What is RSS? 

RSS is most commonly abbreviated as "Really Simple Syndication". Another popular abbreviation includes "Rich Site Summary". Basically, it is a way for users to subscribe to websites instead of visiting sites individually. 

Instead of going to a website every time you want to get the news, blog updates, or download audio/video files, you can visit a website once and tell that website to automatically send you updates (called RSS feeds), each time the website or blog is updated. With RSS, you can save time by just checking one place to get valuable information from many sources.

To access RSS feeds, you need an “RSS feed reader”. Most browsers, such as Firefox, have an RSS reader built-in. Alternately, you can have specialized software, such as Google Reader, to access your RSS feeds. 

RSS is how podcasts are automatically downloaded to applications such as iTunes.

Rich Site Summary is a tool used to receive updated entries on frequently changing web areas.  This can be used to maintain up to date information from blogs, news websites, or any website that you can subscribe to.   This tool automatically delivers the new postings to a central location for the reader; this is a time saver by not having to check every website for changes all the time.  There are many  free RSS feed sites.  Outlook 2007 has an automatic RSS feed application within the program itself. 

How can RSS be used to increase communication?

By using specialized software, such as Google Reader, teachers can create an online environment for sharing and collaboration.  Google Reader allows you to group feeds together into bundles and share them with people following you.  You can also share individual posts and your notes on them.  If you are linked through Google Reader, you can comment on each other's posts, as well.

Google Reader can be used by students to collaborate on large group projects by sharing source materials with each other electronically.  It also provides the teacher with a central location to read, respond to and guide the work of the students.

Google Reader is available for free, but imposes age restrictions.  Users must be 13 years of age or older to register.

In addition, many popular email services, such as Gmail, support RSS. So one can monitor their email as well as follow all of their other RSS feeds in a single window by using the RSS reader of their choice.

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