Pedagogical Possibility #3: Creating a Class Network for Cooperative Research (student-centered version)
I already suggested ways to create a class network using del.icio.us' "my network" feature. Another way to think about creating a class network would be to have everyone in the class agree to a discrete set of tags or to share one common tag (like a course number). In a sense, this combines my previous two pedagogical possibilites to collect and share research. Were the class using blogging, forums, or content management systems, then instructors could increase collegiality by requiring students to post about each others' bookmarks. This approach best captures the folksonomic dimensions of social bookmarking discussed in the introduction and helps to reframe research as a cooperative activity.
del.icio.us offers one more feature that suggests an interesting pedagogical possibility. Any user can subscribe to a tag as they can a user (meaning that their "subscriptions" section would track all user activity for a certain tag). To subscribe to a tag, look under the "People" heading on the "Settings" page for a quick and easy form. For those who want to insert a bit of randomness into their curricula, imagine a class in which each member selects and blogs about a recent bookmark from del.icio.us' communal feed.
Up next: Two Frustrations.