Tags
I have mixed feelings about tags and social bookmarking. I can see the benefits of it. It is a great way to move form computer to computer and across different platforms and still be able to access your bookmarks. I know I have spent many hours reinventing the wheel when I have changed computers or had to reimage a machine. The ease of the tags is another benefit that can help focus research and channel sites for student use.
Some of the concerns I have is that if you do not tag a site correctly it can waste time while searching. Say you are researching a specific topic - you are going to look for tags about that topic, but if someone has incorrectly tagged a site it can become frustrating if you keep pulling up sites that do not solidly connect with your topic. Also sites that you may find, tag, and add to your list at home that you know your students would benefit from may be blocked when you go back to campus. Some people may argue that you could use the VPN to check them since the same filters are active through that login, but that can be more of a hassle to log in to the VPN and search.
I can see the benefits of using tags - it would help the younger students focus when doing research. If I had created some tags on weathering then the students in the lab or in their classroom would be able to use my delicious tags to research the topic without having to filter through all the muck on the internet.
Bouquet Fun at House Plantation
12 years ago
I agree with you that tags are only as good as the tagger, and since we know not everyone sees the same connections/associations that we do, there will always be some degree of "noise" in our tag searches. However, I think the last point you made outlines an efficient and reliable use of tags (i.e. have students use your delicious tags to research a topic). I like the way you think through issues in such a logical, open-minded way!
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