Diigo

One tool I was initially excited about was the tool Diigo. As a social bookmarking tool, it is similar to del.icio.us in the way you can create bookmarks to your account and tag them with keywords. Then, you can search other users for similar bookmarks or similar tags, thereby increasing your own research of the web.

The best part of the tool is that you can create annotations on websites. You can highlight text, and then add a floating note. This notation then can be saved for future trips to the web page, where you can pick up where you left off. You also can share your notations with others. For teachers helping students discover note-taking and research skills, this is an excellent tool for assessment and guidance of student progress. Plus, the tool can be used over distances, making it very handy for online learning classes.

The problem I've seen is that... no one is using it. There were a couple of notations on a George Siemens' article I was reading, and that's it. There is that uncanny feeling that this will be another wasted tool, to be replaced by more popular ones. It eliminates one of my initial points of excitement, that I might possibly have some help decoding and analyzing the websites that I browse from a field of experts out there.

All that aside, I think it is still a neat tool, offering a different set of features than del.icio.us. Given the crucial nature of students being able to digest printed text and extract important information, this is a tool that helps teachers teach that nebulous skill.