The RSS reader
is definitely one of those things you don’t really realize how much you need
until you actually get one. For those of you who are reading this thinking
“what the heck is an RSS reader?” let me explain. RSS stands for Really Simple
Syndication, and I am sure you are still sitting there thinking that means
nothing to me. So try to think of it this way, it is like an active bookmark.
When you find a site you like you normally bookmark it,
but with RSS readers you can subscribe to it. This means instead of having to
go back and check the site every day everything new from that site and others
you subscribe to would be complied in one place! This idea is summed up perfect
in 7 things you should now about RSS readers by describing them as “the pipe
through which content flows from providers to consumers. What makes RSS
important is that users decide exactly what content is allowed through that
pipe.”
I loved the idea of bringing information to me, and getting to decide what kind of information is being delivered as I usually spend countless hours searching different things. I set my reader up in week 2 so this is my second week with it and it has already cut my average search time in half! I chose to use Feedly as my RSS reader. I was able to sign up using my Google account making it even easier to set up. The next step was adding sites; I added the recommended ones from this week’s session as well as a few of my own. Adding my own sites took a little more effort as there is not too many that I frequent. However by searching topics on the Feedly website I was able to find many websites I had never thought of and was able to expand my personal learning profile. If you choose to give Feedly a try as your RSS reader and need additional help click here for a clear guide to setting up and using Feedly.
The only downfall I found to Feedly is although it was rather easy to set up I was unable to access it again on my computer after that first day, I instead had to download the app on my phone to access it. I do however enjoy having the app on my phone and because I have my phone on me more often than a computer I believe I still get a lot of use out of my reader, but it would be nice to have both methods as an option.
My reader has helped enhance every category of my personal learning environment (PLE). The PLE I created last week consisted 3 categories; Research, Organizing Content and Socializing & Collaborating. My RSS reader has given me a new way to research by bring the information to me and enhanced my social media experience by keeping it all it one place. However I believe the greatest benefit I have gained from my RSS reader is in the category of organizing content. I love how I can sort my sites and blogs into categories such as; news, fun, school, social etc. I have even made categories for journals that can help me with certain courses. To me this is so important because organization is so important to me. With so much going on in all my courses and life in general it is perfect to have something that not only brings information to me but also one that sorts it exactly in the way I want.
I loved the idea of bringing information to me, and getting to decide what kind of information is being delivered as I usually spend countless hours searching different things. I set my reader up in week 2 so this is my second week with it and it has already cut my average search time in half! I chose to use Feedly as my RSS reader. I was able to sign up using my Google account making it even easier to set up. The next step was adding sites; I added the recommended ones from this week’s session as well as a few of my own. Adding my own sites took a little more effort as there is not too many that I frequent. However by searching topics on the Feedly website I was able to find many websites I had never thought of and was able to expand my personal learning profile. If you choose to give Feedly a try as your RSS reader and need additional help click here for a clear guide to setting up and using Feedly.
The only downfall I found to Feedly is although it was rather easy to set up I was unable to access it again on my computer after that first day, I instead had to download the app on my phone to access it. I do however enjoy having the app on my phone and because I have my phone on me more often than a computer I believe I still get a lot of use out of my reader, but it would be nice to have both methods as an option.
My reader has helped enhance every category of my personal learning environment (PLE). The PLE I created last week consisted 3 categories; Research, Organizing Content and Socializing & Collaborating. My RSS reader has given me a new way to research by bring the information to me and enhanced my social media experience by keeping it all it one place. However I believe the greatest benefit I have gained from my RSS reader is in the category of organizing content. I love how I can sort my sites and blogs into categories such as; news, fun, school, social etc. I have even made categories for journals that can help me with certain courses. To me this is so important because organization is so important to me. With so much going on in all my courses and life in general it is perfect to have something that not only brings information to me but also one that sorts it exactly in the way I want.
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| Carovillano, O. (CC) 2014 My Feedly Reader |
The
RSS reader can be a little overwhelming because it brings you all new
information from the sites you subscribe to not just the information you want.
For this reason I think it is so important to stay updated with you reader.
Using the “save” option if you don’t have time to read an interesting article,
or the “discard” feature for ones you don’t want allows you to get the most out
of your reader and avoids a mess of articles. With that being said sometimes
the reader provides you with things you didn’t know you wanted. For example in
one of the discovery activities this week we had an option of possible links to
add to our reader, one of them being Brock News. I originally thought I probably wouldn’t keep
this site on my reader for very long but it turned out to be very informative.
I have gone to Brock for 4 years and honestly had no idea how much went on
around the university. I guess I was just content in my little bubble, but I
love how now I can stay updated on university relations, which is something I
wish I had done earlier.
-
Olivia
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