Diigo and Diigo for Educators

Image via CrunchBaseI started with Delicious because I wanted to keep my bookmarks in a location I could access from anywhere.  Then, I wanted more.  So, I checked out Diigo.  I love it!  It meets my requirement of keeping my bookmarks in a single location where I can access them from anywhere but it does so much more.  Diigo suggests tags for sites I want to bookmark which makes finding them again very easy and with little hassle.  Of course, I can add my own tags, if I'd like.  And, I can choose to keep my bookmarks private or public and I can add them to lists for easy organization.
 Image via CrunchBase
Diigo allows me to highlight information on web pages and adds that to my bookmark so I can remember why I liked it. Be honest, you often forget why you bookmarked something, right?  Having the highlights available at a glance gives me a quick look as to why I wanted to remember it. I can also save images the same way.  And, Diigo remembers my highlights so when I return to the site, they are still visible. With Diigo, I can also add sticky notes for myself so that I can view them the next time I return to the site. And, I can do all of this with the Diigo toolbar which makes it incredibly easy to make the most of the tool.  There's even a 1-click option if you are someone who just wants the bookmark saved so you can move on.
One of my favorite things about Diigo is the sidebar that allows me to easily search through my bookmarks.  By simply typing in a tag in the sidebar, I am able to access all of the bookmarks that have that tag.  So, if I'm looking for that website that I remember had something to do with "timelines," for example, a simple search brings up all my bookmarks that are related to timelines.
As someone who blogs, I love the ability to quickly send one of my bookmarks to my blog.  But, get this, Diigo not only sends the link, it sends anything I've highlighted on the web page, as well.  You can do the same thing by sending a bookmark to your friends, to Twitter, or to Facebook.
As I'm discovering Diigo, I'm learning about sharing my bookmarks with others interested in the same topics.  To be honest, I'm still exploring this but can't wait to learn more.  For a teacher, Diigo provides an easy-to-use, accessible, and valuable source of those sites you didn't want to forget about.

If you look on the home page of the Diigo site, you'll see a small link for educators.  With this link, you can register for special educational access which allows you to give students Diigo accounts that you manage.  Imagine teaching your students the value of bookmarking organization!

Now, I realize that I'm not sharing a brand new site that has just appeared but I also know that many of my colleagues are taking advantage of this resource either.  So, for that reason, I decided to share what I know to be an incredible time saver and, in my opinion, valuable educational tool.  Give it a try!  And, if you do, or if you already are on Diigo, please let me know so we can share links.