Google reader is a web based aggregator .It is a tool developed by google engineers to collect, read and share content of websites and blogs .
To keep track of an interesting content from a certain website you need to look for its RSS feed icon . It is usually in red and has a universal shaped icon just like the picture below . The Rss feed acts like a file or folder that contains the websites’ most updated entries . By subscribing a feed in a reader you will be able to have all the new content coming to you .
You can read Rss Feed in Education to learn more about how this tool functions and how we can use it with our students.
RSS IN PLAIN ENGLISH
How can I subscribe to a site’s feed ?
Whenever you want to subscribe to the feed of a certain blog or website just look for the Rss feed icon I showed you in the previous picture above and you click on it . You will be directed to that site’s feed and you click on the button to subscribe directly or just copy and paste the url of that feed into your reader which is in our case Google reader .There are a number of other good readers to use , you see the list of the most important readers at the footer of my post Rss Feed in Education ,
To subscribe a feed in google reader , log on to www.google.com/reader ( you must have a google account to use this service if you do not have it then sing up for one )click on add subscription and paste the url of the feed you have copied into the description box .When you successfully subscribe to a feed , this latter will start appearing under the “ subscription “ tab in the left side bar and all the feeds will show up in the right pane . Whenever there is a new update of the content you are subscribed to there will be a digital number next to its feed title showing the exact number of the updated items .This is how it will look like
One of the great features google reader offers is the ability to share feeds with others . This allows you to select feeds you like and share them via emails with your friends or students .You can also tag new items and gather them into folders or under the same headings .
You can also limit who can see your feeds . read Sharing Feeds with friends to learn more about this .
To add notes to your feeds before you share them with other read Sharing Web pages without RSS
Applications of Google Reader in Education
There are several ways both teachers and students can use Google reader :As for students , they can use it to :
- Read items that their teachers share with them
- Use it in group work and in preparing for classroom projects by collecting , annotating and sharing interesting feeds from interesting websites
As for teachers , they can use it to :
- Share feeds and items of special interest with students
- Keep track of the students online work ( blogs, wikis , sites etc )
- Promote continuing professional development .
That’s all about Google Reader in Education .
Feel free to leave your views, reactions, or questions below .
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