After visiting all 3 sites, my gutt feeling was towards Diigo as the most usable for education. After analysis, let’s see if this feeling changes

Similarities between tools

• They all allow the ability to share web locations with other users through a browser integrated funcationality
• Diigo and Del.icio.us allow tagging for each resourse – SimplyBox does not seem to have that ability
• Diigo and SimplyBox allow one to “keep” or “bookmark” one specific part of a webpage
• With Diigo and Del.icio.us, every category (tags, sites) can be made into RSS feeds – It did not seem possible with Simplybox
• One can share with any user from Diigo and SimplyBox browser toolbar but it does not seem possible with del.icio.us

Differences

• Diigo allows “highlighting” and “sticky” notes in each web page while SimplyBox “captures” a section of the page. Del.icio.us does not have this function.
• Diigo allows creation of lists and groups while this is not possible with Del.icio.us (one can only make each bookmark private or public). With simplybox, sharing a box with another simplybox user makes the other user become part of that box.
• Diigo has sharing on group level, site level and tag level. Only tags and bookmarks can be shared in del.icio.us. In SimplyBox, sharing occurs at a captured box level with the ability to make it public
• For each group, Diigo has a central page with ability to enable a forum. SimplyBox allows users to make comment on each box. Del.icio.us operates on a message inbox that lets one know when one’s del.icio.us friend have shared a bookmark with us.

Do I still feel strongly about Diigo?

Yes

The main advantage of diigo I feel lies in it’s “group” functionality. It seems ideal for building learning communities and an extension to a real classroom. The ability to highlight and write sticky notes are such a natural extension of study habits that has become very common with students all over the world (in my limited view of the world I can this being usable on multiple levels in e-learning as well as blended learning. Examples:

• Group research activity where students are given a specific topic to research on over the web. Students need to highlight the areas they feel are related and comment on how using sticky notes. A TA is assigned to lead the forum for this group and will comment on each resource found by the students. Students also need to comment on at least x number of classmates findings
• Building of a collaborative space on a specific field of research amongst different content experts and professionals in the field. It is then provided as an RSS feed for students who are taking a class in the topic.
• Identify one or two main resources (e.g. a translation of the main text for a literature course that is made available on the web). Give students a discussion essay topic on the text and ask them to each create their “space” by highlighting portions of the text and commenting on how they relate to essay topic.
• Also neat way to provide student feedback – see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYxw6qrWt14&NR=1

That’s all I can think of for now