Google Reader is a platform that organizes RSS feeds from websites into one area. It allows users to access favorite websites from one screen and share content with friends. Users can sign up with their Google account and add websites by entering the URL or searching keywords. Google Reader notifies users of new content and allows features like organizing with folders, tagging items, and accessing feeds offline. It provides an easy way to collaborate by sharing and commenting on websites for classes or groups.

1. Introduction to GOOGLE READER Presentation by Maricela Guzman, Sarah Wenzel, and Katherine Lake

2. What is Google Reader? Google reader is a platform that organizes all of your RSS feeds into one organized area so that your subscription updates are sent to you automatically

3. What does it do? Allows you to access all your favorite websites from one screen Can also organize things using folders as well as tags Can easily share different websites with friends

4. How do you access it? http://www.google.com/reader Use your google account Can be found on the top bar of the Google Homepage To get started, click the add subscription box and type in the address of one of your favorite websites

5. Features of the Tool You can type in a keyword in the “add subscription” box and the Reader will suggest some sites for you You can click on a title of a page to preview its contents while using the search feature When new items are available, the name of the feed will appear in BOLD and the number of new entries will appear in parentheses Items are marked as read as you scroll past them The “List View” feature allows you to browse only headlines Can add your favorite blogs and websites for easy access Can “star” items to save them and make it easier to find them later Can share them with friends through email, publicly, or within a certain group Add your own notes to shared items You can use the keyboard shortcuts for easy navigation within the platform Shift + ? will give you a full listing of all the shortcuts Google Gears (with the download of Firefox or Internet Explorer plug-in) allows you to download up to 2000 feeds to access offline Greasemonkey allows you to read your feeds via your inbox. Friends Trends Sort your “pals” according to popularity or activity. View number of items they share per day along with the percentage of those items you read Identify which “pals” are sources of valuable information to you

6. Why would someone use this tool? Makes it easy to access websites from one place Keeps you up to date by notifying you when new information has been added to a site Creates an easy way to share and comment on websites among groups of friends Google Gears feature allows you to access feeds offline

7. Google Reader Demonstration

8. Surprises? It is really easy to use It actually does make using the internet more convenient

9. How would you use this in and out of the classroom? In the classroom students can collaborate and share websites and comments about them to make group projects much simpler Teachers can use Google Reader to save websites they may want to use in class to have them all in one easy location Good way to keep research organized Outside of the classroom people who regularly visit the same websites or who are interested in keeping up to date on news can benefit from the simplicity and convenience of this site Example: APA Journal subscription available for Psychology majors

10. Easy to use? Google Reader is completely FREE with a Google account and it is very easy to start using. It is strictly web-based and very easily accessible. Signing up for a Google account is easy and free if you don’t already have one, but student email at DU of CA is through Google so you all already have an account Additional plug-in for Internet Explorer and Firefox for offline access

11. Additional Improvements, Use, and Recommendations Google reader was so easy to use we didn’t really have additional improvements While we might not use this on a daily basis, it is a great option for group projects. People who visit many websites daily may find this convenient and it would also be very useful in a work place or a classroom. As Web 2.0 reaches final stages of web development, the features of Google Reader need to adapt to the evolution of the web