Do you love the countless streams of information the Internet offers but don't have time to keep up with all your favorite Web sites? The answer to this dilemma could be as simple as three letters: RSS. Web sites use RSS to push out new content when it's published. By using an RSS reader, you can access the latest content from your favorite Web sites and blogs in one central place. Rather than having to constantly seek out the latest info, RSS brings it to you. David Snyder, ASCD's reference librarian, offers tips for using RSS feeds to stay informed of the latest education news.
A Morning Made Simpler
Let's say you enjoy reading InService, ASCD's blog, and several other education blogs, although you don't always remember to read them every day. You also make a point of reading the Web sites ofEducation Week, your local newspaper, and theNew York Times. Without RSS, if you want to keep up with these sources, you'll have to go to each blog and Web site individually to see what's new. Returning to each site repeatedly to locate new content can be time consuming, especially if nothing new has been posted since the last time you checked. Or, just as likely, you may forget to check at all, missing out on content that could have been useful in your work.
With RSS, the latest content from these sources is sent to one central Web site and presented in a format that's easy to skim and use. An RSS reader will let you see all the new content from each source every time you log in, at which point you can read it, save it for later, or e-mail it to colleagues. Now you can spend more time applying information to your work and less time revisiting and refreshing Web sites.
How to Get Started
First, you'll need an RSS reader. Two popular readers are Bloglines and Google Reader. Both readers are free and offer interfaces that are easy to use. Once you create an account at one of these sites, you're ready to add some feeds.
Just about every blog and news Web site will offer an RSS feed—or several. For example, theNew York Times offers feeds just for specific topics like education and technology. At Education Week, you can sign up for all headlines, or just ones dealing with a particular topic, such as No Child Left Behind. To find out if your favorite site has an RSS feed check for the universal icon for RSS: the orange box.
RSS feeds aren't for everyone. If you're not reading Web sites or blogs regularly, chances are this service won't appeal to you. But if you're a Web junkie who wishes there was a more efficient way to process the glut of content and turn it into actionable intelligence, RSS is just the ticket.
ASCD RSS Feeds
Subscribe to the RSS feed for InService. Go to<LINK URL="http://feeds2.feedburner.com/AscdInservice">http://feeds2.feedburner.com/AscdInservice</LINK>.
Have a blog or Web site? Use the Educational Leadership RSS feed to put the latest articles from the journal on your site. Go to <LINK URL="http://www.ascd.org/el">www.ascd.org/el</LINK>.