Thing Fourteen

Include your Delicious username in this blog post so that others can view the bookmarks that you have chosen to share. Then reflect on how you think social bookmarking can be used in your teaching. Does Delicious seem to be a tool that can enhance your productivity?

Share your thoughts about tagging. Is tagging a useful way to organize your digital resources and why? What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages? What is important to think about before assigning tags to bookmarks or other Internet content?

My Delicious username is hdh.  

Social bookmarking appeals to my intense need for organization.  I love to organize spaces, information, and objects.  In the past it has been difficult and frustrating to me when I have tried to keep the vast amount of internet information organized.  I am always searching the internet for teaching information, themes, websites, and lesson plans.  I work from school, at home, and at the library and have bookmarks at each workstation.  As I switch from one workstation to the next I have been unable to keep track of the websites that I have used.  Now, I can keep this information on the Delicious website and be able to access it anywhere I am working.  This will definitely enhance my productivity. 

For me, tagging is a difficult aspect of Delicious.  I will need to gain more information about effective tags so that I will be able to find and share my bookmarks in a convenient and effective way.  As I was bookmarking sites, it was helpful to me that Delicious suggested possible tags that I could use.  As I continue to use and explore Delicious, I think that I will become more proficient with tagging.  

Incidentally, Delicious reminds me of another social bookmarking site called Pinterest.  I have been on Pinterest for a short time, but find it fun and addictive.  Pinterest allows users to "pin" interesting pictures and images on virtual bulletin boards.  The user names the bulletin board, which I think is similar to naming a stack on Delicious.  Users can follow other people's bulletin boards and repin interesting images to their own boards.  Pinterest contains a wide variety of interests including education, recipes, hairstyles, redecorating, organizing, etc.  Pinterest has associated itself with Facebook and Twitter and allows users to find friends through both social networks.  Pinterest requires an invitation, which reinforces the social aspect of the community. 

The major difference between Delicious and Pinterest is that Pinterest only allows the use of images.  Unless a website has a particular image, it can't be pinned to a bulletin board.  Delicious allows users to keep track of website addresses, not just images.

Thing Thirteen

What applications appeal to you? Now that you know more about Twitter and Facebook, pay attention to where you hear references to them in the every day world. How do you think you might use these tools? 


Why do you think MySpace and other social networking sites are so popular with kids today? What safety tips would you share with your students who are talking about using social networks?  

I have been a long-time user of Facebook and have thoroughly enjoyed it. It has allowed me to stay in touch with family and reconnect with old friends. I do not have a Twitter account, but have been aware of Twitter for quite some time. I know that my school district uses Twitter to update community members on school information and events. I have thought about joining Twitter, but have not done so because Facebook already takes up a lot of my time. I just didn't feel like I could keep up with Twitter. It is quite amazing to see Facebook and Twitter logos on almost every commercial, advertisement, and product. It is hard to remember a time when these tools did not exist.

I think that social networking sites are popular with kids because it gives them the chance to connect with a greater number of their peers and gives them immediate gratification. Modern kids do not remember a world where people had to wait to talk to a friend or family member in person or on the phone. They are used to interacting on an immediate basis at any time. As my own daughter approaches the teen years, I know that she will become a member of this social networking world. It is a powerful, and scary, truth that she will have access to so many people and so much information. On the flip side of this, all of these people will also have access to her. I have already begun to emphasize with her the importance of not sharing her personal information with anyone. I'm also beginning to have conversations with her about how information, especially pictures, that are put on the internet are a permanent record that can't be controlled.

Thing Twelve

Exploring widgets was interesting and entertaining. There seems to be a widget for any topic. I was able to find many educational widgets that could support learners and their parents. There were quite a few fun widgets, which got me thinking…maybe I will need a classroom blog and a personal blog. My classroom blog could be the one that guides and supports learning. My personal blog could be the area where I could have more license to exercise a sense of humor and pursue my personal interests outside of education.

Reading Tip of the Day

Thing Eleven

What do you like / dislike about leaving comments? How did you feel when you received your first comment? Why do you think commenting is so important in online communities? What might this mean for students who share their writing online?

I enjoy leaving comments on blogs because it gives me a sense of connection to a larger group of people.  It also gives me a chance to leave positive comments when I really agree with the blogger.  It is an affirming experience for me because I get to hear from other educators who agree with my philosophy or help me to see things from a different perspective.  Sometimes it can be difficult to compose a comment because of the limits of printed text.  I find myself really analyzing my word choices and the tone that I am using.  I try to review my comments from the bloggers point of view.  It can be difficult to discern whether comments will be taken in the way that I have intended.  This process could be very powerful for students.  It is a “real world” way of publishing work and receiving feedback.  It could cast the work or assignment in a more meaningful light and increase the quality of the work that is presented by students.   

Thing Ten

This video is called "Mahna Mahna" from the Muppet Show.  I chose this video because...well...it just makes me smile.  It is just silly fun.  We all need a little silly fun in our teaching days.  I was also able to download it to my computer using "KeepVid."  It was very easy to do.  I am able to access YouTube at my school, so I wouldn't necessarily have to download video.  But I am glad that I have tried it and know how to do it.

Thing Nine

What do you like or dislike about YouTube? Did you find videos that would be useful for teaching and learning? Is YouTube restricted in your building?

I really enjoy YouTube!  I have been using YouTube for quite some time already, both for fun and  for my classroom.  YouTube has many videos that are useful for reinforcing or extending classroom learning.  My students especially enjoy “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom,” an alphabet song from “Have Fun Teaching,” and full episodes of “Sid the Science Kid.”  I have also used YouTube for fun.  I have shown my own children theme songs for my favorite childhood shows, original “Looney Tunes” shows, and “Schoolhouse Rocks.”  We have had a great deal of fun watching the video called “The Ten Funniest Babies.”  Last week I used it for more serious purposes.  I watched videos pertaining to the tornadoes that went through Dexter.  I live in Chelsea, which is ten minutes from Dexter, so I was very concerned for the inhabitants of the town.  I was able to see first hand the destruction that was caused by the tornado.  

YouTube is not restricted to teachers in my district, but I’m not sure if students can access it on their own.  I will be asking the technology supervisor about this when I see him next.