Blog 3- Annotation studio/ Voyant
The Annotation studios was a very basic website, there was not much too it. It was pretty neat how you could post your input as you read and read my classmates comments about the text but it did not add any other cool features. It was very bare minimum, the crowd reading was very helpful and added insight from classmates that I had not thought of. I learned that annotating as I read allows me to remember and mark important details of the text. I enjoy being able to look back and recall what exactly I was thinking at that part of the text. By reading my classmates annotations I can also come to a better understanding of the text that I do not understand or need a little clarification.
I personally like solitary reading more than communal reading. I enjoy to just sit down with a physical book and read it without the annotating. Solitary reading allows me to read and get lost in the book without stopping to add input or context to the book. But I know when doing a more thorough reading the communal reading would be more beneficial. It would allow for a group analysis of the text and give others perspective of the book. But one thing that I did not like about the Annotation studio was how the text appeared on the screen. It was hard to concentrate on the text when it is set up like a computer reading. Some book sites give a more book type reading appearance which makes it much easier to follow along and read. If annotation studio made some adjustments and added more features to make it more user friendly and interactive I think I would enjoy it more. Overall annotation studio was an decent site but I would not use it again most likely, unless necessary in class.
But without Voyant I would not have known what to look out for when reading. I think I enjoyed Voyant more because of how interactive it was. It wasn’t as simple and bland as Annotation studio, so overall my favorite site so far is Voyant. But Annotation studio did give me the inputs of my classmates in the text which I found really interesting. So maybe with some tinkering on their website they can make it more informative and interactive. A cool idea would also be combining Voyant and Annotation studios so you could do both things all in one site!
5 Comments
laujack
I agree that the annotations seemed like the bare bones of what could be a much more interactive experience. Similar to you, reading through my annotations helped me to connect the dots of what I was thinking when reading. I tend to use tabs when reading a physical book, but I don’t write on them so I have to count on my memory to recall my thought process. I do agree that if Voyant and annotation were compiled into one website (Are they websites? Softwares? Hopefully you understand what I mean) it would be very helpful. As of now I prefer using Google Docs in making annotations, however I find color-coded comments and highlighting to help me out immensely.
cmorone
While some basic websites can be extremely useful and easy to use, I agree that Annotation Studio did not fit that description. Moreover, since Voyant and Annotation Studio are two completely different tools with completely different purposes, I find it hard to compare them. I find it interesting that your favorite tool so far is Voyant – interesting and impressive. It’s hard for me to pick a favorite, as I like certain aspects of both equally. I wonder which would be the most helpful overall in understanding the text.
kcookso
I will also be interested to see as we finish up this text which website is more beneficial to our learning and knowledge of the book. But I also agree Voyant and Annotation studio are two completely different sites, but it would be cool to incorporate them into one big site that could do it all. I don’t know if it would be for the best yet since we haven’t finished the full text but maybe after I can have a better opinion on it.
wschmid
You make some very good comments regarding Annotation Studio’s site and interface. It is very basic. I think given a complete overhaul with current coding, it can be a robust tool. The communal reading aspect did feel odd. If there were a way to hide the comments and highlights until we needed or wanted them, it would feel better reading on a monitor. Combining Voyant and Annotation Studio is a great idea. I can see a lot of Annotation Studios abilities and back-end functions already implemented in Voyant. We should totally start a Change.org petition.
gaellis
After going through the annotation studio and getting more familiar with it, I agree that it seemed very minimal. I prefer when technology is more minimal and easy to manage since I am not that knowledgeable when it comes to technology or specific programs. I, too, prefer solitary reading when I am reading for enjoyment. That being said, I do think that in a class setting where you are comparing ideas about a text, communal reading and annotating makes the process of comparing ideas simpler. I also agree that Voyant made it easier to know what to look for when reading Herland.