One idea that particularly got my attention at BectaX was to utilise social bookmarking for teachers. It made sense to me, afterall I have been using Delicious for many years now and its my own personal record of my time online. I regularly use it to share multiply resources on a single topic with students or just to find an odd resource I remember bookmarking some time, way back when I didn’t know what I would use it for.Delicious for UK education? #Becta tags? I have tried to share social bookmarking in school before, in fact colleagues sitting either side of me at the conference had tried as well, but sadly it was unsuccessful in all accounts. What would make it difference this time. I have never really understood the ’50 Best Web Apps’ lists when Delicious already provides a referenced crowd sourced moderation of whats good and whats not?!?!
So I have decided to do something about it.
Dear Yahoo…A key idea was to utilise Delicious as a national teaching resource. To showcase social bookmarking to a wider teaching audience. For Becta to talk to Yahoo, to discuss such a service. Now it was one of the best ideas to come from a truly inspiring conference day. #BectaX was No1 on the ‘Twitter UK’ trends list on Weds 31st March – so you know it had many of the right educators, forward thinkers present. However, as with many good ideas, wings are easily found but the landing gear is so often forgotten.I am hoping that this email may prompt further conversation. Creating a national, structured, social teaching bookmarking space is a truly inspired idea and Yahoo have the capacity to make it happen. Every school teacher, every school student potentially – could make contact with Delicious before they leave education, and I personally think that in itself is an invaluable experience. I do hope you will help develop this idea, even better, investigate and provide the landing gear.
And now we wait….
In the meantime I will continue to think over how social bookmarking could be implemented at a National level. Think over how groups such as Edtechtalk and other social groups use Delicious to good effect. Who/how they manage, moderate, categorise and tag bookmarked? From here, the questions become more open…. How the network gets connected? How these bookmarks could then be publicised, shared and archived (if necessary). More questions please….