I was recently introduced to ‘Diigo’ at a professional development seminar. It was an idea that I just had to jump onto, and have since signed up and started adding some of my favourite bookmarks.
For those not in the know, ‘Diigo’ is an online way of managing your bookmarks, and more importantly, a way of sharing them with other people. I have joined two groups, and in doing so have been introduced to some great sites, which will no doubt become staples in my preparation and planning for the classroom.
Why bother bookmarking in this way? Well I can think of a number of reasons:
1) If you are the forgetful type (which I can certainly be when it comes to a good idea or website) ‘Diigo’ offers a toolbar that allows you to save your sites, provide a description and tag them with ease. I know that Internet Explorer, Mozilla and Safari offer you this too, however if you jump between several computers these bookmarks often become lost, or confused. Using ‘Diigo’ allows you to collaborate all your bookmarks in the one place, offering easy access wherever you are working.
2) Bookmarking in this format is incredibly handy; however I’m far more excited about the ability to see what other people are bookmarking. It’s easy to follow tags, groups or people, allowing me the opportunity to see what sites other people in my field are using. This opens the door for another form of sharing and connectivity, ultimately assisting me to be a better and more informed educator.
3) I seem to be constantly telling my students to be wary of the internet, to choose their sources carefully, to investigate, analyse and ensure their sources are credible. Most of us will Google search a topic when researching, only to find thousands upon thousands of hits (most of which are rubbish). Using ‘Diigo’ allows me to utilise websites that other educators have deemed credible and reliable. This not only cuts down on search time, but helps ensure you are using the best and most credible resources available.
I know there are a number of other sites that offer similar capabilities, however I have found Diigo easy to use and reliable.
Needless to say I am a fan, and think it will be a great tool in the future.
Check out my page: http://www.diigo.com/list/posker-hill
History Re-Written 