Supporting Participation in Science Practices: Using Social Bookmarking to Make Sense of Alternative Energy

• In Event: Poster Session 8
  In Poster Session: Instructional Technology SIG Poster Session: Cognition, Multimedia, and Games

Abstract

Sociocultural learning theory is used to study how students used a Web 2.0 social bookmarking site to make sense of alternative energy resources. Learners (n = 34, ages 15 to 17) in two high school chemistry classes used the Web 2.0 tools as supports while participating in a computer-supported, collaborative unit on argumentation. We analyze video recordings (~30 hours), student reflections on the process, and student-created tags, links, and networks from the social bookmarking website to examine how students utilized the tool to make sense of the information. Our findings suggest students used social bookmarking to help make sense of the material, support construction of knowledge artifacts, share resources asynchronously, and track and manage group progress on the project.

Authors

• Jennifer Lynn Weible, The Pennsylvania State University

• Heather Toomey Zimmerman, The Pennsylvania State University