Digital Commonplace Texts

I just viewed Richard Beach’s presentation (http://k12onlineconference.org/?p=655) about constructing “Digital Commonplace Texts.” This is a phrase he coined which refers to the practice of making annotations on digital media with such tools as Diigo, Voicethread, VideoAnt, and YouTube Annotations.  Beach takes us through the steps of utilizing each tool and highlights specific ways in which teachers may incorporate them into their classrooms.  His intent is to modernize the old practice of sharing commonplace books in which individuals wrote notes and annotations in the margins.  There are multiple problems with this method.  It's a laborious process that involves handing a physical book to someone, waiting for them to read it, adding their own thoughts and, finally, returning it.  It's no wonder this process died out.  Annotating video and pictures on the web solves these issues. 

These are all pretty cool resources to use.  Diigo is a browser tool that allows students to share bookmarks, tags and sticky notes with one another.  Voicethread, which we’ve experienced in class already, allows students to comment on and actually doodle on images and video.  Video Ant provides the ability to annotate video; one side of the screen plays the video while the other displays your text.  And YouTube Annotations allows users to print text within their videos. 

Each of these tools presents opportunities for teachers and students to be in dialogue with one another.  Beach offers advice on how teachers can incorporate these tools into their classroom experiences as well as criteria by which teachers can evaluate student participation.  Were the student’s annotations relevant, specific, and interactive?

I found this video helpful and could see myself incorporating these tools into my classroom.  They present options for integrating technology into our students’ lives and studies that get them communicating with and teaching one another.  They also allow for some creativity on the part of students who can express themselves in innovative ways through voice, word, and doodle art. 

http://k12onlineconference.org.  Two thumbs up.