“Antero and I argue that annotation has been a social, collaborative practice for over a millennium,” Kalir told me. For example, decorative images called drolleries were added in the margins of medieval texts as visual comments on themes in the text. Kalir coauthored an upcoming book on this topic called Annotation with Antero Garcia, an assistant professor at Stanford University.Īs the book recounts, annotation is a centuries-old practice. I recently spoke with Jeremiah (Remi) Kalir, an assistant professor at the University of Colorado, Denver, about digital and web annotation. These notes-written by me or my wife, or our relatives-included variations in cooking times (we live at a high elevation in Colorado, where cooking times do vary), ingredient substitutions (applesauce can replace sugar in brownies?), and other modifications.įamily cookbooks are an example of social annotation, a practice of collaborative notetaking that feels tailor-made for digital spaces even though it’s quite old. You can use arrows to point to quotes that you know you will use during the essay.The other day I pulled out an old family cookbook and discovered several handwritten sticky notes scattered in the margins. For example, an asterisk in the margins or top of the page could identify pages with major parts of the argument. You can create different symbols to make it easier to identify relevant pages.You can also use different color highlighters to identify important statements about different characters. You can use different color highlighters to identify text relevant to character, theme, or setting.For example, you may want to circle new vocabulary, box figurative language, underline thematic statements, and place parentheses around descriptions of settings.How you use each type of annotation will depend upon what you need to look for in the text. You can, for example, circle vocabulary you have trouble with so you can easily skim through and find vocabulary later. The more techniques you use to annotate the text, the easier it will be to find specific types of information. Use circles, boxes, multiple colors, and so on. Use different techniques to identify characters or literary tropes. In addition, if you run across a big idea that changes the way you think, highlight it so that you can return to it. Consider, for example, annotating quotes that you really like and might want to use later. If you are reading for pleasure, highlight points that you found very interesting and that you might want to go back to.However, they can also include setting, vocabulary and figurative language. Annotations on works of literature usually identify plot, character, and theme.This will be useful if you want to argue that the author’s thesis is wrong. Underline evidence that you find questionable. Clearly annotate the thesis and key parts of the argument in an essay.If you are in secondary school, you may want to ask your teacher for a list of suggested annotations. Before you start reading, decide what you are looking for. If you annotate everything you read, your annotations won’t really help you find what you need when the time comes. Read the assignment carefully to identify priorities.
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