This week I’m beginning the clean up of my working space online. I’m beginning the inquiry project with Diigo.

What intrigues me about Diigo, is that it is both bookmarking and a social network.  Until a year ago, my only social network was Facebook, which I used only for socializing.  Then I met Twitter, and my professional learning exploded having a direct impact on my need to begin my Masters in Education, because I feel compelled by the need to know more and to consume more media.  Now as both a student and a teacher, I realize that I need to be able to handle my diverse responsibilities and interests better.  I wish desperately to be able to share what I’m reading with colleagues and students immediately.  Right now, I cut and paste links into whatever medium I’m using to communicate.  My wish is to create a satisfying library of bookmarks that colleagues and students will begin to follow.  I’m following along with Chapter 3 in Pam Berger and Sally Trexler’s book Choosing Web 2.0 Tools for Learning and Teaching in a Digital World.

Ferriter (2010) said that Diigo should appeal more to students because it is social and also participatory (para.5).  At first read, I am excited about adding Diigo links to my websites and wikis, to my blog and even making tag clouds.  However,  I need Diigo history to really get these things working and looking spiffy.  I decided to start with Diigo because I think it is the most complex to build and I’ll need another 6 weeks to really generate evidence of my learning.

I will eventually add my Diigo and maybe a Diigo tag cloud to my blog.  I found out that you can create groups, like lists in Twitter, so that I can link people together, so of course I’m starting one for Unplugd11.  I also applied for an educator upgrade, so I’m going to try and use this with a class.  I’m working bi-weekly with a grade 12 Exercise Science class that I think will see an immediate value in this.  I’m unsure of the details, like how many student accounts I get, but I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.

I hope you also notice a few more bells and whistles in my blog as I got the WordPress $99 Starter upgrade which allows embedded video, customized fonts, my own domain (haven’t used that yet) and more storage space which I will need with the upcoming podcasts.

Next up, Evernote, which I hope will allow bookmarking of images, and also be very friendly for the smartphone users in my school.

References

Berger, P., & Trexler, S. (2010). Choosing web 2.0 tools for learning and teaching in a digital world. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.

Ferriter, W.. (2010, March). Can’t Get Kids to Read? Make It Social. Educational Leadership, 67(6), 87.  Retrieved November 5, 2011, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 1989654971).