ETC BP4_2009102_Educational Benefits of Social Bookmarking

As a classroom teacher, I am often bringing my work home with me. Quite frequently I will come across a great resource online and, in the past, have had to write down the url or copy and paste the link into an email to myself. Thanks to Delicious, the social bookmarking site, I no longer have to continue such practices.

This idea seems so simple, yet it is still so new. Regardless, the availability of this resource is here and it is time to utilize it the best way possible. The simplicity of the idea is certain to benefit both educators and learners immediately. Rather than just “saving” bookmarks, “social bookmarking simplifies the distribution of reference lists, bibliographies, papers, and other resources among peers or students” (Lomas, 2005, p. 2). This is done through the process of tagging, which is a much more user-friendly method, especially for young students with little research experience. By eliminating cumbersome organizational methods such as a folder system, the process is more representative of modern search methods. “Thus, you benefit from the research of others, while having a far more dynamic and helpful system of organization” (Jackson, 2009, para. 3).

Social bookmarking in the educational field, besides simplifying the research process, can also help students recognize diverse points of view. This vital communication skill is key for a student’s social development. Importantly, according to the University of Florida’s Center for Instructional Technology and Training website (2009), social bookmarking “allows for the classification of information based on a person’s perspective and based on organizational structures and, [therefore] provides a constantly evolving list of resources.”

As social bookmarking continues to develop and more users add to the libraries of bookmarked sites, research methods and results may prove to take on a whole new level of significance.

References

Jackson, L. (2009). Sites to see: Social bookmarking. Retrieved October 10, 2009, from http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/sites/sites080.shtml

Lomas, C.P. (2005). 7 things you should know about social bookmarking. Educause Learning Initiative. Retrieved October 10, 2009, from http://www.educause.edu/ELI/7ThingsYouShouldKnowAboutSocia/156804

University of Florida, Center for Instructional Technology & Training. (n.d.). Social bookmarking: What are the educational uses and benefits? Retrieved October 10, 2009, from http://text.ufl.edu/tt/www.citt.ufl.edu/toolbox/toolbox_socialBookmarking.php