RSS Aggregator! What is an RSS Aggregator? This is the panicked question that was running through my head when I first read the assignment 1 criteria sheet. Little did I know how simple of a tool it would be to actually set up.
My first step to setting up an RSS aggregator was to find out what it actually was. After looking at the very helpful Youtube clip attached to the course materials, I learnt that it stood for Really Simple Syndication. (CQUniversity, 2009). I also learnt that instead of wasting time to look for new blogs or information on different websites, a single website (a reader) can follow the sites for us and notify us of the updates or new information for us. (LeeLeFever, 2007).
After finding this useful information out, I had to then set up my blog that would ultimately be the platform for my assignment. Setting up the blog was quite simple enough for me, since I had already (all by myself) mastered setting up and navigating my way around all the many different features of facebook. I went though the different steps on the blogger site, set up my profile and uploaded a display picture. After fiddling around with all of the settings, I finally had an up and running blog. Yay!
Looking around the blogger site, I noted that there was an ‘Add’ button to type in other people’s blog URLs to ‘follow’. I went onto the discussion forums on the moodle site and read people comments about their experiences with setting up a blog and any queries they had. I also found that some people had added their blog URLs! I quickly went back and added their URL into the correct section on Blogger, and amazingly, I could see their blogs and their postings!
My last step of the day was to set up this ‘aggregator’. I followed Scott’s suggestion (because I trusted that he knew what he was talking about) and went with Google Reader. To my surprise, when I went into Google Reader, the blogs that I had added on my blog to follow were already listed and showing me updates! I had unintentionally set up an RSS Aggregator! Using blogger I was automatically linked to Google reader! It was easy to read with my ‘subscriptions’ on the side (bolded when there was new content) along with new information sequentially listed in the centre of the page under headings.
From my experience creating the blog and understanding RSS Aggregators, I discovered what useful tools they really are. I could also see the advantages for both teachers and students in schools. If there are websites that teachers constantly refer to that aid them with educational information, by using a RRS Aggregator, they would be able to much easily monitor updates for that site.
REFERENCES
CQUniversity. (2009). An Introduction to teachers' Delivery Technologies. Retrieved on July 19, 2009, from http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=671
LeeLeFever. (2007). Video: RSS in Plain English. Retrieved on July 19, 2009, from //www.youtube.com/watch?v=0klgLsSxGsU&feature=PlayList&p=D75F3D44376CEEB2&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=3
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Hello Jill,
ReplyDeleteI too was panicked when I first started reading all these new terms: RSS aggregator, Blog, Wiki. I wondered how I would ever understand them much less master them!
I love that the course has introduced us to these wonderful new teaching tools.I know we will all be confident about using them in our classrooms soon enough!
Best
Mia
Hi Mia,
ReplyDeleteI thought that I was quite good with technology... until I started this course! There are so many different programs and applications that I had never heard of. However after going through the course materials set on Moodle, I am finding it great to be able to explore them and learn how to use them. I have definitely bookmarked some (on my computer and in my head) that I can certainly see being valuable resources in the classroom for myself and students. The Mahara E.Portfolio is the one that has me stuck at the moment. At least I can say that I have set it up! Yay! =D Will keep working on that one!
Jill