Sep 15, 2011

Words Their Way Meets Diigo!

Ever pondered how to incorporate netbooks into your "Words Their Way" center? Well, wonder no more because one innovative teacher did just that!

Credit for this ingenious idea goes to our Grade 3 teacher, Mr. Foote, who dedicated a substantial chunk of his evening to brainstorming and researching the use of Diigo, a social bookmarking tool, in his classroom. With his gracious permission, I'm excited to share his concept here.

Here's what Mr. Foote shared with me:

While one group delves into word patterns through "making and breaking" words, another engages in building word meanings by playing Pictionary with whiteboards. Simultaneously, the third group tackles a variety of sorting activities, leaving the fourth group free to explore words online using netbooks, perhaps by browsing sites like National Geographic for Kids. Not only do they read articles, but they also have the opportunity to highlight key words and phrases using the powerful collaborative tool known as "Diigo."

In the spirit of effective integration and thematic teaching, imagine students learning about animals. They could embark on a thrilling "word hunt" by reading an online article, identifying and highlighting relevant words, and even adding them to a virtual sticky note for others to respond to and comment on.


Article from National Geographic for Kids: (using Diigo)
Clifford Online: (using Diigo)

To enhance the learning experience, students could take it a step further by adding questions or responses to the article using the "comment" tool on Diigo or the sticky note feature.

This interactive approach can be applied to various virtual platforms. However, it's important to note that while Diigo works on most webpages, it may not be compatible with PDF files.


Here are some more examples to get you thinking about the possibilities:





Pop Magazine (Canada's Adventure Magazine for Kids)

So many possibilities! Thank-you Mr. Foote!


Need resources to learn about Diigo?











This should provide you with a good starting point.

Keep in mind that you can always use Google to search for more information on your question.


2 comments:

Kim Wedman said...

That is a great idea! Way to go, Mr. Foote!

Angela Rutschke said...

I really like this idea!