Thing 17

Thing #17:  Del.icio.us

     Wow!  I continue to be amazed at the technological advancements I have learned about through EDU 5500 at Austin Peay State University.  I have been awakened by the plethora of resources and I am excited to incorporate them into my professional development and general classroom instruction.  Del.icio.us certainly ranks in the top five sites I have discovered due to its ease of use and categorical organization of websites.  The site is very easy to navigate, and when paired with the RSS Feed feature its impact is quickly enhanced.

     I have been a long time fan of bookmarks as it provides a boost to my memory by saving useful websites for future reference.  The downside is that my bookmarks had become as congested as my email, with no means of being able to organize the sites.  The best aspect of Del.icio.us is that its utilization goes far beyond a sophisticated bookmarking feature to a useful instructional tool and resource.  Aside from the apparent use of the social networking feature for teachers, it also allows a platform for students to share helpful websites for other students to investigate.  As teachers, we strive to provide useful web resources to students that we feel are both stimulating and enjoyable.  Although, we are often successful... fellow students can be a more intelligible source for deciding what their demographic enjoys most.  Allowing students to discover resources from both teachers and fellow students will allow more freedom in creating individualized learning patterns, led largely by the students themselves.  Teachers will be able to monitor student suggested websites via the social networking feature as well to ensure that proposed resources are beneficial and accurate.  Teachers may also bookmark favorable sites for future students to consider as a plausible resource.