Report and Reflect #3

I had no idea what that little orange button was on blogs and webpages! I never knew (or bothered to find out) what RSS was. When I was learning about RSS feeds this week I felt so dumb for not bothering to find out earlier. This is actually a really useful tool.

What is an RSS?

This week we were asked to set up an RSS feed using Feedly. I was really confused about what an RSS was at first but now I think I have a pretty good understanding of the tool. An RSS feed (Really Simple Syndication) is like newsletter, but it is completely tailored to your interests. When you find a website or blog that is interesting you can subscribe to it, whenever there is new information from that subscription it gets sent to your RSS feed. So your RSS feed takes out the searching for information and provides all the new content for all your subscriptions in one place and links it back to the original page.  Darren Rowse describes it as: 

“It’s like subscribing to a magazine that is delivered to you periodically but instead of it coming in your physical mail box each month when the magazine is published it is delivered to your ‘RSS Reader’ every time your favorite website updates.”

My Journey with RSS

Copy2Contact. (CC) 2012.

So after a long night of frustration I was finally able to set up an RSS feed. This was an embarrassing task for me because I am actually quite good with technology but RSS is apparently my kryptonite; broken pages, confusion all sorts of problems. In the end though I did get a Feedly account set up and have subscribed to multiple people and sites.

I have never seen the use in using a RSS feed, I don’t mind going to each site individually to find new material. However, I read 7 Things You Should Know about RSS, #4 Why is it significant; and I have to admit I do see the convenience and benefits of having all my updates sent to one page.

The picture is a very accurate description of my bookmarks bar without an RSS feed.

Can Feedly be a learning tool?

Now that I am actively using Feedly I can now add it to my PLE. I was trying to figure out what I would categorize it under then I realized; why not under more than one category. I am using Feedly professionally; subscribing to blogs and sites that will help me connect with people in my field. I am using it for school; I did sign up because it is a part of my course. Finally entertainment; I am following a bunch of my favorite blogs and YouTube channels that I love to read.  I think that Feedly will become a very important source in my future PLE.

What has Feedly taught me about me?

In my previous post My Experience with RSS Feeds I talked about one of my favorite subscriptions JustKiddingNews and a specific post from them. In this post, on a more general note about what Feedly has done for me. I have realized that most of what I do online and how I learn best is through video. I also realized I am not the kind of person who wants the cold hard facts about a topic, I much rather listening to other peoples’ opinions and views to develop my own. This also helps me to understand the situation/ topic better. I like to hear multiple opinions and explanations because I feel it helps me really get a good grasp on the topic.

By learning this I can take this information and bring it into my academic life and hopefully professional. Academically and professionally I can arrange more collaboration with my peers, this will allow me to better understand the task at hand or to help others see a different point of view. 

I think it's interesting that something that is typically used as a "storage" device can inform me so much about myself and my learning.