS in Education

• Keeping updated on students' blogs or podcasts
• Sources of information for current events
• Tracking updates on collaboration projects using wikis
• Tracking updates on services that use tags (pictures from Flickr or sites within Delicious)
• RSS Search Feeds
• News
• Weblogs
• Websites

RSS: A Quick Start Guide for Educators
Will Richardson’s guide for educators.

RSS Ideas for Educators

Try RSS!

You may want to consider Bloglines because you can check your feeds from any Internet connect and it is easy. All you need to do is go to the Bloglines site and “Register for your Free Account”. Once you receive a confirmation email you are ready to go.

Using Bloglines Tutorial

Once you have your Bloglines account set up you can now begin looking for feeds.

This is a great You Tube video highlighting how easy it is to add feeds to Bloglines:
Add RSS Feeds to Bloglines

Explore these resources for finding RSS Feeds relevant for education:

RSS Feeds from PBS
RSS News Feeds for Educators
MERLOT
peer-reviewed online teaching and learning materials.

Other Web-based RSS Feed Aggregators:
Google Reader
Pageflakes
Netvibes

Adding RSS Feeds to your Blackboard Class
You may place RSS Feeds directly in Blackboard allowing you to provide up to date content from relevant resources in your course. There are several ways to do this:
Follow the instructions on the "How To" sheet found in the Tips and Tricks area for Adding an RSS Feed in Blackboard or you may use the Dynamic Feed Control from Google - either way, this is simple!