Monday, March 31, 2008

Diigo here, diigo there

3D Dig Diigo Diagram



 


It seems the blogging community is going head over heels for diigo.   Miguel Guhlin is bringing some interesting comments to the diigo conversation.  There is so much here to learn. 

I'm finding that features work differently on different computers which is confusing.  I am also noting some glitches: yesterday I could blog post from diigo with no problem. Today, with this post, the URL for Miguel's page did transfer over and I had to enter it as an edit on this page.

The 'turning a list into a slideshow with an audio track' feature has some wonderful possibilities.  The rest of my job may just have to be on hold while I play!

Sunday, March 30, 2008

2¢ Worth take on diigo

I’m Getting Diigo | 2¢ Worth


tags: Warlick, diigo, socialbookmarking


More on diigo from Dave Warlick. Look at the link at the bottom of his post which shows you how to set up an RSS feed for blog posts on diigo. I set mine up as a box on iGoogle so I can see how other educators are using this resource.

Posting from Diigo

Bctlabookmarks - B.C. History on Diigo Groups


tags: BCHistory, history, socials


Just trying to post directly from diigo to my blog here.  This is exciting stuff!  Diigo offers a variety of formatting options which are easy to use.  You can insert additional links or even graphics. 

Great Connections

Thanks to Judy and Sue for their comments. Sue found my inspiration from the previous post. It was Jenny Luca in her blog Lucacept
who had the idea of using Google Notebook to collect blog ideas. Thanks Jenny! Have a look at Sue's comment and check out the two links she included. The second one talks about diigo.

Today I am exploring diigo further. My first attempt to post directly to my blog from diigo failed but they helpfully sent a message advising me to report it in the diigo forum where they will help me out.

This stuff is magical to me. I have many things to do in my day but I know that the first hour at least will find me playing with diigo and exploring the possibilities.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Progress Check

This past week has brought many useful tips and tricks to my desktop. The number one WOW of the week comes from someone who blogged about how they use Google Notebook to flag things of interest in other blogs. I have searched back through my feed to see if I can find that post but no luck. If I had been using Google Notebook to mark the post I would have it at my finger tips. Who ever you are, thank you!
And thanks to the following, who also helped me learn a little more about the wonderful world of web2.0:

Kristin Hokanson in her Connected Classroom blog wrote about DIG-ing diigo the social bookmarking tool. I have had diigo sitting on my toolbar for a while but haven't used it until today. I have been an enthusiastic user of del.icio.us and until now was loathe to switch to something new. I refer people attending the workshops I give to my del.icio.us account. Diigo offers a great solution. It lets you bookmark sites simultaneously in del.icio.us. Now I can try out diigo and still keep up my del.icio.us account with no extra trouble.

Sue Waters in The Edublogger for expanding my knowledge of how to use RSS feeds effectively.

Judy O'Connell on her blog Hey Jude for eloquently reminding me that in order to teach others to use the tools, teacher librarians need to be using them in their own daily practice.

Friday, March 28, 2008

Marching On


No doubt the students have been spending their two-week spring break resting up and plotting fabulous April Fools' Day pranks. My best have included announcing on the PA that starting the following day, students with overdues would be charged a $1/per book/per day fine on overdues. Normally we don't have fines. The books poured in! Here is some inspiration for you:
* Snopes on the origins of April Fools' Day
* Museum of Hoaxes Top 100 April Fool's Day Hoaxes of all time.

April 7 is World Health Day and the World Health Organization is celebrating its 60th anniversary. Follow the links to a retrospective on public health and activities taking place throughout the year. What health issues confront your students? Thinking of comparing them with the issues facing students in other countries? A sidebar link on Countries provides statistics and health issues such as risk factors, outbreaks and crisis, and mortality and burden of disease for countries around the world. The sidebar also has links to worldwide data and statistics, WHO publications and information on a wide variety of health topics.

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/communityfriend/2366254026/sizes/s/

Friday, March 14, 2008

Thoughts on Creating Summer Reading Lists


Thoughts are turning to summer reading lists. Here are some samples available online:
- for Gr. 11 Socials from Reynold's Secondary
- LadLit from Dr. Charles Best Secondary Library

- YALSA'S 2008 Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults and Best Books for Young Adults 2008

The Alex Awards lists from YALSA as well as their wiki on recommended summer reading which includes Librarians' Choice: 100 Super Summer Reads for Teens.

I'm mulling over a plan to hold an online summer reading club using a wiki. My to do list includes:
- compiling reading lists
- deciding on cool prizes
- plan for holding an organizational meeting for students before the end of June.


This blog on youth literature from Australia caught my eye: Read Alert
And this interesting column on the state of reading from the New York Times.

Image Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nabeel/43015325/