RSS Feeds and Content Aggregation - Week 3

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RSS, what does that stand for? You see it online of hear about it but what is it? It stands for

Rich Site Summary or Real Simple Syndication.  Ok great, so maybe that didn't help you at all? If you are like me that still left you wondering what RSS is or what it does.  Often you will hear of RSS Feeds, what RSS feeds do is, just like specialty channels do on your television , they send you specific content about a given topic such as Sports, News, Cartoons or Movies for example.  The RSS Feed does just that but with internet content.  The information on the internet can become overwhelming and most people usually have a few favorite websites that they visit regularly to consume content of interest.

Doing it the old fashion way requires one to go from one website, forum, video or podcast to the next to have access to all that information but with RSS Feeds all that information gets pushed to you in one convenient location.  Now that is starting to sound interesting doesn't?

For years now I consumed information on the web the old fashion way but I've recently joined the RSS Feed bandwagon and I'm loving it.  As I mentioned before, feeds all get sent to one convenient location but for that to happen you need a content aggregation tool, also known as Feed Readers.  The one I personally chose to use is called Feedly.  It can be used on a computer but I do most of my content consumption on my smartphone or tablet therefore my choice was based on the app more then the web-based version but many other Feed Readers exist out there.

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Once I had setup my favorite websites' RSS Feeds in Feedly and that content was being delivered right to my phone, I couldn't believe that I hadn't started using this technology years ago. I started by subscribing to personal interest items like cars, sports and mobile tech news then added feeds from sources I had recently discovered while doing my PLE or by exploring websites that listed the most popular education RSS feeds from websites, blogs and podcast sources. 

Simply put, RSS Feeds are convenient digital media consumption tools but to me the real advantage of content aggregation is in the discovery of new content.  You will be offered to subscribe to other feeds similar to those you already follow.  For instance, you may be given suggestions based on what people who like a certain feed you subscribe too also like.  It gives you a chance to glance at what people with interests similar to yours use as sources of information.  This is great for expanding your horizons as it relates to content sources.  

The only negative thing I can say about my experience so far is that I can't possibly stay on top of all this content that is being pushed to me.  I have too much information coming in, too little time, and sadly allot of it duplicates itself, especially in the area of mobile tech world for example where sites use each others' stories to report the same news.  I may just have to limit myself to fewer similar feeds to minimize that effect.  One of the tools available in Feedly to help you cope with this is the Saved for Later feature that allows you to quickly scan articles and bookmark ones of interest for reading at a later time. 

In the last few weeks I have really developed a liking for the content on www.ted.com also known as TED Talks. This site is filled with videos of very interesting ideals and concepts being presented by great speakers from all fields.  These are available in video or Podcast formats depending on what you prefer.  Lately I find myself listening or watching one of these talks whenever I have spare time instead of turning to other forms of distractions, time wasters or junk media as some may call them. They are rarely longer than 25 minutes, cover many different topics and are generally very interesting and sometimes eye opening.

Here is a good example of a 9 minute talk about the search filters that are present on the internet

(Facebook & Google) and restrict your access to content. Enjoy!

All that being said, I hope you'll have fun selecting your RSS Reader and enjoy your favorite online content being delivered to you by the minute ;o)

Let me know how your RSS experience goes.

Mat

Great Tools - Google Scholar

Google Scholar is a great way to find academic literature like books and journal articles on any given subjects.  While many of you are probably familiar with this tool, I wanted to point out a particular feature of Google Scholar that may help you get quality results from your searches. 

 

Surely if you’ve ever done research with Google scholar you are familiar with the frustrations of finding a great article and realizing that you don’t have the rights to view or save it unless you pay a fee.  Some articles cost a few dollars but some can be very expensive.  If you’re like me, you probably don’t want to spend more money than your education already demands.  You may also be turning to Google Scholar because the online library research tools from your institution are less user friendly to work with.  That’s where Google scholar’s settings come in handy.  

First, go to Google Scholar and access the settings menu at the top.

Then go to the Library Links Tab.

Type the name of your institution in the search field and press ENTER then check the box next to it and click save at the bottom. *Unfortunately not all institution are available :o(

Once you've saved your settings you can perform a search and you will see a quick link to the article that is accessible from your institution's library and that is more than likely available to view or download free of charge by logging in the same way you would at your institutions' online library. 

Hopefully this will help you with your future searches.  More info on Google scholar and perfecting your searching techniques available HERE. 

Happy academic researching. 

Mathieu Leclerc

My Personal Learning Environment - Week 2 Reflection

 Personal Learning Environment (PLE)

What is it?  A PLE is your own personalized set of tools that you use through your learning journey.  These tools range from the word processing software you use while writing your assignments to what is now commonly known as Web2.0 tools.  If you're familiar with, have followed or are currently following an "Online Course" as part of a Distance Learning (DL) program you are probably progressing through your course in what is called a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) or Learning Management System (LMS).  It is important to know that a PLE is not like a LMS or VLE because those only provide a few tools that mainly serve the purpose of administrating the course itself and provide a means for students to communicate and submit assignments for instance.  Your PLE goes way beyond those limits because it is what allows you to make the learning experience yours by using the tools you prefer to; acquire information, network, communicate and collaborate with each other and most importantly to create content. One of the main benefit of the PLE is that, as Dr Alan J. Cann puts it, choosing your own tools for your PLE "promotes engagement with the learning."

While reading about, building and reflecting about my PLE many things dawned on me, the first of which being that I've had been maintaining mine for years now.  Once you know what a PLE is and it makes sense to you, you'll realize that you have one too.  We all have a set of tools that we use but how developed is that environment? That was my second revelation, realizing how little I knew about the multitude of tools that are available online and for free in most cases.  I consider myself to be a fairly tech savvy person, as I'm sure some of you do too, but the sheer volume of tools that I explored on the site webTools4u2use was very humbling.  As I clicked on the link I felt like I would simply be looking at a list of tools which were already known to me but I couldn't have been more wrong.  I spent hours exploring and discovering the various tools available in most of the categories but have yet to even scratch the surface.  Many of tools duplicate each other or share similar sets of features but that's the beauty of it all because, as you know, your PLE is personalized to you and once you find your favorite tool out of the many available to perform a given learning task, you integrate it within your PLE.  Now you aren't just using the suggested or most common tool for a given job, you are using your tool for the given job.

There are probably as many ways to categorize the tools in your PLE as their are various tools available.  As you look at my PLE mind map, you will notice that I gave each category multiple names.  The first one being what I use the tools for and the second one referring to which part of the following social technographics ladder

click on image to be redirected to its source

  Here is a Mind-Map of what is my initial Personal Learning Environment (PLE)

Click here to view my PLE Spicynodes  

***UPDATED PLE DIAGRAM BELOW*** (Dec 2012)

After having just been blown away by the multitude of tools out there I couldn't help but notice how limited my PLE was.  I realized that, for the most part, I had just kept using what I had possibly been forced to use in the past or had used because it is what everyone else used.  Being human being can also mean we fall into a tendency to stay with what we know instead of venturing for other ways of doing what we are trying to do.  To be fair, I only included the tools I have genuinely been using on a regular basis for some time and left out certain ones that I just recently began using.  Blogger, my blog that you are currently reading and Spicynodes, the mind-mapping tool I used to illustrate my PLE being two examples of tools that I have just recently discovered and did not feel belong on the list yet.

In conclusion, I feel like my PLE, much like my digital footprint (see word cloud below), is in it's infancy stage.  I have a collection of basic tools that are now accompanied by a very strong desire to, not only, expand on them but to hand pick the ones that I really like, whether it be because of how user friendly they are and how much of my creativity and personality they allow me to showcase.  It was also very evident that as I aim to increase my digital footprint, I will need to find more tools which allow me to create content since most of my arsenal is that of a spectator and not a creator.

Leclerc, M. (CC) 2013

 Now that you know what a PLE is and have seen an example in mine, map your own PLE, go have a look at the tools on webTools4u2use and reflect on how it looks now compared to how you want it so look later.  At the end of the day, these tools that you currently use or want to start using in the future won't just make your life easier, make you more invested in your learning or make it more interesting for you to learn but they will help set you apart from the people who haven't invested the time and effort you will have in a PLE.  In today's age of increasing competitiveness, it's hard to argue that setting one's self apart isn't a great advantage, so go ahead, leap ahead of the rest and create a PLE.

Mathieu Leclerc

Great Quotes

In this blog, I will attempt to gather a collection of great inspiring quotes of all kinds.

Please feel free to share your favorites too.

Here is the first one I wanted to share! It's about making a difference. 

Thanks

Mat

What can people see on your Facebook page?

       This week's topic on digital footprint, having and maintaining a good one but also monitoring it has prompted me to go review my Facebook Privacy Settings.  Your Facebook page can greatly affect the image of your digital footprint and more employers are using social media as a way to filter applicants. Whether you agree with this practice or not, it is still a part of today's reality.  I have my own opinion on these ethically questionable practices but the main purpose of this post is to help you all know how to go see what everyone can see on your Facebook page, we can revisit the ethical facet of this issue at a later time.  

Facebook's Privacy settings have been made more user friendly throughout the years but many people still simply create an account and don't change their privacy settings. 

Some of the things one posts on Facebook were only meant to be shared with  friends but sometimes,without knowing, are posted for everyone to see.  The following few steps will help you get a clear picture of who can see what on your Facebook page.

First LOG IN to your Facebook account/page/profile like you normally do then click on the SETTINGS button in the upper right hand corner of your page and select PRIVACY SETTINGS from the options that appear.
 

Once you get to the Privacy Settings page click on the TIMELINE AND TAGGING tab on the left as shown below. 
Next to WHO CAN SEE THINGS ON MY TIMELINE you will see REVIEW WHAT OTHERS SEE ON YOUR TIMELINE, click on VIEW AS.  This will then open up your Facebook page exactly the way the general public can see it. 


You may also notice the option to enter a specific name to see what one of your particular friends can see but the page will show you what the general public can see by default.
 
 

If what you are seeing on your profile as being visible to anyone just shocked you, here are a few things you can do to change that. 

Click on the PRIVACY tab (view image below) on the left hand side and look at your settings next to WHO CAN SEE MY STUFF / WHO CAN SEE YOUR FUTURE POSTS?.  If yours says EVERYONE then literally everyone can see your posts as you probably noticed while reviewing how others see your page.  Click EDIT and change that option .  

Now that will affect future posts but what about all the ones you've already made? Click on LIMIT PAST POSTS and change those settings to what you consider suitable to you but carefully read the prompt as this change cannot be undone.

After doing that, if you go back to step one where we looked at what the public could see on your page, these changes should have affected what you now see when performing that same check again.  

One last thing I want to attract your attention too is the search engine option lower on this PRIVACY SETTINGS AND TOOLS page under WHO CAN LOOK ME UP? You'll notice the question DO YOU WANT OTHER SEARCH ENGINES TO LINK TO YOUR TIMELINE?  By clicking EDIT you can change whether or not search engines like Google can find things on your timeline or not.  


This is just a quick overview of some of the privacy setting of your Facebook account, while you're there take the time to review the rest of them and make sure that these settings suit your privacy needs/desire. 

I hope that this was helpful to some of you. 

Mat