Journal #7: "Mining for Gold"

This article delves deep into the use of RSS usage and helps explain it to the readers by using “normal” language (as opposed to computer language) and gives examples pertinent to teachers, or anyone else in the education field. One of the first things Bigenho talks about it subscriptions and how useful they can really be. He says that if you subscribe to a website and subscribe to its information with something called an aggregator, you can control what information is sent to you this way, and you can adjust your feed from the website to send you only information pertinent to the topic you are using in your classroom.
RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary. RSS is a technology that has two main parts: a feed and an aggregator. RSS feeds use a special HTML known as XML and include channel tags of specific information. Aggregators read those tags, track the subscribed page and send you new information when it is posted. Some examples of how to use RSS in your classroom are to subscribe to student blogs, subscribe to social bookmarks and feeding content to HTML pages.

Q1. What is a benefit of using RSS in your classroom?
A1. Some benefits are that you can subscribe to student blogs and the RSS aggregator will notify you when new information is posted so that you don’t have to waste time checking each blog every day for new postings. Also, using the technology of feeding content to HTML pages allows you to send all sorts of related information to one spot for easy access for your students.

Q2. Can RSS be used in an elementary school setting?
A2. Probably, but not nearly as much as in middle or high school settings. Elementary teachers could use bits and pieces of each part of the RSS technology, but not all of it would be accessible for students at such a young age.

Bigenho, Chris (2009, March/April). Mining for Gold. Learning and Leading with Technology, Retrieved 08 April 2009, from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/200904/