How do you anticipate using RSS yourself?

How I HAVE used RSS.

Right off the bat I can say that Blogger and RSS have been my salvation for easily bookmarking online material for my students. I use and refer to a lot of material from the internet.

With my schedule it's too time consuming to input the material or links in each students' area in my moodle, or even email the link to each of them individually. Blogging everything as soon as I decide to use it is much more practical. The students can just save one link where they find all the links to material I refer to or use. You can see this material collection at: http://gwencary.blogspot.com/

I set up an RSS feed within the social area of my moodle. When students enter that area they can see the last five or so pieces of material I've blogged. I encourage students to set up an RRS feed from the blog for themselves.

I make no attempt to organize the material. It gets blogged as I find it. I try to be very disciplined about blogging material first thing so I don't forget to do it. Students must wade through everyones' material before they find their own but it is all there.

I realize Delicious or other bookmarking sites might seem better prepared for that purpose. The reality is, though, many of my students are NOT all that web savy. Blogger has the friendliest look to web newbies... PLUS there is a handy "Blog This! button you can install on your browser.

"Oh, I think I may use that." ... Hit "Blog this" and it's there.

Future use I can imagine

I can see setting up a blog with discussion topics. The students would set up RSS somewhat like instead of including them on a mailing list.

I can see setting up a colaborative writing project. Once again, students would be notified with an RSS feed.

I can see setting up one blog for each student or group work and I, the teacher, setting up RSS to follow the students work.

There ARE things I would not do but for that you'll have to read the next post.