Social Bookmarking: A Network for your Information

Bookmarking is not a new activity.  Whenever we find information from a site that we value as important, we bookmark it and instantly we can access the information with a click of a button.  This is great if you carry your computer everywhere because the traditional form of bookmarking only works for one particular computer.  Now there is a new kid on the Web 2.0 block called social bookmarking.  Although the technology is relatively new, there are hundreds of social bookmarking sites popping up all over the net.  Social bookmarking allows people to share bookmarks according to their interests and access their bookmarks from any computer.  By making information in the vast world wide web a little smaller and accessible by interests, educators have found ways to use this new technology in the classroom especially in the realm of research.

Find Social Bookmarking Inspiration

http://blog.jakerocheleau.com/2009/07/12/50-inspirational-social-bookmarking-sites-with-screenshots/

The best way to understand how a new technology can work for you is to first  review  how others are using it first.  “50 Inspirational Social Bookmarking Sites with Screenshots” is a list blog that facilitates the reviewing of social bookmarking sites.  This blog stands out among most list blogs because it provides screenshots for each blog.  Because social bookmarking sites are growing, the idea of searching through every single one can be overwhelming.    Young author and web designer, Jake Rocheleau provides sites with various features and layouts.  Reviewing through the sites will be helpful to decide which one best works your needs. 

 Top 10 Social Bookmarking Tools for Educators

http://www.alltipsandtricks.com/top-10-social-bookmarking-tools-for-educators/

 This blog article features a top 10 list and review of social bookmarking tools that are currently being used by educators.  Sites such as Connotea seem promising in assisting with research because of its bibliographic capabilities. ULinkx appears to be a perfect place to share new media style projects that demand space and multiple user accessibility. 

 

FAQ presents social bookmarking in education

http://frequanq.blogspot.com/2005/02/social-bookmarking-in-education.html

 In the blog “Social Bookmarking in Education” author Rebecca Hedreen explains social bookmarking and the importance of tagging.  The author writes about other social bookmarking sites and their important features.  The blog includes how blogs can be used to help with research and group projects and assignments.  The blog also provides links to more resources that may provide more support.

Overview of Social Bookmarking in the Classroom

http://designing.flexiblelearning.net.au/gallery/activities/social_bookmarking.htm

The Designing and Implementing E-learning site provides an overview of social bookmarking.  The article includes features and several educational possibilities of using social bookmarking in the classroom.  A very important feature of the article is the section on how to integrate this new technology into the plans.   The article concludes with additional links to more social bookmarking resources.

 

 

Tagging along with Social Bookmarks

 

http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/webbuilding/page5508.cfm

 

Social bookmarking does allow easy accessibility to online information, but what good is that information if you and your users are unable to find it.  This is the importance of tagging.  The article “Thirteen Tips for Effective Tagging” discusses the importance of using effective tags in Del.icio.us.  Without effective tagging, educators will not be able to fully optimize the potential of social bookmarking.