7 Things You Should Know About Collaborative Annotation

Abstract

Collaborative annotation tools expand the concept of social bookmarking by allowing users not only to share bookmarks but also to digitally annotate web pages. Rather than simply pointing to particular web pages, collaborative annotation lets users highlight specific content on a web page and add a note explaining their thoughts or pointing to additional resources. Students who use these tools for academic research can, over time, build a collection of their own studies and observations in much the same way generations of students have saved texts with dog-eared pages, highlighted passages, scribbled comments, and sticky notes. The activity of adding reflections as marginalia can move students from being passive consumers of information to active readers engaged in scholarly discussions.

The "7 Things You Should Know About..." series from the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI) provides concise information on emerging learning technologies. Each brief focuses on a single technology and describes what it is, where it is going, and why it matters to teaching and learning. Use these briefs for a no-jargon, quick overview of a topic and share them with time-pressed colleagues.

In addition to the "7 Things You Should Know About…" briefs, you may find other ELI resources useful in addressing teaching, learning, and technology issues at your institution. To learn more, please visit the ELI Resources page.