ABC of Social Bookmarking for administrators

Administrators Bookmarking Collaboratively

OK - so what is social bookmarking?  The term bookmarking really is a misnomer since for most, this term is related to the recording of a website address for recall at a later date.

In 3 1/2 minutes you can watch CommonCraft's "Social Bookmarking in Plain English" to get a quick overview of what social bookmarking is, and why as an educator you should be using social bookmarking.  Click here to view the Common Craft video.

The Common Craft video uses Delicious as the social bookmarking example.  My preferred tool is Diigo.  As with most Web 2.0 tools, the tool is not important, the use of the tool is what matters.  Tools will change, but administrators who have established effective practices for using web based tools will quickly adapt and change tools to meet their educational needs.

In an era where communication and collaboration are key, using the private bookmarking tool in your Internet Browser (ie. Internet Explorer or Chrome "Add as Favourite Tool") has two key limitations.  Browser bookmarking for most people resides on the one computer that they are using and thus has limitations when they are away from that particular device.  The second limitation is that the bookmarked site or resource resides with the individual and does not expand the knowledge base of the network, or professional learning community.

Diigo moves well beyond online bookmarking that can be accessed from multiple devices.  Administrators from around the world are using Diigo as a means of expanding their professional learning network.  Visit their home page for educators and find a group of interest.  You can then choose to receive daily or weekly updates from other administrators or educators around the world who are eager to share resources and "bookmarks" of resources that will improve teaching practice and result in increased student achievement.

You can choose to create your own group for sharing resources, or join existing groups.  I currently follow 15 groups organized around the following themes:  21st Century Learning, Administration, iPad/iPod resources, Web 2.0 Tools, Leadership, Social Media, Teaching Practice, SmartBoards, and Educational Technology.

How do you bookmark resources?  How do you share resources?  If you're not using social bookmarking tools as part of your professional learning network - the time to start is now.