Maureen Curran Google Reader: Tool Analysis, Demo and Classroom Use 1 | Page PART 1: Tool Analysis What is the tool? Google Reader is web-based software developed by Google that checks for updates published on a website, specifically Atom and RSS feeds. This type of tool is known as a “feed aggregator” or “feed reader”. The software pulls updates from multiple site subscriptions together into a summary page for the user. Where can you get it? Google Reader is one of many tools available from Google labs at: http://www.google.com/reader This is web-based software, meaning it does not require a download and is easily accessible from any internet browser. It may also be available on your mobile device if that has a compatible browser. How much does it cost? Google Reader is free for Google account users. If you do not have a Google account, you can create an account for free at: http://www.google.com/accounts You will need to supply Google with your current email address and agree to their Terms of Service and Privacy Policy in order to create the account. Note: Google requires all users to 13 years of age or older, so this tool would not be appropriate for student use in an elementary school setting. What does the tool do? What is the tool used for? In the most basic sense, Google Reader organizes website updates for sites that offer Atom or RSS feeds, typically web logs or “blogs”, into a single in-box like location for the user, eliminating the need to hop from site to site looking for updates from favorite web pages. The user must subscribe to the blogs he or she wishes to follow, either by using the search functions available, or
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PART 1: Tool Analysis - Kent State Universitypersonal.kent.edu/~mcurran/Papers/Google Reader.pdf · PART 1: Tool Analysis What is the tool? Google Reader is web-based software developed
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Maureen Curran Google Reader: Tool Analysis, Demo and Classroom Use
1 | P a g e
PART 1: Tool Analysis
What is the tool?
Google Reader is web-based software developed by Google that checks for updates
published on a website, specifically Atom and RSS feeds. This type of tool is known as a
“feed aggregator” or “feed reader”. The software pulls updates from multiple site
subscriptions together into a summary page for the user.
Where can you get it?
Google Reader is one of many tools available from Google labs at:
http://www.google.com/reader
This is web-based software, meaning it does not require a download and is easily
accessible from any internet browser. It may also be available on your mobile device if
that has a compatible browser.
How much does it cost?
Google Reader is free for Google account users. If you do not have a Google account,
you can create an account for free at:
http://www.google.com/accounts
You will need to supply Google with your current email address and agree to their Terms
of Service and Privacy Policy in order to create the account.
Note: Google requires all users to 13 years of age or older, so this tool would not be
appropriate for student use in an elementary school setting.
What does the tool do? What is the tool used for?
In the most basic sense, Google Reader organizes
website updates for sites that offer Atom or RSS
feeds, typically web logs or “blogs”, into a single
in-box like location for the user, eliminating the
need to hop from site to site looking for updates
from favorite web pages. The user must
subscribe to the blogs he or she wishes to follow,
either by using the search functions available, or
Maureen Curran Google Reader: Tool Analysis, Demo and Classroom Use
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by manually entering the exact URL of the feed they wish to follow.
RSS and Atom are two standard forms of XML coding used to syndicate
content. Available content feeds are usually indicated on the website by
an icon similar to the one pictured on the right. Along with site feeds,
many weblogs offer separate comment feeds, allowing the user to track
comments to individual posts.
In addition to user identified sites, Google Reader offers over 400 existing “feed
bundles”, or listings of sites grouped by a common interest, in popular categories such
as news, sports, entertainment, technology and a variety of hobbies. There’s even a
feed bundle available for EdTech!
When used in conjunction with the user profile, Google reader can be a collaborative
tool. Users can share favorite items and see the trends of those they follow. They can
comment on shared posts and share their own notes, as well. They can even create
folders to organize and prioritize their own feeds and bundles to share their favorite
sites with others.
When reading in expanded view the
user has tools available for ranking and
sharing. Users can star, like, share,
notate, email and edit tags for
individual posts. Over time, Google
reader will make recommendations for
new feeds based on user history and
site ranking. There is even an option to
“sort by magic” under Folder Settings, in
which Google Reader uses your reading
and rank history as a prioritizing guide
for the existing feed sort.
Google Reader is a powerful tool for organizing, reading, sharing and collaborating on
current news readily available online. The user makes more efficient use of available
time by seeing all of the desired information in one place, rather than browsing from
site to site.
How does the tool support learning?
Some schools are now using blogs as a means of reading, writing and collaboration
among students and teachers alike. Classroom 2.0 teachers are even using weblogs as a
means of teaching entire classes. Whether the students are following teachers or other
students or locating reliable sources of information to track online, Google Reader has
all the capabilities needed. It is free, easy to set up and learn.
Students and parents who have access to teacher maintained blogs are able to track and
follow up with assignments whether they are in the classroom or not. They are able to
Maureen Curran Google Reader: Tool Analysis, Demo and Classroom Use
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communicate and collaborate by writing their own posts and commenting on others.
Using Google Reader, then can easily track the sites and comments of teachers,
classmates and various news organizations or other types of sites specifically related to
classroom projects.
Google Reader saves time normally spent surfing, allowing the student to take in,
analyze and respond to more information, ultimately expanding their knowledge base.
How does the tool relate to learning theories?
In my opinion, Google Reader’s relationship to learning theories is somewhat indirect.
The tool itself is not the key, rather the structured content it produces.
Professor George E. Hein stated in his Constructivist Learning Theory paper that “each
learner individually (and socially) constructs meaning---as he or she learns” (p.1) and
that “there is no knowledge independent of the meaning attributed to experience by
the learner” (p.1). Google Reader is a feed (information) aggregator. When a student
uses this type of tool, they are searching through and responding to data from a variety
of sources, including mentors and peers. This type of collaboration and interaction
helps them to form their own opinions and knowledge about any given subject. Over
time, students should learn to filter the meaningful subject matter. They are learning
what is important to them.
Supporting Research Summary
The Use of Blogs, Wikis and RSS in Education: A Conversation of Possibilities
Authors Peter Duffy and Dr. Axel Bruns focus on the educational opportunities made
available by the inclusion in the classroom of collaborative social tools such as blogs,
wikis and RSS feeds. All three tools allow students to work together in information
gathering, content creation, and peer assessment. They promote personal and group
reflection, going beyond the traditional learning practices of gathering and reiterating
information. These technologies are strongly based on social networking and as a result
the learners, student and teacher alike, are socially constructing knowledge.
Web 2.0 in the ELT Classroom: An Introduction
Author Jerry Talandis Jr. points out that the internet is going through a major upgrade
and the emerging technologies are categorized under the heading Web 2.0, a social
constructivist model of learning. People no longer take in mass quantities of
information to reiterate for tests and matriculation. Instead, they collaborate as part of
social learning communities, using tools like wikis, blogs, and syndication to construct
knowledge. He points out that having the capability to find new information is almost
more important than what is currently known. Much of his article points out means of
implementing Web 2.0 technologies in English learning classrooms, but is applicable
across the broader spectrum of teaching and learning, in general.
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Why do you think the tool is appropriate for classroom use?
Google Reader can be used by older students to amass large amounts of information
from a variety of sources. It can be used in conjunction with classroom blog projects, or
students can use it as a means of sharing information with one another for a project on
a broader subject.
Google Reader also proves to be a useful tool for teachers as it allows them to read,
respond to and guide the writings of their students from a central location.
References
Hein, G.E. (1991). Constructivist Learning Theory. Institute for Inquiry. Retrieved