Diigo, Blogs, and Web 2.0

Prior to creating a Diigo account in EME 2040, I had never heard of, or even used, the site. I did not realize that it was a tool for bookmarking and sharing information with colleagues and friends. Diigo, standing for “Digest of Internet Information, Groups, and Other stuff” allows for creating online collections of information and resources. Being someone who had never used a website like this, I was very unfamiliar and uncomfortable at first. I tend to share links on different social media platforms, but I’ve never used a site formatted like Diigo. I found It difficult to use at first, and was not proficient at commenting on others’ posts, or using sticky note functions. One feature that I do enjoy, though, is the screenshot feature. I like being able to select a portion of an article and sharing a picture of that paragraph to Diigo. I think that feature is more efficient than trying to quote a site, and really gives a visual element to a post. Hopefully, as I use Diigo more, I’ll learn and master more features.

Blogging is something that I truly enjoy. I’ve always enjoyed creative and expository writing, and I appreciate the outlet that blogging provides. My faith is something that is really important to me, and I’ve always wanted to create blog posts centered around that. I like the creative aspects of blogging and personalizing a page, as I really enjoy self-expression. Blogging is a balance of opinion and organization, and sometimes, particularly for this class, I have a hard time following prompts, while also including a flow between my paragraphs. Organizing our thoughts in a way that expresses our voice and individuality is key when blogging, whether it is for educational purposes or if it is based on our hobbies and preferences. 

As far as Web 2.0 goes, this is the only age of the internet I’ve never known. I’ve never known an internet that didn’t provide interactive features and connection. If I were to implement a Web 2.0 tool in my class, I’d utilize Socrative. Socrative allows for classroom assignments, quizzes, trivia competitions, and student feedback. This would be really helpful for my English class for vocab activities, reading quizzes, and student evaluation and progress tracking,  https://socrative.com