Diigo- Social Bookmarking

Our first true assignment for Instructional Technology was to sign up and get familiar with Diigo. Diigo is a free social bookmarking, research, and knowledge sharing tool created to mirror the art of taking notes while providing a network for sharing and discovering information. Part of this course is to share and create knowledge so getting familiar with Diigo and all its wonders is a top priority. Going outside of the box to try to discover more about Diigo I found this website, what is diigo, it taught much more about the network and what its benefits are. Each week are required to add 3-6 related news or scholarly links that relate to our field or anything relating to technology or educational technology research. Please feel free to check out my additions in my library you can find it here, AndriaS Diigo Library, or its listed as a gadget on the right hand side of this blog. So part of diigo is adding on the diggo web browser toolbar to your browser, a.k.a. diigolet. Some people, like me, would find this browser add on to be unnecessary and distracting others would welcome the convience. So I pose the question what is a browser add-on and are they necessary?

Browser add -ons or extensions are typically toolbars that can improve your experience on a website by providing multi-media or interactive content. Browser add-ons can be useful if they are adaptable to your current browser. I always check requirements and specifications before I download anything. I tend to stick to what's familiar to me so the addition of add-ons are not always welcomed but since the course required it I adapted to the change. So currently I am using the Diigo toolbar, I hate to admit but it is very convenient and useful when it comes to the Diigo community. I like most people spend a lot of time on my computer whether its social networking, shopping, web browsing, and of course homework and at any given moment I can come across something that is not only useful to my field of teaching but also to this class. With the Diigo toolbar I have instant access to bookmark that page make any highlights or comment I feel important and then share it with peers. The hassle of copy and pasting links is ancient history when it comes to social bookmarking, something I think we can all welcome! The installation of the toolbar was really simple you simply clicked the link accepted permissions and then within seconds the installation was complete. You did not have to reboot your computer just your web browser itself. Again very simple and very well worth it!
Another add on I currently use is google chrome. I personally like this because of the extensions you can add on like Speed Dial and Add Blocker. Again installation of this add on is very simple and convenient.

So what do add ons and Diigo have to do with teaching? The Diigo activity matches the ISTE NETS-T model digital-age work and learning model. Through the Diigo community teachers communicate relevant information and ideas pertaining to their trade through their bookmarks to perers and even parents if the parents are Diigo members. Also teachers collaborate with peers and diigo community members while using Diigo as a digital tool for research, feedback, and resource to further student success in the classroom.

I am looking forward to becoming more familiar with Diigo. And using it to see what resources I can find to help me better myself as a future educator. Until the next assignment...

Andria