According to Karl Fisch in his presentation entitled “Shift Happens” and also in his website, there will be 2.7 billion searches on Google™ this month. He estimates that 40 exabytes (4.0 x 1019) of new information will be generated this year throughout the world. In addition, he also states that the amount of technical information is doubling every two years (Fisch, 2005). How do we keep up with this vast amount of information available to us through the Internet? There is a recently discovered method to organize and “tag” information for future reference. This is done by creating “tags” for the websites that are relevant to our needs. But what are tags? Tags are one word descriptors that you can assign to your bookmarks on social bookmarking websites such as del.icio.us and Diigo to help you organize and remember your bookmarked websites. Some believe that tags can be defined as keywords assigned by you to help you organize your bookmarks. One major advantage to tagging is the fact that you can edit, revise, rename, or even delete tags at any point. You can also use as many tags for a specific website as you want. For example, if you bookmark Texas Instruments’ educational website, you can use tags such as “TI”, “technology”, “calculators”, “education”, “math”, “graphing”, “functions”, etc. Tagging goes beyond just using one word descriptors for websites. It is especially helpful when other people bookmark related content using the same tags because a cohort of relevant information is collaboratively being built by using creative organization (see "Social Networking Video" below in the Tutorial section). More and more websites such as wiki’s, blogging websites, and social bookmarking websites are adding a tagging feature to their websites. Websites are commonly using tags at the end of their articles to link their articles with other relevant information. This is how the average person can benefit from tagging. If a person does not have a blog or a subscription to a social bookmarking website, they can still benefit from tagging when they visit websites such as flickr, wikis, CNN, or Technorati for their current events. While visiting the aforementioned websites, they can click on a tag and find all relevant information regarding that specific tag.
There are some limitations to tagging. One such limitation is the fact that all tags must be one word. If the desired website is about a two word place such as New York, it would need to be tagged as NewYork, without a space between the words. Other suggestions for the same tag would be New-York, New.York, and New_York. Another limitation is the ambiguity of tags. For example, it is not clear whether the tag “design” refers to graphic design, web design, software design, or possibly even fashion design (Smashing Magazine, 2007). Additionally, some words have several different meanings that can add to the confusion of using that word for a tag.
There are a number of websites that use tags in quite a unique way. Below are two examples:
This creative use of tagging is called a “tag cloud” because the tags are different sizes and the appearance of all the relevant tags resembles a cloud of some sort. More specifically, a tag cloud is defined as a set of related tags with corresponding weights (Wikipedia, 2008). In addition, “a tag cloud is a visual depiction of user-generated tags used typically to describe the content of web sites” (Wikipedia, 2008). Groups of tags created by the users of certain collection of data are called “folksonomies” because they are a collection of words assigned by plain “folks” and not by librarians or other subject matter experts (Library Technology Reports, 2007). These folksonomies are often displayed as lists or as visual representations and in effect become tag clouds. “The main advantage of tag clouds lies in their ability to highlight the most important and/or popular subjects dynamically which is not the case in conventional navigation menus” (Smashing Magazine, 2007).
The first documented use of tag clouds by a website was in 1995 by Douglas Couplands’s Microserfs website (Wikipedia, 2008). “The first use of tag clouds on a high profile website was on the photo sharing website Flickr” (Wikipedia, 2008).
Tag Cloud Tutorial Video
Below is a short video providing a different perspective of a tag cloud.
Use the following tools if interested in generating a tag cloud for your website.
As mentioned before, tagging and tag clouds are mainly used in social bookmarking websites such as Del.icio.us and Diigo. It is through the use of these social bookmarking websites that networks of individuals with similiar interests are created. All of the social bookmarking websites, including the aforementioned websites, include a "tagging" feature when saving our favorite websites. By using specific tags and entering a brief description, a network of similarly tagged websites is being created. (see "Social Networking Video" below in the Tutorial section)
Here are two excellent videos describing tagging and the social bookmarking phenomena.
Social Bookmarking & Tagging Video
Social Bookmarking with Diigo Video (enjoy the music)
Relevance to Education
How is tagging and tag clouds relevant to education? More specifically, what is social bookmarking's relevance to education? Social bookmarking (along with tags and tag clouds) can be beneficial to both students and educators.
Educators can create networks of websites, articles, videos, resources, and many other tools that are accessible to educators through the web with other educators with similar interests. Large amounts of tools, resources, and information can be exchanged by educators rather seamlessly. As mentioned before, a tremendous advantage for educators is that all of the information stored in social bookmarking websites is accessible anywhere there is a computer with Internet access. And the best part to this type of technology is that it is FREE (which is always an educator's favorite price).
Below is a video illustrating how educators can create networks with other educators by using Del.icio.us.
Students can also benefit tremendously from social bookmarking websites as well. Students can also create networks of articles, websites, tutorial services and many other tools with other students that have similar interests. When doing research, social bookmarking websites are an excellent way of not only keeping track of the related articles or journals, but also exploring the bookmarks of other students that are doing research in similar content areas. Overall, social bookmarking websites are an excellent way of storing and sharing information seamlessly with others that have similar interests.
University libraries have discovered another educational use of tagging and social bookmarking. The University of Pennsylvania has even developed its own tagging system called "PennTags". "PennTags is a social bookmarking tool for locating, organizing and sharing your favorite online resources. Members of the Penn Community can collect and maintain URL's, links to journal articles, and records in Franklin, our online catalog and VCat, our online video catalog" (Library Technology Reports, 2007). "PennTags can also be used collaboratively, because it acts as a repository of the varied interests and academic pursuits of the Penn Community, and can help you find topics and users related to your own favorite online resources" (Library Technology Reports, 2007). The Missouri River Regional Library uses the social bookmarking website Del.icio.us to create reference links page which allows the librarians to add/edit from any computer and the display page is changed dynamically (Library Technology Reports, 2007). Another library that also uses Del.icio.us is the Nashville Public Library.
Glossary of Terms
Tags - "A tag is simply a word you use to describe a bookmark. Unlike folders, you make up tags when you need them and you can use as many as you like. The result is a better way to organize your bookmarks and a great way to discover interesting things on the Web" (http://del.icio.us).
Tag Cloud - "A tag cloud or word cloud (or weighted list in visual design) is a visual depiction of user-generated tags, or simply the word content of a site, used typically to describe the content of web sites. Tags are usually single words and are typically listed alphabetically, and the importance of a tag is shown with font size or color" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tag_cloud).
Diigo - is a "Social bookmarkingwebsite which allows signed users to bookmark and tag web-pages. More exclusively, it allows users to highlight any part of a webpage and attach sticky notes to specific highlights or to a whole page. These annotations can be kept private, shared with a group within Diigo or a special link forwarded to someone else. The name "Diigo" is an abbreviation for "Digest of Internet Information" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diigo).
Start-up Costs
The start-up costs for this technology is very minimal compared to the tremendous advantage to education that this technology provides. The use of most, if not all, social bookmarking websites is free. For a complete list of social bookmarking websites and their respective fees, please visit the Center for Learning & Performance Technologies' page on Social Bookmarking.
It is understood that a computer with Internet access is a necessary component in using social bookmarking websites. Below is a breakdown of some of the costs that are affliated with this technology.
There are over 50 different social bookmarking websites that are currently available. Most offer very similar bookmarking and networking services. To view a list of all of the social bookmarking websites and their respective fees and services, visit the Center for Learning & Performance Technologies.
Below are three of the most popular social bookmarking websites. All potential users must create an account and subsequently log in to their account to access their bookmarks. All three of these social bookmarking websites are FREE, No Charge, Gratis!!!
OnlyWire is a social bookmarking website that ties/imports all bookmarks from other bookmarking sites into one.
Sample Lesson Plans
Click here for a blog entry by Ms. Lucie DeLaBruere in which she describes some of the advantages of using social bookmarking websites, specifically Del.icio.us, in research assignments geared towards secondary ed students. Ms Lucie DeLaBruere recently presented a session entitled "Redesigning Research Assignments with Social Bookmarking Tools" at the National Education Computing Conference held in San Antonio.
Many "thanks" to Courtney Rodgers who attended Ms. DeLaBruere's session and provided me with the URL of the presentation.
Lesson #1
(Retrieved from SmartArt database - Click here to view)
Objective:
The learners will do research, in groups of three or four, concerning a topic provided by the instructor and will find at least 3 relevant articles/websites. The learner will save and tag all relevant articles/websites to the class account on Del.icio.us. The learner's performance will be accessed by the rubric at the end of the lesson.
Student Instructions:
1. Log on to del.icio.us. (Make sure it is logged on to correct username. If not log off, and sign in with our username)
2. Use Google or another search engine. Find a site that has some relevant information about your topic. Remember your Search terms.
3. Highlight the relevant terms/paragraphs on that page BEFORE you TAG.
4. Tag your website with the terms/paragraphs highlighted. Use at least two tags (your team_name) and (your project_topic)
5. Repeat steps 2 through 4 two more times. You should have a total of 3 sites tagged with relevant information about your topic.
6. CHECK to see if your sites are tagged correctly by doing to our del.icio.us page and finding your tags.
This lesson is designed to be used in a College Prep class for 12th grade students. Students enrolled in this class must have a high interest in continuing their education in a post-secondary institution.
Objective:
The learner will do research concerning universities offering their majors of interest and find at least four universities that offer their respective major of interest. Along with researching universities and majors, the learner will also research at least three funding sources (scholarships) that they are eligible for.
Student Instructions:
1. Log on to Del.icio.us by using the class username and password.
2. Use a search engine (Yahoo, Google, etc.) to research universities that offer your major of interest.
3. Once you find a university that offers your desired major, highlight your major and bookmark this page on Del.icio.us.
4. Make sure and add a description to the bookmark as well as several tags. One tag should be your name, another tag should be the major, a third tag must be the name of the university. Feel free to add more tags.
5. Repeat this process (steps 2 through 4) for funding sources (scholarships).
By doing this lesson, the students are creating a network of universities, majors, and scholarships for the entire class/school to benefit from.
Tutorial
Below is a video explaining what "tags" and "tag clouds" are. It is a repeat video of the video located in the Historical Background section.
Tag Cloud Tutorial Video
I have also included some videos describing the process in creating and maintaining a social bookmarking account with Del.icio.us.
Appelo, J (December 2007). Tag Clouds: Usability and Math. Dr. Dobb's Journal: The World of Software Development, 33, Retrieved June 15, 2008, from http://www.ddj.com/architect/204800620
I have seen tags on some web sites, and think they are an interesting and relevant tool. What I wonder is how the general user would use them or access them. If I am on a blog or site that has them, I get it, but that seems to indicate more of a page editor job than a reader job in adding tags. You mention that a user can add them to their bookmark sites, but then all of your examples seem to be on the other end. How would tags added to my personal bookmarks be accessible to other users to collaboratively build that cohort?
I love your background--information overload and how tags/tag clouding can add meaning--and also how you use examples (like the TI example) to get across what tags are and why they're useful.
One thing that's still not super clear to me is, are tags/tag clouding a feature offered only by social bookmarking sites?
Rebecca,
I appreciate your observation concerning how the general user would use tags/tag clouds. I edited my historical background section to address this issue. Tags and tag clouds will benefit the general user by providing quick access to relevant information that they seek on commonly used websites. The general user could click on a tag, such as " politics", and be redirected to all relevant stories and articles concerning this tag.
To answer your second question as to how personal bookmarks can be accessible to others to collaboratively build networks and cohorts, I added a few videos explaining and detailing how these networks are created. I hope that they are clear in explaining this for you.
Social bookmarking websites are major users of this type of technology. But tags and tag clouds are also found in other websites such as flickr, wikis, and news websites such as cnn. What social bookmarking websites offer is a way of creating networks with others that have similar interests as our own. Networks are created when we add tags to our websites while saving them in one of many social bookmarking websites.
I have added a few videos explaining and detailing the functionality of social bookmarking websites. I invite you to revisit this chapter and possibly view some of the videos that I have included. I hope that they are clear in explaining this for you.
I think the videos are a great addition. I actually went to a workshop this week entitiled, "Redesigning Research Assignments with Social Bookmarking Tools."
( http://learningwithlucie.pbwiki.com/NECC2008 ) I thoroughly enjoyed the session and coupled with what I had already learned from your chapter, I finally feel like I have a hold on this tagging thing. Not that you need additional info, but I thought I'd pass the links along to you. I also found a handout on using del.icio.us that I uploaded to the wiki. Good job!
I really like your second lesson plan - it is very applicable to student needs, but also teaches a great organizational skill and provides the students with tools they will be able to use in other applications. This seems like a great tool, especially for gathering information, research, and organization. I feel the first lesson plan would be a benefit to help students study better, as well. There is so much to sift through when you are gathering that it is easy to lose sites and forget what you have found.
I'm so glad you decided to work on tags and tag clouds for your part of the wikibook. I now know that those pretty artistic word "murals" are not there for decoration, but tag clouds. Lol. You're wiki is very informative. I was wondering about the prices you mentioned for start up costs, are the computers and internet access prices for regular consumers or are there better rates and/or discounts for schools?
Ok. It took some time but got it. The use of "tagging" is not as intuitive as I would like. After working with both del.icio.us and diigo, I get the picture. Once I was able to successfully install diigo, I am now able to see the tags in your text. (I'm assuming you created the tags.)
The benefit to me is tagging complete content and allowing others to privately share my tags.
I will read your content again to see if the flow works. I had trouble understanding the content. The diigo site video was helpful.
Ok. I really got it. I spent some serious time with tagging. I see big potential for my students. I also took a closer look at journal sites, like Educause. They use tag clouds. I am using delicious now.
You content read like a long commercial, which piqued my curiousity and make me look deeper at the technology.
Marco, great job on the tutorial videos. I was looking over your lesson plans and wondering if you thought the first one could be implemented in a primary setting? What would be your recommendation for the grade levels where this lesson would work best?
-Paola
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Comments (10)
Rebecca M. said
at 2:18 pm on Jun 27, 2008
Hi Marco,
I have seen tags on some web sites, and think they are an interesting and relevant tool. What I wonder is how the general user would use them or access them. If I am on a blog or site that has them, I get it, but that seems to indicate more of a page editor job than a reader job in adding tags. You mention that a user can add them to their bookmark sites, but then all of your examples seem to be on the other end. How would tags added to my personal bookmarks be accessible to other users to collaboratively build that cohort?
Rebecca
Emily Moore said
at 9:58 pm on Jun 27, 2008
Marco,
I love your background--information overload and how tags/tag clouding can add meaning--and also how you use examples (like the TI example) to get across what tags are and why they're useful.
One thing that's still not super clear to me is, are tags/tag clouding a feature offered only by social bookmarking sites?
-Emily
Marco A. Gonzalez said
at 12:54 am on Jul 3, 2008
Rebecca,
I appreciate your observation concerning how the general user would use tags/tag clouds. I edited my historical background section to address this issue. Tags and tag clouds will benefit the general user by providing quick access to relevant information that they seek on commonly used websites. The general user could click on a tag, such as " politics", and be redirected to all relevant stories and articles concerning this tag.
To answer your second question as to how personal bookmarks can be accessible to others to collaboratively build networks and cohorts, I added a few videos explaining and detailing how these networks are created. I hope that they are clear in explaining this for you.
Again, I appreciate your feedback. .
Marco
Marco A. Gonzalez said
at 1:01 am on Jul 3, 2008
Emily,
Social bookmarking websites are major users of this type of technology. But tags and tag clouds are also found in other websites such as flickr, wikis, and news websites such as cnn. What social bookmarking websites offer is a way of creating networks with others that have similar interests as our own. Networks are created when we add tags to our websites while saving them in one of many social bookmarking websites.
I have added a few videos explaining and detailing the functionality of social bookmarking websites. I invite you to revisit this chapter and possibly view some of the videos that I have included. I hope that they are clear in explaining this for you.
I appreciate your invaluable feedback.
Marco
CRod said
at 12:18 am on Jul 4, 2008
I think the videos are a great addition. I actually went to a workshop this week entitiled, "Redesigning Research Assignments with Social Bookmarking Tools."
( http://learningwithlucie.pbwiki.com/NECC2008 ) I thoroughly enjoyed the session and coupled with what I had already learned from your chapter, I finally feel like I have a hold on this tagging thing. Not that you need additional info, but I thought I'd pass the links along to you. I also found a handout on using del.icio.us that I uploaded to the wiki. Good job!
Rebecca M. said
at 9:24 pm on Jul 8, 2008
Marco,
I really like your second lesson plan - it is very applicable to student needs, but also teaches a great organizational skill and provides the students with tools they will be able to use in other applications. This seems like a great tool, especially for gathering information, research, and organization. I feel the first lesson plan would be a benefit to help students study better, as well. There is so much to sift through when you are gathering that it is easy to lose sites and forget what you have found.
Rebecca
Paola Villalon-Perezsandi said
at 2:34 am on Jul 10, 2008
Marco,
I'm so glad you decided to work on tags and tag clouds for your part of the wikibook. I now know that those pretty artistic word "murals" are not there for decoration, but tag clouds. Lol. You're wiki is very informative. I was wondering about the prices you mentioned for start up costs, are the computers and internet access prices for regular consumers or are there better rates and/or discounts for schools?
-Paola
Dawn Quinn said
at 5:12 pm on Jul 11, 2008
Ok. It took some time but got it. The use of "tagging" is not as intuitive as I would like. After working with both del.icio.us and diigo, I get the picture. Once I was able to successfully install diigo, I am now able to see the tags in your text. (I'm assuming you created the tags.)
The benefit to me is tagging complete content and allowing others to privately share my tags.
I will read your content again to see if the flow works. I had trouble understanding the content. The diigo site video was helpful.
Good work on a tough topic.
~ dawn
Dawn Quinn said
at 10:51 pm on Jul 15, 2008
Ok. I really got it. I spent some serious time with tagging. I see big potential for my students. I also took a closer look at journal sites, like Educause. They use tag clouds. I am using delicious now.
You content read like a long commercial, which piqued my curiousity and make me look deeper at the technology.
~ Dawn
Paola Villalon-Perezsandi said
at 12:46 am on Jul 21, 2008
Marco, great job on the tutorial videos. I was looking over your lesson plans and wondering if you thought the first one could be implemented in a primary setting? What would be your recommendation for the grade levels where this lesson would work best?
-Paola
You don't have permission to comment on this page.