I set out last week to collect some appropriate websites for one of the senior English teachers in my school. She is beginning a study of epic works across the ages with her two grade nine classes. The classes have been divided into small groups and will be researching Gilgamesh, Ramayana, Aeneid, Kundalakesi, Tain Bo Cuailnge, the Epic of King Gesar, and Chanson de Roland. I continue to live in awe of the breadth of literary knowledge my colleague possesses. Every time I work with her I learn alongside the students. I wanted to impress her with my diligence and determination in finding the best websites for her students to use.
The students researching Gilgamesh, Ramayana, and Aeneid were the lucky ones; several Diigo users have publicly available bookmarks linking to excellent sites. Those looking for links to Tain Bo Cuailnge were not so lucky. Now I have never done anything new in cyberworld. Never. I have always followed someone else's lead, mimicked something tried and true - I play it safe online. What I am about to reveal is not ground-breaking in a technological sense, but it is epic from my point of view: today, I introduced Tain Bo Cuailnge to Diigo. That's right, I did something that has never been done, online. I tagged two of my bookmarks with Tain Bo Cuailnge. I am a true pioneer.
I just have to add one more successful moment. In this post, blogger Steven Anderson stated: "Another feature I love is the ability to auto-post to my blog. If you look at the post previous to this one you will see 10 of my favorite saves from last week. I set that up through my preferences. I tell Diigo what saves I want to post (either everything I save or specific tags) and what time I want it to post. And presto! A fresh blog post of resources to share" (Anderson, 2011). Now, presto, in my next post you should get a list of my new Diigo resources. Cross your fingers. . .
References
Anderson, S. (2011, October 14). Why diigo rocks! [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://web20classroom.blogspot.com/2011/10/why-diigo-rocks.html
I'm flattered you make me sound so smart! I am in just as much awe with your ability to research and how much I have learned from you in this respect. The Grade 9s are all over Diigo (well most of them!) and have been asking if they can add their own pages, so I will have to talk to you about this at one point.
ReplyDeleteFor those of us who are "behind the curve", could you please share some of the Diigo features that you previously neglected. Chances are that I am neglecting them too!!
ReplyDeleteHey Bruce, I'll give you a Diigo intro at school. Drop by the library when you have a moment...ha, ha, ha. Thanks for visiting my blog, and for reminding me that my audience is not necessarily "with" me. I appreciate the feedback.
ReplyDeleteHi Pam. Yes, we will talk. I am exploring the Teacher Console in Diigo this weekend and will have more to share on Monday. I am so excited the Gr. 9s are using (and wanting to contribute!) to the Diigo list.
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