Thing 11 - ("goma sha daya" - HAUSA)

Tagging is something I have not consistently participated in. I have seen the opportunities to do this in previous blogs and other posts, but I did not want to take the time to complete that step. After learning more about Web 2.0 and what it has to offer for today's users, I realized how vital tagging can be in connecting me and/or my work with others. Without tagging, it might be hard for someone to locate a post by me, a picture by me, or even a website by me. I did take time to tag much of my content on this blog. I will also tag more often when I add things to the web.

I have learned to use del.icio.us in a previous workshop. I admit that I do not use it religiously. I have my habits still when I am online. I do see the benefits of this tool. When researching, especially in a group situation, del.icio.us makes sharing your resources a whole lot easier. Instead of emailing links or creating a huge list of bookmarks, the toolbar from del.icio.us would be quite useful for multiple people working on the same project.

It would be interesting if elementary students could tag and search those tags in a controlled environment at school. There will be that given percentage of students who will type in inappropriate tags in searches. Avoiding that would be difficult. If students can search tags created by their classmates or peers, well, that is a more ideal situation and could help develop the students' skills in creating tags and learning how they can help you and others.

Del.icio.us at the elementary level would be useful, because students love going back to their favorite sites. I do not know if students have access due to our system securities. Which is the give and take of working in our computer labs. The students can only do so much for their safety.