RSS in Education

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Creating an Artifact

Our goal for this assignment was to "identify one or more ways [we] might use RSS in the classroom or ... business" and create an artifact that demonstrates understanding of the use of RSS in education.

I decided to create a video tutorial for an English 11 class (high school, junior level) that demonstrates how to set up an RSS feed. I've taught this class a number of times, and I can remember students struggling to find topics to write about during our persuasive writing unit in particular. It's often not the case that they aren't passionate or opinionated about something, but rather that they feel more comfortable "reacting" to someone else's opinion first.

I get it.

I've been there.

So this video helps students to set up an RSS feed for their local newspaper's Opinion column. That way, they have a constantly updated stream of possibilities. Once they find an article, they write a brief response (2-3 paragraphs, 10-15 sentences), which is due at the end of each week.

Tutorial Video

Below you'll find both a link and embedded video of the tutorial. I used Camtasia to help create transitions, capture video streams simultaneously, and later add/edit other media and weave them into the production.

I love multi-modality, so I did my best to include photos, video, and text in this tutorial.

Note: Captions are on by default

Video Link (will take you to YouTube)

Reflection

I enjoyed the challenges presented in this assignment. First, I had to move through the entire process to make sure there were no suprises. Then, I created a script to follow while demonstrating the process. I had to make a number of choices next: Would it help the student to see my face? What will be visible in the background when I give the assignment introduction? Why?

Once I answered these questions based on my own experiences in the classroom and elsewhere, I began recording...and re-recording...and re-recording...until I got things just right with no audible or visible mistakes. I really just don't want to lose my students by creating an unpolished video.

Once I edited and merged the video files, I added text blocks, zoomed in for emphasis, and generally tried to imagine what I would want to see if I had to watch this video in a classroom or at home. Lastly, I added some pictures to emphasize points, add humor, reinforce tricky concepts, and create mental images to coincide with the audible portion of the tutorial. 

Every decision we make in designing learning material is informed by what we think will help the student learn well, and this tutorial is no exception. Meaning, I did what I thought would be best for students. However, if I were to use this in an actual class, I would solicit feedback and suggestions for making the video better, or simply keep an eye on students trying to follow the tutorial to determine what made learning easy or difficult.

It was an interesting process! I love Camtasia and find the software rather intuitive. I've used other video capturing software that has a bit more editing power, but this did the job just fine. I look forward to creating more projects like this in the future.