If you are not familiar with RSS feeds, they are basically updates of any site on the internet that adds new content to the same structure it already has, examples are:
A new radio show in a series (a podcast)
The latest set of reviews for new release movies
A newly published job advert in the TES
Status updates for all your friends on Facebook, Twitter etc
The purpose of an RSS Reader is to let you know when there is a new update for any RSS feeds that you have decided to subscribe to (be notified of any updates). In other words, it lets you have all your updates in one place, without you having to individually go and check around the sites. Personally I find this useful not for the sites I go on all the time, but the next level down (the ones you forget to go and look at but are actually quite good).
There are several available, such as Internet Explorer’s inbuilt reader, Itunes has one for podcasts, NewsGater, Pageflakes and lots more. I have chosen Google Reader because it is free and online, so you can view all your chosen updated RSS feeds, wherever you are, whatever computer you are on.
One of the best things about Google Reader is that it is simply yet powerful. You can organise all your feeds into folders and open and close the folder structure just like on your PC. It’s definitely worth checking out if you find yourself spending lots of time visiting sites to see if things have been updated their, or if you forget about sites where the content gets updated.
Pete – love your posts and some of the ideas you’re showing. I’m trying to build a resource (of links sometimes) for the busy primary teachers we work with. Would you be happy if I stuck a link on my blog?