Scenario-CollaborativeAnnotating

Collaborative Annotating with Online Systems like Annotate.co

For the teacher:

• More interaction between teacher & learner (if teacher annotates, too)
• Possibility to check if learners read their texts
• Possibility to find topics learners discuss/have difficulties with before the seminar starts. Then pick the most interesting ones to discuss them in the seminar context instead of having to go through the whole text.
• Students are more concerned with content
  

For the learner:

• more interaction between learners
• collaborative text reading instead of reading texts alone at home
• possibly higher motivation to read texts in a seminar context because of 1) visibility though annotations and 2) the possibility to communicate and discuss about texts already while reading and not only in the seminar context
• Not being seen (as person, only in form of comments) and being able to taking ones time to think, might lower the barrier for taking part in discussions for the learner. The learners might feel more comfortable to participate, being not so much afraid to ask a “stupid” question. If the teacher doesn’t insist students don’t even have to use their real names to join the discussion.

Goal/Expected Outcome (content):

Learn how to use annotation-software Students are more concerned with content

How To:

The teacher has to choose and prepare a text (scan a paper version or choose a PDF or Word Document for example) and then put it into the programme, so that learners may find it. In the lesson (or via email) learners get a short introduction of the programme which will be used. In this case it was annotate.co. Learners should try the system first at the university during a traditional lesson and then also at home with their own equipment (notebook, pc, headset, internetconnection, …). In the next lesson the teacher and students can help each other if they experienced difficulties. Outside the traditional classes, the teacher should start with a few comments on the texts online to break the ice and motivate students to do the same. After the discussion started the teacher should regularly check the comments and reply here and there to show the learners, that he/she’s interested and participating as well. This motivates the learners to take part and also to improve the quality of the discussion. Learners choose the time for reading and annotating online. This activity can be done for only one lesson to try it out or it can been done through a whole seminar/course with several texts. The learner might get better and more motivated to discuss online if they see this can be really fruitful. The teacher always picks up the most interesting points and discussions before the lesson. Then he/she takes them into the class - either “visibly” (by showing them with a projector) or just by presenting them verbally and continue the discussion from there on.

Technical Part:

annotate.com

Role of the teacher + role of the learner

The teacher should act as a moderator and try to keep the discussion running. He chooses the texts, presents them, starts the discussion and stay in the discussion. This is necessary, because the format is so new, the students need a lead.