| Strategy |
What |
How |
Why |
Thematic Organization
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An interesting thematic or topic-oriented structure for the resources, as opposed to a flat and/or disorganized list of bookmarks. |
Define tags that represent the topics of the course. Create thematic bookmark streams based on these tags, including useful tag combinations. Teach students to use the tags consistently so that their bookmarks become part of the thematic streams.
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Themes provide a sense of the interrelationship of resources, piquing students' interest and inviting interactive learning within and between the topics of the course. This simple but conceptually useful structure supplies part of the cognitive scaffolding necessary for students to build their own meaning from the course materials and activities.
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Diverse and Frequently Updated Resources
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A variety of different types of resources that can be used to learn the course concepts and achieve the learning objectives. Also, a wealth of supplementary materials for exploration, changing as new bookmarks are added.
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Search for, bookmark, and tag a variety of valuable online resources in different formats. Whenever possible, include audio, video, interactive simulations, and images, as well as textual materials. Continue to add bookmarks and encourage students to do the same.
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Different students learn differently. For example, visual learners will benefit from maps, images, charts, etc. Provide choices so that students can take ownership of the course content and become more actively engaged, constructing their own learning paths and contributing to a growing body of resources.
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Critical Questions
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Questions that trigger student thinking.
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Include relevant questions with the resource streams to prompt students to investigate the materials in ways that are relevant for the course.
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Challenge students to start thinking about the significance of the resources before they even start using them. Transform "flat" materials to be "covered" into "deep" materials to be actively explored.
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Rich Connections
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Ties from the course content to resources outside the course.
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Provide resource streams from within the syllabus and/or other parts of the course structure. Use these streams to connect course materials and activities (such as discussion forums and assignments), to outside resources. Explain the purpose of the streams.
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Providing access to resources outside the course builds a rich, interactive context for understanding. Repeated contact with the connected resources, especially in light of new concepts, reinforces learning.
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Social Learning Opportunities
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Opportunities for students to communicate with each other, demonstrate their expertise, and work together for richer understanding of course materials.
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Teach students to evaluate each others' bookmarks and collaboratively collect and tag resources. Include analysis of bookmarked resources in thematic discussion forums.
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Engaging with other students brings diverse perspectives to the resources and provides opportunities for students to learn from each other. Social behaviors such as collaboration, competition, and peer pressure make students' engagement with the course materials and activities more dynamic and provide additional motivations for learning.
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Learner Contributions to Course Materials
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Resources that are selected and added to the course by the students.
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When students tag resources in a way that matches the bookmark streams in the course, these resources instantly become part of the course materials.
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Students take greater ownership in the course if they are helping to construct a valuable set of course materials. Knowing that their peers will also be using these resources can instill a sense of pride and encourage responsible contributions.
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Learning Objectives Clearly Tied to Activities
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Statements of the goals of the course as they pertain to bookmarking activities.
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Design bookmarking activities to help students achieve specific learning objectives, such as understanding how to compile an appropriate bibliography for a research project. State the objectives clearly and explicitly.
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Help students understand the relationships between course activities and learning objectives. Provide them with the opportunity to shape their interaction with the resources in a way that most effectively addresses one or more specific learning goals. Demonstrate why the activities are relevant to specific outcomes.
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Assessments and Assignments that Focus the Learning Materials
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Quizzes, self-tests, assignments, and other activities that require the student to demonstrate understanding of the resources.
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Create meaningful learning activities tied to bookmarked resources, including the activities of compiling and evaluating. Provide students with opportunities to demonstrate their engagement with these resources, such as incorporating them in writing assignments.
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Focus the student's engagement with the resources through activities that measure and/or demonstrate what they've learned. Course materials or activities that appear to be random or do not have a clear purpose are more likely to be ignored. When students set their own priorities, they need to have an understanding of exactly which resources and activities will help them most efficiently and effectively address their learning goals.
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