Browser Add-Ons

When it comes to using different web browsers, I tend to stick primarily to Firefox; Explorer only gets used if a page does not respond well with Firefox or if I'm installing software from the web (Explorer's option to run applications without having to save them onto my hard drive works better for me) and I only recently downloaded Google Chrome.

A browser add-on is a function that can be downloaded into the browser and appears as one of the browser's toolbars. Much like the issue of multiple browsers, I don't usually use browser add-ons; aside from the Diigo toolbar, the only other add-ons I have (which, like Chrome, are fairly recent acquisitions) are FoxLingo (a translation toolbar) and Fire.fm (online radio). The FoxLingo toolbar in particular is rather useful, as I've often run into webpages and documents that hold interesting information but are in a language I don't understand. For the most part, the installation and running of the add-ons went without problem, though Diigo had the side effect of causing me to see people's sticky note messages all over the web, which is a little disconcerting, especially when the notes seem to be personal conversations people are holding.

The NETS-A standard that these browser add-ons most closely relate to, I believe, is the second standard, the digital age learning culture standard. Both Diigo and FoxLingo help further the standard's aim to promote the use frequent use of technology for learning. Diigo in particular could be argued to fulfill standard 2E - "...promote and participate in local, national, and global learning communities that stimulate innovation, creativity, and digital-age collaboration." - since the bookmark and sticky note tools can both help foster discussion and learning between even students who may not initially been involved in the creation of the sticky note/bookmark.