How Will Any of This Make Sense?Wow! That phrase best captures my emotions as a teacher attempting to begin sharing the ideas of social bookmarking and the concept of information management systems. Wow represents my own excitement as to the discoveries I am making exploring the internet. Wow represents the overwhelming sense of confusion I feel looking out into the classroom. Wow sometimes represents the power of these tools and the cascading effect of ideas that seems to hit me all at once. I truly experience many different emotions and thoughts as a result of the potential of these tools, and I have been wrestling with them for 4 1/2 months. I can only imagine how students being exposed to these tools for the first time are handling it.
In reading several comments regarding the need for more structure, I decided to address several points in this blog, with the intention of providing a simple understanding of what we are trying to accomplish.
One of the many goals in class is to open the eyes of the students to the power that lies beneath the internet. In particular, the power of social bookmarking and a new internet phrase called information management systems that have evolved over the past decade. Many people look at the internet as a means of downloading information. However, in recent years there has been a growing phenomena called social bookmarking.
Social bookmarking is a web based service, where shared lists of user-created Internet bookmarks are displayed. Social bookmarking sites generally organize their content using tags. Social bookmarking sites are an increasingly popular way to locate, classify, rank, and share Internet resources through the practice of tagging and inferences drawn from grouping and analysis of tags.
In our class, we are looking to develop these communities utilizing the social bookmarking tool called del.icio.us. This tool will become the academic hub of our social networking, allowing us to manage information in a systematic individualized manner. It is in the student's del.icio.us account that they construct a personal list of bookmarks and subscriptions that will allow them to collect an infinite amount of information from the internet, classifying all information with appropriate tags. Students can also subscribe to other's delicious accounts, and have people subscribe to theirs. This opens up a even greater opportunity to expand your knowledge of a
subject.The concept of social bookmarking coupled with the expanse of the internet allows the individual, to extend and expand their contacts, contextual background, and points of view, unlike ever before. In the end, the student is learning how to build an information management system, something that will be extremely vital in the future.
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7 comments:
I didn't know that one could subscribe to another person's delicious account, that's really helpful. More and more, I'm beginning to understand your excitement about this. I hope everyone else does too.
I am so excited to see a student begin to become as excited as me. Once you learn to subscribe, the world awaits. Here is my delicious account. del.icio.us/paroune . Now that you are aware of this, begin to create your ultimate information management system.
Mr. Aroune, your site is a very useful tool in helping me achieve my maximum potential. You seem to be very lenient with grades and also with extending the work that needs to be done when we have problems. Thank you for introducing the assignment and for helping me understand what your expectations are for me as a student. I hope in the future I will be able to understand how to use delicious and the bloglines more fluently.
I also really like using delicious, its very helpful. It's comforting to hear you express your concern for how we're handling all of this being thrown at us. Sometimes in class it seems that we should just know how to do it but i'm glad you realize it can be confusing. I'm really starting to get it though, especially since you've clearly stated everything here in this blog-- thanks.
Thank-you for teaching the students all the latest internet tools. I certainly can learn more myself. I will have to give social bookmarking
a try. Looking forward to reading more articles.
Lori Wendel
I can honestly say that I am all for technology, and the many doors it can open, but I guess being from the old school, kids are too quick to just sit down at a computer and do things in a sedimentary way whether it is video games or the internet. I can remember being a child and exploring the outdoors and experiencing life as it is out side of computers, and knowing that there is life outside of the new technology realm. How many kids, now a day, go outside to build forts in the woods, look for salamanders in the creek under the stones or even just look at the setting sun in amazement because of the awesome colors that light up the sky. I am computer literate, and I know and try to teach my kids that there is more to life than the new technology.Yet,It is a relief to know that there is someone out there showing our kids that the internet should be used to increase their knowledge not just play games and chat the day away.- Mrs. McCartan
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