Week 4: Social Bookmarks

The use of social bookmarking can be very beneficial in an educational setting. When Delicious first came out, I was so excited. I loved being able to have my bookmarks where ever I was at the time. When I signed up for a new account for this class I was curious to see if it had changed at all. It is pretty much the same. I have used other social bookmark sites but my favorite right now is Pinterest. I like being able to categorize my “pins” into useful subject areas. Another feature is the ability to invite other people to pin to a common board. Visually, Pinterest is very appealing. The little picture allows a snapshot of what you are linking. The secret board is another fun feature. It does not have to be something salacious that you don’t want others to see. When I found out that I would be teaching second grade before it was announced, I had a secret board where I began planning for my classroom. Another time I used a secret board to help plan a party. Sometimes I have people send me pins. But the best feature is seeing what the people I follow pin.

What is important is finding a social bookmarking tool that works best for you. The ability to organize, share, and explore sites is a great tool. As a teacher I use it to keep new ideas easily accessible. It would be nice to set one up for me to use and share professionally. I could set up a parents corner, a kids corner, homework helpers, a place for my co-workers to share sites…there are many possibilities.

When I read the phrase “instructional design and technology” in chapter 1 of the text book I felt that this was very appropriate for what I want to do in the technological realm. Most of the places I have worked there has been a disconnection between the teachers and the people running the technology in the school. Many teachers feel that technology is pushed upon them with little training. I believe a coach is needed to go into the classroom of teachers to see what they are doing and to then help the teacher to use technology in way that will enhance what they are already doing. Technology that is forced upon people may be labeled ineffective when really they were not given proper time to adapt to it.