Because each bookmarked page is linked to the person who bookmarked it, a user can discover how others have assessed that content, and find people with related interests. By doing this, connections are nurtured. Sites such as del.icio.us or citeulike allow users to assign labels known as tags to stored bookmarks which users can recall through searches on sets of tags. In a classroom setting, “students can learn from their teachers’ tagging strategies and teachers can view students’ tagging to better understand the premise of their work” (Alexander ,2006, Project section, ¶ 10). Using tags agreed upon by the class and the description field, students can “create their own research bank of related sites” (Bryant, 2006, Social Bookmarking section, ¶ 3). This ‘social tagging’ replaces traditional, externally imposed hierarchies of categorization (the taxonomy) with a process of content organization reflecting the interest of the group, known as a ‘folksonomy’ (Wheeler et al, 2006, Folksonomies section, ¶ 1).
The overwhelming volume of resources available on-line can make finding resources with high-quality content and features suitable to the K-12 environment nearly impossible (Carlson & Reidy, 2004, Abstract section, ¶1). One study of teachers found that 71% of respondents indicated that the top challenge they face in seeking in using Web-based resources was the great amount of time it takes to locate appropriate resources on-line (Carlson & Reidy, 2004, Section 4.4, ¶ 1). Social bookmarking makes this process easier, for both educators and students. New methods of finding and identifying Web resources involve fundamental skills of analysis, contextualization, and conceptualization, not to mention reading and writing themselves (Godwin-Jones, 2006, Discovery section, ¶ 1). Again, these are very relevant skills within the Connectivist theory. Examining the tags attached to movie files, digital photographs, and podcasts reveals potentially useful information about the way that others perceive these objects, questioning audience, literacy, and reception (Alexander , 2008, p. 156).
The potential of such tools is to support a closer relationship between students working together on a shared problem. Collaborative, personal tools can help create a shared frame of reference within a group (Daalsgard, 2006, Personal Tools section, ¶ 8). Organizing a personal tool (such as a bookmarking structure) can “promote self-governed and constructive processes” (Daalsgard, 2006, Personal Tools section, ¶ 8). This is obviously also in-line with the Constructivist theory of learning.
To conclude, the relatively new learning theory of Connectivism draws many parallels within the use of social bookmarking. As suggested by Siemens, knowing where to find information is more important than knowing information (Siemens, 2004, Connectivism section, ¶ 3). It may become less important to know and remember where information was found and more important to know how to retrieve it using a framework created by and shared with peers and colleagues (Lomas, 2005, Implications section, ¶ 1). This is key to understanding how connectivism relates to the idea of social bookmarking.
References
Alexander, Bryan (2008). Web 2.0 and Emergent Multiliteracies. Theory Into Practice, 47(2), p150-160. Retrieved February, 2009, from http://pdfserve.informaworld.com/161669_770885140_792189474.pdf
Alexander, Bryan (2006). Web 2.0: A new wave of innovation for teaching and learning?
Educause Review, 41(2). Retrieved February, 2009, from http://connect.educause.edu/Library/EDUCAUSE+Review/Web20ANewWaveofInnovation/40615
Bryant, Todd (2006). Social Software in Academia. Educause Quarterly, 29(2). Retrieved February, 2009, from http://connect.educause.edu/Library/EDUCAUSE+Quarterly/SocialSoftwareinAcademia/39976?time=1202994649
Carlson, B. & Reidy, S. (2004). Effective access: teachers’ use of digital resources. OCLC Systems & Services: International Digital Library Perspectives, 20(2). Retrieved February, 2009, from http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/viewPDF.jsp?contentType=Article&Filename=html/Output/Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Pdf/1640200203.pdf
Dalsgaard, Christian (2006). Social software: E-learning beyond learning management systems. European Journal of Open and Distance Learning. Retreived February 2009 from http://www.eurodl.org/materials/contrib/2006/Christian_Dalsgaard.htm
Godwin-Jones, Robert (2006). Tag Clouds in the Blogosphere: Electronic Literacy and Social Networking. Language Learning & Technology, 10(2), p8-15. Retrieved February, 2009, from http://llt.msu.edu/vol10num2/pdf/emerging.pdf
Kesim, Eren; Agaoglu, Esmahan (2007). A Paradigm Shift in Distance Education: Web 2.0 and Social Software. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education (TOJDE), 8(3), p66-75. Retrieved February, 2009, from
http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/34/eb/44.pdf
Lomas, C. (2005). 7 things you should know about Social Bookmarking. Educause, Learning Initiative. Retrieved February, 2009, from http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7001.pdf
Siemens, George (2004). Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age. Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 2(1). Retrieved February, 2009, from http://itdl.org/Journal/Jan_05/article01.htm
Wheeler, Steve; Yeomans, Peter; Wheeler, Dawn (2008). The good, the bad and the wiki: Evaluating student-generated content for collaborative learning. British Journal of Educational Technology, 39(6), p987-995. Retrieved February, 2009, from http://www.pgce.soton.ac.uk/ict/NewPGCE/Blog/The%20good%20the%20bad%20and%20the%20wiki
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