Assignment 4: Social Bookmarking

Social bookmarking is a management system for Internet users. Social bookmarkers are people who network information. Networking information allows groups of people to easily access and share mass amounts of resources. Folksonomy, the term used to describe a collective method of gathering information, utilizes tagging, rating, and, comments in order to classify information. Free web services like www.delicious.com and www.diigo.com are easy to join and provide a method of storing and sharing information from any location with access to the Internet. The basic idea is more people, more information, more learning.

Today's student is more willing to accept the use of twenty first century teaching tools like social bookmarking than teachers are willing to implement them. Teachers may find themselves in an awkward position as their role shifts slightly when incorporating networking activities into their curriculum. Cannata describes a shift of teaching hierarchy from the traditional teacher students, bottom down method to the use of mass communication and interactive activities, bottom up method. The role of the teacher is now to be the administrator and curator of learning in an environment where students are learning from themselves and peers rather than solely from the teacher. (Cannata, 2009)

Using web 2.0 tools in education provides many benefits to the contemporary learner. These tools can help shape a democratic culture by guiding students to be more critical, self-reflective, and collectively intelligent through exposure to many voices and opinions. Students know that there are more sources for information than just at school. Social bookmarking encourages students to find outside sources and bring them back to share at school. Social bookmarks provide a database for learning resources to be shared and reviewed by peers, teachers, and parents. (Greenhow, 2009)

The best part about social bookmarking is that it encourages students to continue learning outside of the classroom. A student that looks for relevant information outside of the classroom is developing skills in self-motivation, information synthesis, and critical selection. The use of social bookmarking is team building and promotes students to be confident in their own research and that of their peers.

Cannata, C. (2009). Folksonomy, Tagging, and Taxonomy for Effective Learning:
Perspectives of Learning 2.0 in the XXI Century. International Journal of Emerging Technology in Learning, 4(2), 26-32. http://search.ebscohost.com, doi: 10.3991/ijet.v4i2.657

Greenhow, C. (2009). Social Scholarship: Applying Social Networking Technologies to
Research Practices. Knowledge Quest, 37(4), 42-47. http://search.ebscohost.com

Greenhow, C. (2009, June/July). Tapping the Wealth of Social Networks for Professional Development. Learning & Leading with Technology, 36(8), 10-11 http://search.ebscohost.com

Richardson, W. (2009). Making the Web Manageable with Collaborative Filters. District
Administration, 45(4), 52. http://search.ebscohost.com