Social Bookmarking: Using del.icio

1. Social Bookmarking: Using del.icio.us A introduction for high school teachers

2. What is Social Bookmarking? • Social bookmarking allows you to save web pages and share them with other users. • In essence, your computer is acting like a “book” and you are saving pages that you feel are of importance or value to you and other users. • The bookmarks are shared publicly. However, some sites allow you to privatize your bookmarks.

3. Getting Started • Using delicious is fairly simple. • First, go to http://del.icio.us/

4. Here is what you will see…

5. You must go to “Register” in the top right corner of the web page. Create a screen name that you will remember, along with a password. After you do this, you are a part of the bookmarking community.

6. What can I do with this site? • The major reason to use this site is to save web pages that you want to keep on the computer, as well as see what others have saved. • After you are logged in, you can follow the tutorial on how to put del.icio.us on your toolbar so it is easy to bookmark sites on your computer.

7. Registration Process… Next Step is Tutorial

8. Now it is time to begin bookmarking • Once you have added the del.icio.us to your toolbar, it is easy to start bookmarking sites. • Go to any website and simply highlight it. Drag that website to your toolbar where your del.icio.us is.

9. Open a new tab at the top of the screen. Find a web page that you would like to save. • Simply highlight the web page and drag it to your tab for your del.icio.us account on top.

10. Look at the top left, there is my tab…

11. That is how easy it is to bookmark web pages on this site. When you create a lot of bookmarks, you’re page may look like this…

13. On the right you saw tags. These are the headings under which your sites were saved. • You can create your own tag names that identify your chosen websites on your del.icio.us account. Want to see it again?

14. What are Tags? Think of a tag as the heading you might put on a filing cabinet folder. Because del.icio.us allows multiple tags, you can effectively put the same information into multiple folders at once.

15. This allows you to … • Reference a single webpage using several keywords • Use the combination of keywords to better identify webpage content • Organize your internet sources in many ways

16. For example, You find a web page that solves Quadratic Equations using the “Completing the Square” method; providing examples and real life quadratic equation applications; and you want to use it for your Alg II class – periods 2, 3, 6. You might use all the tags to identify the site: Algebra_II, Period_2, Period_3, Period_6, Quadratic_Equation, Completing_the_square, example, real_life

17. You can also find out who has saved the same sites as you as well as what sites they have saved that may be related. • Just click on the highlighted area on the left side of your page.

19. Once you have clicked on the highlighted area, you will see a list of descriptions and user names. Click on the user names to see what they have saved. • On the right, you will also see the tags with which they have other sites saved.

21. If you want, you can click on another user’s tags and see all the other sites. Some of them may be really useful to you.

23. As you can see… • Del.icio.us is as simple as this. • Just create a user name, install the toolbar, and start bookmarking!

24. So how can I use this in my classroom? As Elizabeth Barrett Browing said, “let me count the ways”

25. Cataloging Sources • (an example easily modified) For your project, you will be writing a paper about a controversial issue in genetics. You can choose the topic. In your paper, you should describe the issue, give necessary background information, describe the pros and cons, take a side and explain why you picked that side. Use the social book-marking website, del.icio.us, to bookmark at least 5 websites that you used to prepare your research. Standards: 3.1h, 3.2b-d, 3.5c, 5.2a, 5.4b, 5.5c, 8.1a-b

26. Understanding Tags • (a generic project) Using the list provided, add one of the webpages to your del.icio.us account. Notice all the tags others have listed about the site. Create a full list of these tags. Provide a one sentence explanation of why each might be used to describe the webpage. Standards: 3.1h, 3.2b-d, 3.5c, 8.1a

27. Community of Resources • for our Community • (an example easily modified) Our class is going to create a collage of internet materials about our town. You have been assigned to a team. Our teams include 1) history, 2) important people, 3) politics, 4) business, 5) recreation and 6) current issues. Add webpages to your team’s del.icio.us account, include our class tag, your team tag and tags identifying information on the site. Standards: 3.1h, 3.5c, 6.1, 6.2, 6.4, 6.5, 6.6, 8.1a-b

28. Class Resources • (a generic use) Additional information has been provided for our course. Please view the class del.icio.us account to find additional materials to read and additional assignments to complete. The main tags to follow are our class-tag and the unit tag. Standards: 3.5c, 8.1a

29. Finding Solutions • (an example easily modified) Using our class del.icio.us account, investigate various methods of solving quadratic equations. Write a short paper on all the methods you found and provide examples of these solutions. At the end of the paper identify the sources and show the linkages to how you found this material. Standards: 3.1h, 3.2b-d, 3.5c, 4.3a-d, 4.5a, 8.1a

30. Seeing Real Life Examples • (an example easily modified) Using our class del.icio.us account, investigate real life uses of trigonometric functions. Create a list of these real life uses (at least 20) with a sentence describing how trigonometric functions are used. Identify the occupation of the person who would use this trigonometry in their work. Standards: 3.1h, 3.2b-d, 3.5c, 4.3c, 4.5a-e, 8.1a-b

31. Challenge Your Own Views • (a generic project) From the list provided, select one of the below controversies, which you currently have a position. Briefly identify key points on your own position. Using our class del.icio.us account find a webpage that identifies information or arguments that are contrary to your own. Identify one piece of information or an argument that you had not considered. In a one page paper, describe the merits of this new view. Standards: 3.1h, 3.2b-d, 3.5c, 8.1a-b

32. Pursue a Hobby • (a generic project) Pick a hobby you enjoy. Using our class del.icio.us account find a webpage that contains information that you did not know. Describe what you found AND how you can keep learning about this interest. Standards: 3.1h, 3.2b-d, 3.5c, 8.1a-b, 9.2b

33. So What Are You Waiting For? Try it out!