Using RSS in the Classroom

Using RSS is a completely new experience for me, so I'm sure I have a lot more to learn about it, but I think it could potentially be a good tool for engaging inexperienced learners in the research process. It seems as though reading an RSS feed would be less intimidating to a growing population of tech-savvy students who have never used an article database or even a card catalog (do they even have those in libraries anymore?) for research. Instead of continually searching for sources every time a new paper is due, they could think of the RSS feed as an investment; once the sites have been added to the reader, the feeds will always present students with the information. Although this is no substitute for the more traditional research methods and students will still have to sift through the information to find what is relevant for each assignment, using the RSS feed could be a good first step to get students thinking about research.

Another challenge would be ensuring that students are using appropriate sources. To accomplish this, I would suggest that the teacher provide a few examples of reliable sources (scholarly websites, blogs, etc.) and then ask each student to add one or two new sources to his or her reader. If the students have blogger accounts, they could post their findings there, so the teacher can check their work and other students can benefit from seeing these additional sources, promoting collaborative learning.

Novice researchers aren't the only people who can benefit from the RSS feed. Since several professors blog, more experienced students can use the RSS for quick and convenient access to the newest findings in a certain academic field. Once again, I'm not suggesting that RSS could ever substitute more traditional types of research, but I think it could be both a good supplement for more experienced students and a good starting point for beginners.