Week 4

 Potpourri: Tags, Social Bookmarking,

 Copyright and 2.0

Tagging is an open and informal method of categorizing that allows users to associate keywords with online content (webpages, pictures, and posts). Unlike traditional library subject cataloging, which follows a strict set of guidelines (e.g., Library of Congress subject headings), tagging is completely unstructured and freeform, allowing users to create connections between data in any way they want.

In the past few weeks, we’ve already explored one site – Flickr - that allows users to take advantage of tagging and some of you even used a common tag to create an association between photos that we individually uploaded.

This week, we also want to take a look at the popular social bookmarking site Diigo.

Why social bookmarking? Well, have you checked your list of favorites or bookmarks on your internet browser lately? If you’re like me, your favorites list may need some pruning or organization. Or, if you don’t happen to be on your regular computer, how do you even remember all the sites you’ve bookmarked?

Diigo is a social bookmarking manager which allows you to bookmark a web page and add tags to categorize your bookmarks. Not only that, but you can highlight sections on the web page, and add “sticky notes” to the highlighted areas! Groups can be formed and shared, and teachers can set up classes within their account. After setting up Diigo – simply apply for an educator upgrade! The second part of this slide show shows how you might set up student accounts and use this tool in the classroom.

Many users find that real power of Diigo is in the social networking aspect, which allows you to see how other users have tagged similar links and also discover other websites that may be of interest to you. You can think of it as peering into another users’ filing cabinet, but with this powerful bookmarking tool each user's filing cabinet helps to build an expansive knowledge network.  However, Diigo goes beyond just tagging and sharing resources. It allows you to highlight and comment or annotate right in the electronic webpage – and an easy way to find that information later because it is permanently stored within your account.

For this discovery exercise, you are asked to set up a Diigo account and learn about this popular bookmarking tool.

 Thing #10:



Discovery Exercises:
  1. Watch this short video  on how Diigo works.  Here is another short video that shows how to use Diigolet  tool to bookmark. This is recommended. If you prefer to have the toolbar installed, you will need your BTC to log in as an administrator and install it for you.
  2. Set up your account in Diigo. Diigo will allow you to export all of the “favorites” or bookmarks from your computer to your Diigo account. No worries – none will be shared publically until you go in and select “share” for individual bookmarks in your account.
  3. Explore the site options and try clicking on a bookmark that has also been bookmarked by a lot of other users. In the lower  panel, look at the comments and bookmark history to see what they said about the site.
  4. Take a look around Nancy’s account on Diigo.  Also check out some of the accounts of some great educators on Diigo:  Karl Fisch,  David Warlick, Vicki Davis, and Michael Wacker.
  5. Consider the power of being able to comment on student work that is published in sites like Google Groups or wikis.  Here is a short video showing how this can be done.
  6. Create a blog post about your experience and thoughts about this tool. Can you see the potential of this tool for research assistance? Or just as an easy way to create bookmarks that can be accessed from anywhere? How can classrooms take advantage of social bookmarking sites? Discovery Resources:
 Curriculum Connections:  

IDEA #1: Search Diigo to find links to help with student assignments.
IDEA #2: Create your own Diigo bookmarks for various subjects/resources to use with student assignments. Use special tags to help students find these resources. (i.e. “AAHSEnglishIVJones”)

[Note: Please remember to include WEEK# and THING# in your heading posts.]

Self-generating Tag applications: Tagxedo and Wordle


These Web 2.0 applications have the potential to be powerful tools in the classroom.

Wordle bills itself as the “beautiful word cloud.” Users can choose different designs and color schemes for their word clouds to display. Search the gallery to get an idea of the variations that are possible. How might this be used in the classroom? Check out this tutorial by Bob Sprankle.

Tagxedo works much the same as Wordle, with the added feature of being able to choose the shape for your tag  cloud –even uploading the picture or shape to  use! Be sure to browse the gallery to see some of the amazing uses of this additional feature.  

 Thing #11:


Discovery Exercises:
  1. Explore the site options in both Tagxedo and Wordle. How could you use them in a critical thinking exercise with students? Create a word cloud using all available options in each of the applications. Save your Wordle Cloud to your Diigo Account.
  2. Create a blog post about your experience and thoughts about these tools. Can you see the potential of these tools for the classroom?
  3. OPTIONAL CHALLENGE: Try embedding a word cloud that you create in your blog post. Hint: you’ll need to save your cloud as a jpg on your computer first.  (Create a screen print, paste in Microsoft Paint or Publisher, crop and save as a jpg file.)
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