In a final sequel to my previous blog on social bookmarking, I’d like to feature the Endangered Species stack. These sites were compiled for students to use as they were doing their research for the TechnoKids projects TechnoReport, TechnoEnvironment, and TechnoAnimal.
Endangered Species is a collection of trustworthy, unbiased websites for students to use as a research tool.
This list consists of 20 links to relevant and respected websites such as governmental, conservancy, museum, and non-commercial sites. Students can access the stack, read the short description, and quickly find sites related to their topic of study. The sites were also chosen on the basis that the text was readable for junior and middle school students. Many of the sites are specifically geared to a student audience, such asEndangered Species In Endangered Spaces, EKids’ Planet ESPECIES Animal Fact Sheets, and NatureWorks. The readability of the text and illustrations are suited to younger readers.
The stack can be used as an addition to student research on the Internet. Alternatively, if time is limited, students lack effective search strategies, or as a safety precaution to avoid inappropriate search results, this stack is a convenient resource for studies of endangered species.
Delicious, the hosting social networking site for these stacks, offers several useful features. Users can simply view the stack or they can follow it to track changes. Comments can be offered. There are buttons to tweet the stack and to ‘like it’ on Facebook. Related stacks are listed and the Education category of stacks can be browsed by teachers.
Social bookmarking stacks are an evolution of a set of favorites on your browser. The stack offers brief descriptions of each link for the user, are accessible from any computer in any place with an Internet connection, and offer a convenient solution to student research. Many school assignments do not have the time allocation for lengthy research and at times the learning objectives don’t focus on the research skills. Have a look at Endangered Species. Could your students benefit from using this stack? Would you make a stack for a topic of your school curriculum? Do you think it’s a useful tool?
