Subscribing to Classroom Websites/Blogs

Subscribing to Classrooms Websites/Blogs

A few weeks ago I posted about making sure your classroom site/blog has a way to subscribe using RSS.  


Here is part II: Checking each teacher’s websites for updates is time consuming and unnecessary.  You can have your teacher’s important updates and lesson plans delivered right to you and here’s how.



Step 1. Create a free Google Reader account - FISD students, you already have one, just use your Google account to log in.

Step 2. Find out if your teacher has a Google site or a blog.  To find out:

1. Go to your teacher’s website
2. Look at the address
3. If the address says ...sites.google com - then you have a Google site
4. If the address says ...blogspot.com, edublogs.org, wordpress.com, Weebly.com - then you have a blog

If it is a Google site, see instructions for Google Site; If it is a blog, see instructions for blog

Instructions for subscribing to a Google Site

If your teacher has a Google Site, you will need to find and navigate to the site’s announcement page you would like to subscribe to. (See the teacher for help.)
The page you will subscribe to should have a link like the one shown here saying “Subscribe to posts.” Click on the link.	*
The page you will be taken to has the URL address that you will need copy. >Highlight the address. >Copy the address.	*
Open another browser tab/window. Go to your Google Reader account: reader.google.com
Click “Add Subscription.”	*
Paste the URL address that you copied above into the field here. Then click “Add.”	*

Instructions for subscribing to a blog

Navigate to your teacher’s blog. (Weebly sites: Be sure you are on the blog page.) Then copy the address in the address bar.	*
Click “Add Subscription.”	*
Paste the address that you copied above into the field here. Then click “Add.”	*


Reading Feed Subscriptions
There are 2 ways to view your newest feeds:

1. View all items: Unread feeds appear in bold with the number of unread items in parenthesis.	*
2. View Each subscription one at a time. Subscriptions with unread feeds appear in bold with the number of unread items in parenthesis.	*


Organizing subscriptions
To facilitate further organization, feeds can be organized into folders

While reading a feed from a particular site: >Feed Settings >Add to an existing or new folder. A few ideas for folders: by subject by student by class period

*

Other resources for using Google Reader:

• RSS secret ingedient to successful classroom site:  http://techtoolsforschools.blogspot.com/2011/09/rss-secret-ingredient-to-successful.html
• Google Reader basics:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvKFP67GwSY
• Google Reader in Plain English:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSPZ2Uu_X3Y