R/D3

Social bookmarking was a new tool for me. I am one of those people who has loads of bookmarks and I try to fit them all on my toolbar. Because I teach at 2 schools, I specifically wrote down which sites were on my toolbar to make sure I had the same ones at both schools. How great will it be to have all the bookmarks I want WHEREVER I go!

Social bookmarking has the possibility of being a useful tool for teachers and students. Within the context of different classes and teacher groups, del.icio.us (and other comparable sites, like digg, Yahoo! Buzz, stumbleupon, etc.) would be a quick way for participants to share useful sites they have located and share them without having to send links through email or instant messages... or pen and paper. I can remember various times walking by the computer lab and hearing, "What websites can we go to? Where do I look up information on _(topic)__?" Teachers could set up their bookmarks according to projects and reputable research sites or even just appropriate gaming sites and make them available to students with one, simple click.

I can see how social bookmarking would also be great for staff to staff use. For example, if a group of 2nd grade teachers were working on the life cycles unit, any time one of them found a cool video online or interactive site, they could simply bookmark the site, tag "2nd" and "life-cycle" or "science" and each of them could refer back to it.

Beyond teachers and students, social bookmarking would be extremely useful for parents. Think of how easy it would be, as a parent, to bring up a teacher's blog, click over to their social bookmarking site and get a list of a handful of research sites for their child's project. Not only would this reduce a lot of searching for research... it would sway parents and students AWAY from sites with untrustworthy information.

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In reading Trends & Issues, I found my brain spinning. I felt like I was reading the same thing twenty times over. I hadn't thought of every aspect of "instructional design" that they went over, but I had the broad sense of the topic. Even after reading chapter one and ALL the definitions and terms specifically laid out, I believe "Educational Technology" is a better "Title" for this subject. To me, the term educational technology incorporates the use of media as well as being a process. It also encompasses the numerous specifications that were mentioned, including (but not limited to) involving people, hardware and software and analyzing, designing, implementing and assessing problems.

If I were to use the definitions from dictionary.com, EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY IS: "the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life" [education] with the use of "the branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and use of technical means and their interrelation with life, society, and the environment, drawing upon such subjects as industrial arts, engineering, applied science, and pure science" [technology]. Now THAT is confusing!

Overall, I was surprised by the many official changes and statements made over the years. I didn't realize there would be such a heated 'discussion' over what the official title of the field should be and the definition of what it covers. In my future career (regardless of what the field is called) I hope to identify problems and, with the use of technology, come up with quick, simple solutions. -Suzy