RSS: The Constant Channel of Information

I have to admit that my introduction to RSS was a “teaching moment” I will never forget. It was also one of the first moments that made me feel old and “out of the loop”, as some would say. I was staying after to work with some students in my classroom to finish up some last minute yearbook details, and just happened to (not every enthusiastically I must say) mention to the kids that my graduate class was asking me to follow some kind of “RSS thing”. I heard a snicker come from a couple of students on the left side of the room, and shortly after they attempted to show me their RSS feeds on their personal laptops. Next, they even helped get mine set up on my computer as well! I used the Yahoo Reader and the Microsoft Outlook versions, and found the little button that was the key to updated information. It was truly a ‘student teaching teacher’ moment!  Honestly, I am not sure I could have figured it out on my own. I probably would have had to search for some sort of tutorial to do it myself.

           A week later, I am finding myself reading more, just not in my usual format. I have always preferred to read the print version of something, and I think that partially has to do with my job. Teaching and studying English, print sources were what I was brought up with. Secondly, creating the school yearbook, well, that is all digital, requiring many hours online on the design website. But this week I got to thinking that this RSS thing may actually save me time in the long run, and could really be a ‘really simple syndication’ as many websites had stated. I started to “check my feed” at least a few times a day. I also began to look for the RSS icon as I visited different websites. I stumbled on an article by a woman named Colette Cassinelli, who stated, “If you can’t find an RSS logo on the site, the site may not offer RSS feeds,” and finally it all clicked. “Once you get into the habit of subscribing for news or information, you will find that you search less. [One can] stay up to date with breaking news, school updates, latest blog posts or news from your favorite website,” she explained.
           My understanding of the RSS application is that it is a simple way for the user to read the latest postings and updates from favorite websites. The online feeds, such as Yahoo, seem to give latest headlines on all subjects, whereas on Outlook, one can prioritize to the articles to their personal areas of interest. From the news articles I have read from these feeds, I feel that I like to use the Yahoo feed much better than the Outlook. I seem to get a more wide range of information and articles to choose from, and in a much faster manner. One of the feeds I have on my Outlook RSS is Apple Hot News, and in a different format, I see some of the same headlines that I see on the Yahoo RSS. The only main difference I see with the Outlook is that you have to open your email account, click on the RSS folder, and pick the category or sites that you subscribed to. Lastly, a long list of news topics will appear, and finally articles can be chosen. Basically, I really think all RSS feeds serve the same purpose; a quick way to hear the latest news.
           When thinking about how RSS could be used in the education system, many ideas and lesson plans came to mind before I even had a chance to observe the feeds for a few days. However, I was considering what a pain it may be to get RSS readers set up on all of the student computers, and if the students would even have “permission” on their student accounts to access and download the necessary items. As many districts do, the district that I work for monitors the student computer accounts at a strict level, blocking downloading and access to many websites. In conclusion, I decided a way that I could have students use and explore RSS feeds was that I could make it an extra credit assignment (as a trial run). I could show students how to set it up using my computer hooked up to the projector. After that, the rest of the assignment would ask students to follow feeds at home and write up a response, journal, paper, or some kind of other informational assignment to let me know what they discovered using RSS.

From a professional standpoint, I feel that my colleagues and out administrators in the building would greatly benefit from the RSS feeds. I am not even sure that people know that it is an option on our Outlook email.  Professional blogger Darren Rowse states, “RSS flips things around a little and is a technology that provides you with a method of getting relevant and up to date information sent to you for you to read in your own time. It saves you time and helps you to get the information you want quickly after it was published,” (www.problogger.net).  Since time is such a valuable asset in the world of education, this would definitely be beneficial to teachers and administrators; especially if some of the topics and feeds came from educational sites. After beginning my experience with RSS feeling somewhat overwhelmed and ignorant, I now feel that RSS is something I will be recommending to others.

Works Cited

Cassinelli, Collete. (9 Feb. 2009). Tech Tip Tuesday – RSS and Google Reader. edtech VISION 2011. Retrieved from http://edtechvision.org/?p=537

Rowse, Darren. (1 November 2010). What is RSS? Problogger.net 2011. Retrieved from http://www.problogger.net/what-is-rss/

OpenWHAT???

I have to admit, when I first read through the assignments for the first couple weeks of class, I was SO confused! I was seriously wondering what the heck RSS and OpenSource even meant! I had NEVER heard either of these terms before. After chatting with my husband, he reassured me that I had heard of the terms before, and that it wouldn’t be too difficult to decipher how they could be utilized. So, by now I think I have figured things out, and am happy to say I have learned not one, but two new things; all in the first week of class!

After talking to my husband (as I previously stated) and many of my yearbook students (sometimes they know more about technology than I do) I noticed that many people were saying, “That’s when you get the source code and can use the program for free.” I, not knowing much about the subject, believed that they knew what they were talking about. That is, until I took the time to do some research on the subject. I came to find that OpenSource doesn’t just offer access to the source code, but, the distribution terms must comply with certain criteria. The terms for OpenSource are as follows:

·         Free redistribution

·         Program must include a source code

·         Derived works – modifications allowed

·         Integrity of the authors source code

·         No discrimination against persons or groups

·         No discrimination against fields of endeavor

·         Distribution of license

·         License must not be specific to a product

·         License must not restrict other software

·         License must be technology-neutral

In my own words, OpenSource seems to be an application that can be modified by the user. If I knew more about codes and such, I feel that this could be a very beneficial tool. However, since I am not a “code wiz” I am not sure how I could utilize OpenSource in my particular environment. I prefer free apps or proprietary apps, over an OpenSource app that I may need to modify (which I wouldn’t know how to do). I find that the main difference between OpenSource apps and the kind I use (free and proprietary) is that the OpenSource apps can be fine-tuned to fit the users needs, and the others are not a modifiable. Since OpenSource apps are generally licensed under the GPL (GNU General Public License) this makes it available and accessible to all users.

In my classroom we use both free and proprietary apps. Some of the most common free apps we use are Google Docs and Google Talk. Both of these free apps come in handy, as they can be obtained from any computer with an internet connection. The Google Docs app has decreased the number of excuses such as, “I couldn’t access my saved work from home,” or “I must have not saved it correctly,” which I commonly heard from students. Google Docs is a web based word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, form, and data storage service that is easy to use for all ages. I strongly feel that Google Docs has helped students to manage their time better, and has given them a chance to complete their assignments from many locations. Google Talk, an instant messaging service, has been wonderful when my students and I (usually my yearbook students near deadline days) use to communicate. Even when we are both in the comforts of our own home, we can keep in touch on a regular basis.

One of the primary proprietary apps I use in my classroom is Photoshop. My students use this to enhance the photos and design we create for the school yearbook. I always do training on this program, and fortunately, this is one of the apps that the school district pays for, as it is quite expensive.  The software allows my students to manipulate, crop, resize, and correct color on digital photos we place in the yearbook. Since we have obtained this program, the photos in our book have dramatically improved.

Overall, I believe that OpenSource is a GREAT program to have available to people. However, I, having so much on my plate as it is, feel that it is a bit too much for me. I know how short I am on time as it is, and to have to possibly modify programs to make them fit my needs, sounds like just one more step I would have to complete to finish the task at hand. Thank goodness for the free and proprietary apps I have learned over the past few years, they have made life so much easier!

Works Cited:

http://opensource.org/

Hello to All!

Well, here we are again! Some of you I know from past UCM online classes, however some names look unfamiliar. Whoever you are, it is very nice to meet you! I am anxious for this class to get rolling, as I have heard it is one of the most beneficial of our program.

For those of you who do not know me yet, I am 27, married to a great guy named Ryan, and have been a teacher for 3 years. I teach high school Communication Arts and Journalism (11th and 12th grade) for Fort Zumwalt South High School in St. Louis, Missouri. I am also the yearbook adviser for the high school, which entails publishing a 300 page book every school year! It was one of the strings attached for me to get the job, but honestly, I am SO GLAD I do it; my students are great! Next year I am starting back up our school newspaper! Crazy I know! I do not have kiddos yet, but they are planned for in the near future. With what little free time I have, I love to run, lay by the pool, and redecorate my house (it drives my husband nuts).

Since I am a Communication Arts teacher, most of the books I read are adolescent literature books (high school level). My favorite book of all time is The Glass Castle; which I discovered in the curriculum the first year of my teaching. It is a memoir written by a woman that had far from an average childhood, but overcame obstacles in life to make something of herself. My students absolutely love this book, and every adult I have loaned it to can't get enough. Last year around this time, I was lucky enough to meet Jeannette Walls, the author, and the experience really made me connect that much more to her story.

You can find out more about The Glass Castle at:
http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Jeannette-Walls/19723841

Also, a great interview with the author at:
http://gothamist.com/2005/05/27/jeannette_walls_author_the_glass_castle_gossip_columnist_msnbccom.php

As far as the topic on if people still read or not; SURE THEY DO! The WAY people read is what has changed. In the past few years so many new ways to read have arisen (eReaders, online magazines and newspapers, online articles, blogs, etc.) but the idea of reading itself is still thriving. Reading is one of the best ways of escapism, and we all know that is needed every now and then.