2009 Canadian e-Learning Conference Program

From “Thought Graffiti” to “Nods on the Side”: Using Web Annotation to Advance Online Dialogue

Session Title: From “Thought Graffiti” to “Nods on the Side”: Using Web Annotation to Advance Online Dialogue

Time & Date: 2:00 P.M. – 2:55 P.M., Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Location: Rm. 260, Irving K. Barber Learning Centre (IKBLC)

Session Description: Some of the key advantages of asynchronous communication are the ability to archive its content and allow further reflection upon it. However, in educational forums discussion archives are often underused and the level of reflection is often shallow. New technical structures can be implemented so that ideas generated through discussion can be recaptured by the participants, who can use them to further the dialogue. To this end, we have developed an award-winning* open source Web annotation tool, called Marginalia. It is integrated into the Moodle discussion forum and has been used in a number of online classrooms.

Marginalia allows users to highlight passages of text and type notes in the margin of a post, as with a paper book. By making annotations in a discussion forum, students are better able to mark points for follow up, summarize the dialogue, and make further contributions based on what they have read.

In this workshop, the facilitators will engage the participants in critiquing the design of the tool and discussing its pedagogical implications. The participants will also experiment with Marginalia in an online discussion forum.

* Marginalia won the 2008 BC Innovation Award in Educational Technology

* Participants are recommended to bring their own laptops for the session due to hands-on participation.

Conference Stream: Open, Connected, & Social

Session Format: Collaboratory

Co-Presenter: Cindy Xin

Co-Presenter Bio: Dr. Cindy Xin is a designer, a researcher, and a consultant in learning and educational technology. She works at Simon Fraser University.

Co-Presenter: Geoffrey Glass

Co-Presenter Bio:
Geoffrey Glass has an MA in Communication, specializing in the online commons of ideas. He also develops software for the World Wide Web.

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