(Social) Bookmarking

Bookmarking sites have been around for a long time now; you've probably heard of Delicious (one of the original bunch), or at least Pinterest, which is getting a lot of press at the moment.
But why bother?

Well, as you know, the internet is a BIG place. There are now more than 100 million registered domain names, 600 million people on Facebook, and the world watches more than 2 billion videos every day on YouTube. I found this information via an infographic on Mashable, a news source that brings together technology news for its 20 million+ monthly visitors.

So how do we sift through all the garbage to find the bits and pieces that inspire us, or really make a difference to what we do every day?

This is where social bookmarking comes in. Put simply, bookmarking sites allow users to bookmark something they've found and (if they want to) share it with others. Content can be tagged, so that people can search for boomarked pages based on their particular interests. Some sites also allow users to comment on bookmarks and create groups based on interests.

Again, why bother?
To me, there are a few advantages for teachers:

• You can always access your bookmarks. Put simply, if you've got an account with an online bookmarking site (and you're diligent about saving bookmarks), you'll always have that list of your favourite sites on hand.
• You can see what other teachers are using/doing: Teachers are way too busy to make everything up! If nothing else, the internet gives us a wealth of great educational content: cool display ideas, downloadable resources, inspirational videos, etc. But, finding it is a nightmare. But I know that if I'm looking for storytelling resources or classroom display ideas, someone else has already found them and bookmarked them!
• You can share specific lists of sites with people: While there are other ways to do it (I'll get to those in the coming weeks), bookmarks are a good way to share specific websites with your students (or your peers). Your bookmarking account (or a list within it) could also be your list of resources for a certain unit of work or research project. You've carefully checked the content on these pages, and know that they're just right for your students.

So, where to start?
If you want simple, Delicious is probably the best place to start. Diigo is a good one for annotating the content you find and forming groups, whereas Symbaloo and Pinterest offer graphic representations and thumbnails (good for the 'visual' folks among us!). StumbleUpon is cool too, it recommends websites based on your interests.

Wherever you end up, it's a good idea to have a bit of a play until you find one that suits your needs and your learning/organisational style.

And let me know if you find any cool ones!

The fine print...
Don't forget that when you're accessing web content, it's gotta be owned by someone and hosted somewhere. Most of the time this won't be a problem. but it never hurts to read the terms and conditions, particularly if you're using Facebook or Google to log into these sites. While it's a great way to do things (who wants to remember 47 different account logins?), it also means they've got access to lots of the things you do online.

New(ish) directions

I had a nice conversation yesterday, with a friend who liked to read my other blog (the deep, meaningful, personal one - you have been warned!). And they suggested that it's probably about time I resurrected this old fellow.

I started this blog about 4 years ago, when my interest in teaching with technology was really taking off. The blog-making task was part of a 'Masterclass' I was attending (run, funnily enough, by the team I now work for), and as you can see, the momentum didn't really last. But, it's been here waiting for an opportunity to come back to life.

I am now blessed to be working in a job that gives me the time and the opportunities to really investigate the types of technological and educational innovations that make a real impact in the classroom. Things that (I believe) will eventually change the way we teach and learn. When I was speaking with my lovely friend yesterday, he commented on the fact that I'm always brimming with ideas and enthusiasm and that, for the most part, I don't really get the opportunity to share it.

So, knowing that I was a moderately successful blogger (well, I had more than 50 followers, that's successful isn't it?) in my personal life, I thought 'why not try resurrecting my professional blog too'?

So that's what I'm going to do. The thing about technology in education is that it all just moves so quickly. It's not that teachers don't want to take these things on, it's just that they don't know how/what/when is the best. So I thought I'd use this blog to bring together the research that I come across, the great writing I find on various topics, and of course the really cool resources that are available to make learning more personal, meaningful and flexible. Things that I care very passionately about.
I will also endeavour to do it all with an ACT/Australian perspective, so that you know that it will actually make sense in your context.

So please, have a look, tell your friends, and keep coming back so that I can keep you posted.