Techie Learning Tech

So I'm taking this class (TPTE 486) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville as part of a post-baccalaureate teacher education program. It's basically a course in instructional technology for K-12 teachers. The thing is, I'm already an avid techie, so I registered for this class thinking, "I dare you to teach me something I don't already know."

Well, I've already learned about some cool resources that I wasn't aware of... For example, last weekend I started an account with Diigo, a social bookmarking site. I have to say it's pretty awesome. Instead of having your bookmarks saved locally, handcuffed to the browser on your computer, Diigo saves your bookmarks remotely so you can access them anywhere. You can search them, share them, and see other links suggested based on your bookmarks. Not only that, but you can archive sites, and even annotate (highlight text, add sticky notes, etc.) and the next time you visit the site, your annotations are still there!

How am I making use of this fun new toy? Well, our textbook for the course is completely laden with websites related to education and technology. So I figure while I'm doing the reading assignments, anytime I come across a link (even if I can't think of an immediate use for it), I'll add it to my Diigo account. So by the end of the semester, I should have a nice little collection of links that I can use during my internship this Fall.

Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy reading about a techie's journey through a course in instructional technology! More to come...