Journal 10: “Teach Your Students to Share Using iCyte” NETS-T 3

Huston, D. (2010). Teach your students to share using iCyte. Learning & Leading with Technology, 38(3), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/digital-edition-november.aspx

SUMMARY:
iCyte is a research bookmarking tool that is similar to Delicious, a social bookmarking tool. However, with iCyte it is easier to learn and use when doing research. There is already a team of students already with a common research task that allows them to rapidly share and collaborate information. The most crucial part of iCyte is using appropriate tags in order to get results rapidly and efficiently. By using common, multiple tags will allow students to sort out information more effectively and quickly. You must first register an account with iCyte in order to share a project and to develop that common tagging system.

QUESTION 1: What are the benefits for students using iCyte in schools?

ANSWER: iCyte is a great free technology tool that allows student to work in teams or groups to collaborate on a research project even if they are not together. With iCyte, each person can work on their own time or at the same time in different places at once. By tagging and annotating each site collectively, it will be so much easier to gather and sort out information. Also with this group collaboration, each person will effectively gain knowledge and understanding of a particular topic or issue more rapidly. Another great benefit of iCyte is that users can now embed all their research or results into their blogs and wikis to share with others that may be interested in their research topic.

QUESTION 2: How can educators help students be more successful in doing research effectively?

ANSWER: I myself am not a computer savvy person. However, after taking this Education Technology class I have learned so much about the different types of free online applications that has truly helped me in several school assignments. I am a very visual person. So seeing and being taught these types of digital tools has made me more comfortable in trying it out for myself. I believe educators should take the time to teach students how to use these digital tools such as iCyte. Educators and students should take advantage of these digital tools because they are very useful and above all, it’s all free. If educators took the time to illustrate how powerful iCyte can be, more students will not dredge doing any type of research project because they can easily obtain information more effectively and quickly with this digital tool.