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Using Digital Technologies: Annotations
This support material is incorporated into critical challenges at grades K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12; however, it can be adapted for use at all grade levels.
Annotations can be used with images or videos to record evidence of student learning. For example, students might make and record inferences on quality of life based on evidence in an image or video. Alternatively, students might insert questions or respond to questions that are layered over images or videos. These questions can be provided by peers or teachers. To address diverse learning needs, no- or low-text annotations can be created using symbols, clip art or images.
Image annotations using a word processor
To use this technology:
- select an appropriate image from sources such as the Social Studies Images Collection in LearnAlberta.ca
- insert the image into a document
- annotate the image using tools such as callouts, autoshapes and/or text boxes.
See the example "Image
Annotation Using Callouts." 
Various online (Web 2.0) tools allow the use of images and text to create products such as magazine covers, posters or scrapbooks.
To use these technologies:
- follow directions provided on the Web site for creating a product
- select appropriate visuals/images to include in the product
- use features such as titles, labels, captions or headlines to create the product
- copy and paste the product into a new document
- annotate using a word processing application.
See the example "Image
annotation using a magazine cover template."
Video annotations using online tools
Various online (Web 2.0) tools allow annotations or subtitles
to be inserted into streamed videos.
To use these technologies:
- follow directions provided on the Web site for inserting annotations
- select and view an appropriate video, or view a teacher-selected video
- annotate the video.
For demonstrations of an online annotation and a subtitle service, see References.
References
| Title: | Digital Storytelling: Promoting Deep Thinking through Stories |
| Host: | Eduscapes |
| Description: | Suggestions for creating digital stories, including callouts in PowerPoint and bubble-based assignments. |
| URL: | http://eduscapes.com/sessions/superhero/storytelling.htm |
| Title: | Magazine Cover: Be a superstar! |
| Host: | Big Huge Labs |
| Description: | Online magazine cover template. Caution: (The Big Huge Labs Web site displays advertising that may not be appropriate for all students. It is possible to turn this feature off, but doing so requires purchasing a membership. ) |
| URL: | http://www.bighugelabs.com/flickr/magazine.php |
| Title: | Glogster EDU Basic |
| Host: | Glogster |
| Description: | A free Web application that enables users to create interactive multimedia posters that include embedded text, image, voice, sound and video. |
| URL: | http://edu.glogster.com/ |
Credits
Adapted from Critical Challenges Across the Curriculum series. Permission granted by The Critical Thinking Consortium for use by Alberta teachers.
