Xerte Online Toolkits & RSS
Ron Mitchell
Pat Lockley
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Xerte Online Toolkits & RSS - Topics
• RSS definition
• Using external RSS feeds
with a dynamically updated
Xerte object
• Creating your own RSS
feeds using the the RSS
Feed template
• Using the feed template to
make a course
• Using the feed template to
distribute resources
• Automatic feeds on normal
LO’s using the Properties
panel
• Using the sitewide RSS feed
• Using your own individual
feeds
• Using your own folder feeds
• Using XOT to display rss
feeds in Moodle topic area
• Updating learners (or
colleagues) automatically via
Outlook or any other RSS
feed reader.
• Xpert
• The Sitewide syndication
feed
• The Sitewide export feed
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RSS – A couple of definitions...
• RSS ("Really Simple
Syndication") is a family of
web feed formats used to
publish frequently updated
works—such as blog entries,
news headlines, audio, and
video—in a standardised
format. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS
• Rich Site Summary; RDF
Site Summary; Really
Simple Syndication, a
newsfeed technology that
standardises the publication
of regularly updated Web
works, such as blogs and
news articles
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/RSS
XOT & RSS: allows dynamic content to ‘feed’ into LO’s
and provides automatic and manual ways of sharing
LO’s via RSS and Syndication feeds.
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What is an
RSS Feed
Think of it like a
magazine
subscription
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10628494
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What does
an RSS feed
look like?
A list of links
http://feeds.bbci.co.uk/news/rss.xml
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The links in
an RSS
Feed are
clickable
Taking you to a
resource
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11645950
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Adding an
RSS Feed
into Xerte
Online
Toolkits
A page that
updates itself
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Adding an
RSS Feed
Insert
Misc
RSS Feed
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How does
an RSS
Feed look
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Making an
RSS Feed
in Xerte
Online
Toolkits
Can be used to
make a course
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Making an
RSS Feed
in Xerte
Online
Toolkits
Or to distribute
links to people
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RSS Feeds
in Xerte
Online
Toolkits
Highlight an item
Then click
properties
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RSS
Options
Lots to choose
from – remember
to make your item
public – RSS feeds
can’t be password
protected.
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The Site
Feed
All of the sites
content
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Your Feed
All of your content
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A feed for a
folder
Group your content
together
Highlight a folder
Click Properties
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A feed for a
folder
Group your content
together
Highlight a folder
Click Properties
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Displaying
RSS in
Moodle
topic areas
Embed an LO
in a Label to
display multipage RSS in a
topic area.
Tip: change iframe
dimensions e.g. 600 x
400 & include a link to
view in a new window
Or of course just use the RSS block – but in
my opinion this isn’t a great solution
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Displaying
RSS in
Moodle
topic areas
This can
include a feed
from a Moodle
forum
Note: The RSS pages in LO’s exported and imported to another online site (rather than
linked or embedded from a Toolkits install) will not work*. This is a Flash Player security
issue rather than specifically a Xerte issue. *(Can’t find rss_proxy.php)
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Displaying
RSS in
Moodle
topic areas
Or custom
page types
like my
Twitter page
http://xerte5.techdis.palepurple.co.uk/play_5499
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Displaying
RSS in
Moodle
topic areas
Or custom
page types
like my
textwall page
http://www.learningapps.co.uk/moodle/xertetoolkits/play.php?template_id=2
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Adding a
XOT RSS
feed to
Outlook
1. Select Tools
> Account
Settings
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Adding a
XOT RSS
feed to
Outlook
2. Select RSS
Feeds > New
and add your
XOT feed
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Adding a
XOT RSS
feed to
Outlook
3. Accept the
defaults or click
change folder &
create or select
a folder. You
can also select
inbox.
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Adding a
XOT RSS to
Outlook
4. Click
Send/Receive –
existing and
new LO’s added
to that RSS will
appear in your
inbox or
selected folder.
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Regional
use of XOT
RSS
What if 8
institutions in
the East
Midlands
shared their
RSS feeds?...
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National use
of XOT RSS
Better still What if all the
institutions with
XOT
installations
shared their
RSS feeds?...
Or indeed their syndication feeds!?...
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National use
of XOT RSS
...and you
automatically
receive
notification
when new LO’s
are added to
any of those
installation’s
feeds!
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Other RSS
readers
e.g.
Google
Reader
Just select
Add a
subscription
and add the
feed link
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Other RSS
readers
Even just the
RSS feed
viewed in the
browser can
be useful e.g.
Saved as a
favourite or
added to
delicious
An organisations Site-wide feed can be used to easily share
cross-curriculum examples where the material might
otherwise never bee seen by other areas/staff.
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Xpert
RSS Feeds of
learning content
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/xpert/
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Syndication
Getting your
content into Xpert
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Export and
Reuse
Download ready
made items
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Export
and
Reuse
Download ready
made items
View/Consume/Link/Embed:
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/toolkits/play_1154
Download/Import/Repurpose as normal zip:
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/toolkits/export_1154
Download/Import as SCORM zip:
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/toolkits/scorm_1154
Syndication feed:
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/toolkits/syndicate.php
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What’s the URL of your installation?
Please add rss.php to the end and
share in the text chat e.g.
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/toolkits/rss.php
http://xerte5.techdis.palepurple.co.uk/rss.php
http://mitchellmedia.co.uk/moodle/xertetoolkits/rss.php
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Additional support/tutorials:
http://techdis.ac.uk/getxerte
Editing, managing
and sharing
learning objects
(part 1)
Sharing LO part 1
Word (2.2MB)
Sharing LO part 1
PDF (874KB)
This tutorial basics of
editing, managing and
sharing Xerte objects
including previewing and
publishing changes, how
to make learning objects
public, creating folders
and organising learning
objects, etc.
Editing, managing
and sharing
learning objects
(part 2)
Sharing LO part 2
Word (2.4MB)
Sharing LO part 2
PDF (1.1MB)
This tutorial features more
advanced steps following
on from Part 1 including
using RSS feeds, adding
notes, sharing learning
objects for collaborative
development, exporting
learning objects from
Xerte toolkits, amongst
many others.
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Link to an LO about RSS:
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/toolkits/play_1505
and a link to this presentation click here
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