An educational approach to social bookmarking is explained in “7 Things You Should Know About Social Bookmarking” found at Educause Learning Initiative (http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7001.pdf ).
Educause outlines the uses of social bookmarking; one being that it is particularly useful when collecting a set of resources that can be shared with others. This makes it the perfect tool for group collaborations. It lets you find information about a topic you are researching even in areas that aren’t obviously connected to the primary topic.
According to Educause, the implications of social bookmarking for teaching and learning are:
* it may become less important for us to know and remember where information is found, and more important to know how to retrieve it using a shared framework
* it simplifies the distribution of reference lists, bibliographies, papers and other resources
Here’s an example of what one educator had to say about the significance of social bookmarking. This was posted on the Classroom 2.0 blog site by Lynne Wolters:
“When asked which social networking or Web 2.0 tool you could not give up - hands down it is delicious social bookmarking. http://del.icio.us Features I [Lynne Wolters] appreciate and use often:
1. Personal network - I have added top leaders, thinkers, and developers in educational technology. By having a look at what they are posting, I become aware of quality sites and can view with interest where their current thinking is taking them.
2. Ability to send bookmarks to anyone in your network - just added their tag to the tag list.
3. Ability to view my bookmarks from any computer with an Internet connection.
4. Open to anyone who wants to view my bookmarks.
5. Ability to organize by tag designations.
6. High quality resources posted. The del.icio.us community are their own filter for content.”
(Retrieved from Classroom 2.0 web site: http://www.classroom20.com/forum/topic/show?id=649749%3ATopic%3A45675by )
Some final thoughts
Anyone can participate in social bookmarking. It is not formal; but rather an “amateur” method of classifying information. There are no hard and fast rules that govern tagging. It develops a social community of people with common interests, and leads to development of a unique structure of keywords to define resources: folksonomy.
However, the nature of folksonomy means that there may be inconsistent or poor use of tags, which is not always understood by all users. It raises some questions about the ways in which we have classified information in the past, and how it will be classified in the future. Social bookmarking has the potenial to redefine this. It is possible that the design and function of databases, or the way information is labelled, will mature and alter with the growth of this technology.
I have now entered into one of these social bookmarking communities with my EDES 545 colleagues. We are sharing resources of interest to our course topics, and using a folksonomy which is understood by one another. It is becoming clearer how useful this particular web 2.0 tool can be, particularly for educators and students. Social bookmarking is another way to strengthen smaller or similar-interest online learning communities, and thus, an invaluable tool for classroom use in the Information Age.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Social bookmarking – Let’s Play “Tag”
Do you still bookmark your favourite web pages by saving them under “Favourites” on your computer? Have you ever needed to access one of those pages when you were working on something from a different computer? Wouldn’t it be more convenient if you could access those “favourites” from anywhere?
I answered “yes” to all three, but only because I hadn’t been aware that there was a better way to access my favourites, until now.
According to Lee LeFever, saving web pages to our browsers is the “old way” and has become messy, and tied to only one computer. The “new way” uses a web site to keep track of favourite web sites: this is called social bookmarking. His video “Social Bookmarking in Plain English” (http://www.commoncraft.com/bookmarking-plain-english) was a truly a great starting point to learn about this new concept. (I’m adding it to my list of helpful tutorials/videos that help the not-so-techy become more adept).
Another way to think of social bookmarking, is as the practice of saving bookmarks to a public web site and tagging them with keywords. Thus, social bookmarking creates a true web of resources and connections – one that is not limited to individuals and their folders but represents the interests and judgements of a community of users (Educause Learning Initiative). Tags play an important role in many web 2.0 tools: you can tag photos, blogs, and videos with the words that best describe or categorize them. I have discovered that learning to “play tag” is key in getting the most out of these technologies!
School Library 2.0 defines “tagging” as: “an open and informal method of categorizing that allows users to associate keywords with online content (webpages, pictures & posts). Unlike traditional library subject cataloguing, which follows a strict set of guidelines (e.g., Library of Congress subject headings), tagging is completely unstructured and freeform, allowing users to create connections between data in any way they want” (http://schoollibrarylearning2.blogspot.com/2007/02/13-week-6-learn-about-tagging-and.html). Certainly, I believe that this will have some implications on the way users search and use “natural language” to identify what they are looking for.
So, are you ready to try social bookmarking? Which one should you choose?
“The Social Bookmarking Faceoff” written by Alex Iskold (http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/social_bookmarking_faceoff.php ) provides a breakdown of the pros and cons of ten popular social bookmarking sites. Iskold concludes that “the social bookmarking market is dominated by del.icio.us and StumbleUpon. These leaders split the market, as they bring orthogonal approaches to bookmarking - del.icio.us builds a hierarchy for people to browse (it does related relationships, etc.), while StumbleUpon is more of a random discovery system.”
Since I prefer something a little more systematic, I chose to begin with del.icio.us as my social bookmarker. I found it easy to get started, until the point where the two new buttons were supposed to appear on my toolbar. This took a bit of time to address and figure out. By going to the FAQs page, selecting one of the questions under the category “the posting buttons”, then clicking on the hyperlink “bookmarklet buttons,” I was able to view a tutorial which showed me how to get the buttons to appear. Problem solved.
Out of my concern for encountering more potential road bumps, I decided to consult a video tutorial about del.icio.us which I found on TeacherTube (http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=5e608e863301eb98e180 ). It helped me understand several steps in properly utilizing social bookmarking. I was able to upload my favourites from my browser onto del.icio.us by accessing “settings” and selecting “import/upload”. Very simple. I also began the process of tagging my bookmarks by clicking on “edit” of each bookmark and adding the keywords that best describe the content found at the web site.
At this point, I am ready to discover more of the features of my new web-based social bookmarking!
I answered “yes” to all three, but only because I hadn’t been aware that there was a better way to access my favourites, until now.
According to Lee LeFever, saving web pages to our browsers is the “old way” and has become messy, and tied to only one computer. The “new way” uses a web site to keep track of favourite web sites: this is called social bookmarking. His video “Social Bookmarking in Plain English” (http://www.commoncraft.com/bookmarking-plain-english) was a truly a great starting point to learn about this new concept. (I’m adding it to my list of helpful tutorials/videos that help the not-so-techy become more adept).
Another way to think of social bookmarking, is as the practice of saving bookmarks to a public web site and tagging them with keywords. Thus, social bookmarking creates a true web of resources and connections – one that is not limited to individuals and their folders but represents the interests and judgements of a community of users (Educause Learning Initiative). Tags play an important role in many web 2.0 tools: you can tag photos, blogs, and videos with the words that best describe or categorize them. I have discovered that learning to “play tag” is key in getting the most out of these technologies!
School Library 2.0 defines “tagging” as: “an open and informal method of categorizing that allows users to associate keywords with online content (webpages, pictures & posts). Unlike traditional library subject cataloguing, which follows a strict set of guidelines (e.g., Library of Congress subject headings), tagging is completely unstructured and freeform, allowing users to create connections between data in any way they want” (http://schoollibrarylearning2.blogspot.com/2007/02/13-week-6-learn-about-tagging-and.html). Certainly, I believe that this will have some implications on the way users search and use “natural language” to identify what they are looking for.
So, are you ready to try social bookmarking? Which one should you choose?
“The Social Bookmarking Faceoff” written by Alex Iskold (http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/social_bookmarking_faceoff.php ) provides a breakdown of the pros and cons of ten popular social bookmarking sites. Iskold concludes that “the social bookmarking market is dominated by del.icio.us and StumbleUpon. These leaders split the market, as they bring orthogonal approaches to bookmarking - del.icio.us builds a hierarchy for people to browse (it does related relationships, etc.), while StumbleUpon is more of a random discovery system.”
Since I prefer something a little more systematic, I chose to begin with del.icio.us as my social bookmarker. I found it easy to get started, until the point where the two new buttons were supposed to appear on my toolbar. This took a bit of time to address and figure out. By going to the FAQs page, selecting one of the questions under the category “the posting buttons”, then clicking on the hyperlink “bookmarklet buttons,” I was able to view a tutorial which showed me how to get the buttons to appear. Problem solved.
Out of my concern for encountering more potential road bumps, I decided to consult a video tutorial about del.icio.us which I found on TeacherTube (http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=5e608e863301eb98e180 ). It helped me understand several steps in properly utilizing social bookmarking. I was able to upload my favourites from my browser onto del.icio.us by accessing “settings” and selecting “import/upload”. Very simple. I also began the process of tagging my bookmarks by clicking on “edit” of each bookmark and adding the keywords that best describe the content found at the web site.
At this point, I am ready to discover more of the features of my new web-based social bookmarking!
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Videosharing Part 5 – Summarizing Thoughts
I feel like I have only begun to scratch the surface of videosharing. It is a web 2.0 tool which has something to satisfy just about any interest. It has multi-purposes for both those who wish to create and add content to the internet, but also for those who wish to seek it out.
Videosharing has contributed to a “participatory media culture” (The Center for Social Media). It is constantly evolving and changing the way we communicate. It allows self-expression through video production and direct information sharing. Its impact on our culture becomes more apparent as videosharing grows in both its form and popularity.
I think that videosharing has two main contributions for enhancing the education of our students. First, there is an abundance of video content available which can be used as a viewing resource in our classrooms. Teachers who take the time to search through sites can find appropriate and interesting videos which can support curriculum objectives: such as an instructional math video; or a video clip used as the basis to discuss an issue. Although higher quality educational videos are more likely to be found on sites such as TeacherTube, that does not discount the useful resources which can be found at sites such as YouTube. However, since videosharing is open to various forms of expression, it is still critical to be careful and selective before using any video with students.
A second contribution videosharing has made towards enhancing educational experiences is in the form itself. Student-produced video can be seen as a product of their learning. Teachers can opt to give students the opportunity to display their media literacy and create their own content in video productions. Again, since videosharing on the internet is completely accessible to anyone, serious precautions and guidelines must be discussed with students to ensure that potential privacy risks are not overlooked.
On a side note, many school divisions do not provide students access to videosharing sites. There is much debate around the reasons to either lift or keep these bans. I do believe that this resource has a time and place for its use in our teaching, and banning access to these sites does not allow students to become fully media-literate. I think that teachers, administrators, and parents all play a role in teaching students the responsible uses for this type of tool. The issues surrounding videosharing can not be addressed if we are not allowed to face it head-on.
In closing, I found an inspiring video on TeacherTube called "When I Grow Up" which I feel is a reminder of the reasons why should be EMBRACING this tool, not shying away from it.
"When I Grow Up..." (TeacherTube Video)
Videosharing has contributed to a “participatory media culture” (The Center for Social Media). It is constantly evolving and changing the way we communicate. It allows self-expression through video production and direct information sharing. Its impact on our culture becomes more apparent as videosharing grows in both its form and popularity.
I think that videosharing has two main contributions for enhancing the education of our students. First, there is an abundance of video content available which can be used as a viewing resource in our classrooms. Teachers who take the time to search through sites can find appropriate and interesting videos which can support curriculum objectives: such as an instructional math video; or a video clip used as the basis to discuss an issue. Although higher quality educational videos are more likely to be found on sites such as TeacherTube, that does not discount the useful resources which can be found at sites such as YouTube. However, since videosharing is open to various forms of expression, it is still critical to be careful and selective before using any video with students.
A second contribution videosharing has made towards enhancing educational experiences is in the form itself. Student-produced video can be seen as a product of their learning. Teachers can opt to give students the opportunity to display their media literacy and create their own content in video productions. Again, since videosharing on the internet is completely accessible to anyone, serious precautions and guidelines must be discussed with students to ensure that potential privacy risks are not overlooked.
On a side note, many school divisions do not provide students access to videosharing sites. There is much debate around the reasons to either lift or keep these bans. I do believe that this resource has a time and place for its use in our teaching, and banning access to these sites does not allow students to become fully media-literate. I think that teachers, administrators, and parents all play a role in teaching students the responsible uses for this type of tool. The issues surrounding videosharing can not be addressed if we are not allowed to face it head-on.
In closing, I found an inspiring video on TeacherTube called "When I Grow Up" which I feel is a reminder of the reasons why should be EMBRACING this tool, not shying away from it.
"When I Grow Up..." (TeacherTube Video)
Videosharing Part 4 - Thinking about Fair Use
One issue I wanted to know more about was whether or not videosharing infringed on copyright laws. YouTube’s "Help Center" provides answers to questions about copyright and fair use. These guidelines mainly cover the information and responsibilities for those who wish to upload videos to the site. Teachers who intend to use YouTube with their students for displaying their videos should address these guidelines. YouTube emphasizes “original creation” as a way of ensuring that video makers will not violate copyright infringement.
The article “Recut, Reframe, Recycle” found at The Center for Social Media web site (http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/resources/publications/recut_reframe_recycle/) discusses the issues surrounding copyrighted content making its way into student-made videos. Although Fair Use permits new makers to use copyrighted material without asking permission, in order to make “transformative” material, there may be some hurdles lurking in the future. “Participatory media culture” is at risk, because large content holders may succeed in having copyrighted material removed from shared-video sites.
However, it is worth noting that at this time, YouTube has partnership deals with content providers such as CBS, BBC, Universal Music Group, Sony Music Group, Warner Music Group, NBA, and The Sundance Channel.
As for the guidelines for showing videos in the classroom, Michael Wesch, in Presentation: YouTube in/on/of/for the Classroom, says that educators’ intentions behind using videos found on YouTube usually fall within the guidelines of Fair Use; “if it is for commentary, criticism, parody, or education, chances are it is fair use”. Wesch also provides a linked checklist for Fair Use which can help educators determine whether or not a video is appropriate for classroom use.
The article “Recut, Reframe, Recycle” found at The Center for Social Media web site (http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/resources/publications/recut_reframe_recycle/) discusses the issues surrounding copyrighted content making its way into student-made videos. Although Fair Use permits new makers to use copyrighted material without asking permission, in order to make “transformative” material, there may be some hurdles lurking in the future. “Participatory media culture” is at risk, because large content holders may succeed in having copyrighted material removed from shared-video sites.
However, it is worth noting that at this time, YouTube has partnership deals with content providers such as CBS, BBC, Universal Music Group, Sony Music Group, Warner Music Group, NBA, and The Sundance Channel.
As for the guidelines for showing videos in the classroom, Michael Wesch, in Presentation: YouTube in/on/of/for the Classroom, says that educators’ intentions behind using videos found on YouTube usually fall within the guidelines of Fair Use; “if it is for commentary, criticism, parody, or education, chances are it is fair use”. Wesch also provides a linked checklist for Fair Use which can help educators determine whether or not a video is appropriate for classroom use.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Videosharing Part 3: Educational videosharing sites
TeacherTube is a videosharing website whose “goal is to provide an online community for sharing instructional videos… [and] seek to fill a need for a more educationally focused, safe venue for teachers, schools, and home learners. It is a site to provide anytime, anywhere professional development with teachers teaching teachers. As well, it is a site where teachers can post videos designed for students to view in order to learn a concept or skill” (TeacherTube). There are numerous features on this site. I found that selecting “channels” brought me to a page where I could look at video according to subject or grade level. While TeacherTube does not have the same volume of videos offered at YouTube, it does have some quality educational videos for teachers and students.
A wonderful example of how videosharing holds real educational value can be seen at http://springfieldvideo.edublogs.org/ which is link from Joyce Valenza’s Springfield Township High School Virtual Library. After clicking on “New Instructional Videos and Podcasts,” I discovered a page filled with student and teacher produced videos. The categories of videos included: book trailers, grammar, information skills, math instruction, runons and fragments, Shakespeare, thesis, verb tense, vocabulary and Wikipedia. These categories each contain anywhere from one to several videos on the stated topic. What a fantastic use for video sharing!
I recommend taking a peek at: Hamlet Revenge in Plain English which was a short student created video done in the same style as Lee Lefever’s Common Craft videos (a white background, cut-out pictures, arrows to show relationships, a narrator’s voice). This exemplifies the educational value of videosharing as a product of student learning.
A wonderful example of how videosharing holds real educational value can be seen at http://springfieldvideo.edublogs.org/ which is link from Joyce Valenza’s Springfield Township High School Virtual Library. After clicking on “New Instructional Videos and Podcasts,” I discovered a page filled with student and teacher produced videos. The categories of videos included: book trailers, grammar, information skills, math instruction, runons and fragments, Shakespeare, thesis, verb tense, vocabulary and Wikipedia. These categories each contain anywhere from one to several videos on the stated topic. What a fantastic use for video sharing!
I recommend taking a peek at: Hamlet Revenge in Plain English which was a short student created video done in the same style as Lee Lefever’s Common Craft videos (a white background, cut-out pictures, arrows to show relationships, a narrator’s voice). This exemplifies the educational value of videosharing as a product of student learning.
Videosharing: Part 2 - An Introduction
Video hosting sites allow its users to upload and share videos on the internet.
How many videosharing sites are out there on the internet? Run the term through a search engine, and the answer is: LOTS. Some include:
- Blip.tv
- ClipShack
- Crackle
- GoFish
- Google Video
- iFilm
- Yahoo! Video
However, the most popular site may in fact be YouTube with over 1 million videos viewed daily (School Library 2.0 Learning). An incredible variety of content videos can be found at such sites. A simple keyword search will turn up videos which have been tagged according to subject content and title. Videos range from amateur creations, to clips from movies or television programs, to creative combinations of both.
It is explained in “YouTube Comes to the Classroom” by Anna Adam and Helen Mowers (School Library Journal, January, 2007), that videosharing sites, such as YouTube, are looked upon as places for students to discover their voice. While inappropriate material does exist, the article points out that there are “gems” for educators to be found. The site’s K12 education group is a safe area for posting and searching, where one can find teacher- and student-submitted videos, including a piece on using blogs, wikis, and other social media in the classroom. The article also makes suggestions for discouraging the viewing of inappropriate video content.
Michael Wesch provides another supportive voice in Presentation: YouTube in/on/of/for the Classroom. He explains “yes, you can (& should) use YouTube videos in the classroom” because of its relevance, engagement, and it is the new media literacy.
How many videosharing sites are out there on the internet? Run the term through a search engine, and the answer is: LOTS. Some include:
- Blip.tv
- ClipShack
- Crackle
- GoFish
- Google Video
- iFilm
- Yahoo! Video
However, the most popular site may in fact be YouTube with over 1 million videos viewed daily (School Library 2.0 Learning). An incredible variety of content videos can be found at such sites. A simple keyword search will turn up videos which have been tagged according to subject content and title. Videos range from amateur creations, to clips from movies or television programs, to creative combinations of both.
It is explained in “YouTube Comes to the Classroom” by Anna Adam and Helen Mowers (School Library Journal, January, 2007), that videosharing sites, such as YouTube, are looked upon as places for students to discover their voice. While inappropriate material does exist, the article points out that there are “gems” for educators to be found. The site’s K12 education group is a safe area for posting and searching, where one can find teacher- and student-submitted videos, including a piece on using blogs, wikis, and other social media in the classroom. The article also makes suggestions for discouraging the viewing of inappropriate video content.
Michael Wesch provides another supportive voice in Presentation: YouTube in/on/of/for the Classroom. He explains “yes, you can (& should) use YouTube videos in the classroom” because of its relevance, engagement, and it is the new media literacy.
Videosharing : Part 1 – Pre-conceptions
Although I admittedly spend a great deal of time on the Internet, I actually have spent very little, if any, time really exploring videosharing sites, until now.
I had certainly heard of YouTube and even TeacherTube, yet had not really been curious enough to see what these sites had to offer. Perhaps this was because I had some belief that a great deal of what gets posted on YouTube consisted of meaningless content for entertainment value. On the other hand, TeacherTube had always sounded interesting and potentially more useful, but still, a consumer of my time.
Some questions I had about exploring video sharing sites included:
* Is there meaningful, educational content to be easily found on sites such as YouTube?
* What other videosharing sites exist? What are the differences between them?
* What are the ways in which videosharing can enhance classroom instruction or become a product of student learning?
* If videosharing sites such as YouTube have been banned in certain school divisions, what case can be made for lifting these bans?
* Are there copyright laws which must be taken into consideration if videosharing sites are used in a classroom?
* How can educators make videosharing safe for students?
I approached this web 2.0 tool with some trepidatation. Perhaps my lack of experience in creating video media has prevented me from establishing a comfort level. I also had (and still have) concerns about the grave misuses of this media.
However, I tried to approach this challenge by focusing on what other educators had to say about the “benefits” of this web 2.0 tool, so that it can be used in a safe and educational manner.
I had certainly heard of YouTube and even TeacherTube, yet had not really been curious enough to see what these sites had to offer. Perhaps this was because I had some belief that a great deal of what gets posted on YouTube consisted of meaningless content for entertainment value. On the other hand, TeacherTube had always sounded interesting and potentially more useful, but still, a consumer of my time.
Some questions I had about exploring video sharing sites included:
* Is there meaningful, educational content to be easily found on sites such as YouTube?
* What other videosharing sites exist? What are the differences between them?
* What are the ways in which videosharing can enhance classroom instruction or become a product of student learning?
* If videosharing sites such as YouTube have been banned in certain school divisions, what case can be made for lifting these bans?
* Are there copyright laws which must be taken into consideration if videosharing sites are used in a classroom?
* How can educators make videosharing safe for students?
I approached this web 2.0 tool with some trepidatation. Perhaps my lack of experience in creating video media has prevented me from establishing a comfort level. I also had (and still have) concerns about the grave misuses of this media.
However, I tried to approach this challenge by focusing on what other educators had to say about the “benefits” of this web 2.0 tool, so that it can be used in a safe and educational manner.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
