Journal #6

 

    My initial experience using Diigo was enjoyable.  I found that after watching the videos explaining how to bookmark and annotate the sources, I was able to use the website to its fullest ability.  I like that it gives me the ability to share interesting and important resources with my peers and in the future my coworkers, as well as being about to highlight and annotate important aspects of what I was reading.  Since it can be downloaded as a Chrome Extension, there is the ease of access.  This way I can remember why the source I was reading was important, and have the power to share this with the click of a button.  What I don't like about Diigo is how the interface looks.  I find it to be old as if it was made in the prehistoric age of the internet.  Since this does not affect the way Diigo is used, it doesn't necessarily bother me, but I wish it was updated. 

    I have been blogging since the beginning of my senior year of high school while I was taking an AICE Media Studies Course.  At the time I found it to be a bit annoying since there were specific rules I had to follow for the class, but this time around I find it to be pleasant.  It allows me to get my feelings out about what I am learning for this class and share my thoughts and opinions on it.  While it's not my favorite thing that we do in this class, I can appreciate taking the time to do a review at the end of the week.  Since I had the previous experience of blogging for my other class, which involved more intensive work, I haven't really learned anything regarding that in this class.  However, in terms of layout, I have learned how to link other websites and images to my own blog.  This adds a layer of personalization that fosters an interest in me since it is my own blog that I am adding to.  

    An interesting Web 2.0 tool that I may use when teaching is Edmodo.  I used to use this while in elementary and middle school, so there is already an air of familiarity with it and I remember being so excited to use it to talk to my teachers and friends from home.  I even used to call it 'Facebook for kids.'  From my research, I found that the software offers diverse ways to communicate, assign tasks, and even tests and quizzes.  Seeing as how I intend to work with students of kindergarten age, I think this would be a very useful tool to be able to contact parents and keep them up to date with assignments and exams so they can connect with the students at home.