Social bookmarking is time saver and an excellent tool. Typing in URLs can be tricky, especially if you are trying to read someone's handwriting. Being able to save and access sites of importance at any time and from any computer is the perfect skill for teachers. Social bookmarking is the equivalent to scrap pieces of paper and excessive emails containing website information. Now, when someone tells you about a site, you simply need to find it on their bookmarked page. We all know that Google is a God-send, but the idea of social bookmarking outdoes the process of typing vague words into a toolbar, and then spending 10 minutes filtering all of the sites until the desired result magically appears.
Perhaps if students have access to sites the teacher deems worthy and helpful, it will be easier to study and to find the necessary material.
I discovered social bookmarking at a conference that I attended over the summer. I was so amazed with it that I immediately started my own and bookmarked several sites for my students. (http://www.delicious.com/mllegulling)
However, with the start of the school year and all that it entails, I never finalized the site or updated my tags. It is no longer a useful tool if the students do not know about it or have access to it! However, reading the articles and listening to the videos/podcasts made me remember the ease of this program. My students will no longer need to squint their eyes and try to perfectly copy the website address, but it will be available for them at all times through my bookmarking site. Whether or not they use it..... that is an entirely different story.
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