Online Bookmarking
What is bookmarking?
Bookmarking is a common strategy used by educators for many years. Traditionally sticky notes were used with classroom textbooks or hard copies of resources were coloured coded in folders (Gormley and McDermot, 2010). This traditional approach can also be taken when engaging in blended learning. Today there is an abundance of resources available online. Online bookmarking tools or social bookmarking are key to the effective management of digital resources. They allow the easy capture of important information or resources to be collected and organised for use at another time. The social aspect of social bookmarking is evident when content and resources are catalogued into collections and shared with others.
Case Study A
A large post-primary school in Ulster uses Scoilnet Learning Paths to guide students through a range of selected resources. Subject departments have selected relevant topic specific resources and organised them into a logical sequence. These learning paths are used to introduce or extend in-class activities. Students can either access the learning path at home using a phone or other device or in class to work through both online and offline activities.
Case Study B
Subject department teachers in several local post-primary schools in Connacht are collaborating to curate, create and share topic specific resources and assessment tools using Blendspace by Tes. This tool allows teachers to use pre-generated lessons or create their own. Resources can be shared to a lesson from a variety of sources such as websites, YouTube, Google Drive, Dropbox or uploaded from a local device. Resources can be added and built up over time. Students can access the lesson in a variety of ways, including by QR code, embedded on a school website or blog, shared on Google classroom or via a link shared by email. Built-in analytics provide teachers with feedback data to check for understanding and extend students’ learning.
Creating Learning Paths:
The short online tutorial videos below explore how to effectively create learning paths that can be shared with learners and accessed from home.
Symbaloo Learning Paths
This short online tutorial explores how to create a learning path using Symbaloo. The learning paths allow teachers to effectively collate resources that can be shared with learners and accessed from home.
Wakelet
Wakelet is an online tool that allows teachers to save, organise, and curate content on a particular topic from multiple websites in one themed place. This can then be shared with learners.
Digital tools to support teaching, learning and assessment.
Including an online assessment tool as part of or at the end of a learning path can be an effective and engaging way to assess learners progress in both a formative and summative manner. Below are examples of two digital assessment tools. For more online tutorials videos, please visit the PDST Digital Technologies Team YouTube Channel.
Edpuzzle
Edpuzzle is a device neutral, online tool that can be used to make video content interactive. It is also suitable as an assessment tool. Edpuzzle is particularly useful for teachers using a blended learning approach.
Google Forms
Google Forms can be used by teachers to assess learners' knowledge and understanding, encourage them to reflect on their learning or as an exit ticket. Teachers can analyse the information to evaluate student learning and plan future instruction.