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The current generation of web annotation technologies use a set of keying techniques, often based on the Document Object Model (DOM) for representing HTML content, that link an annotation to its target content. However, when the DOM structure changes, for any reason, or browser rendering engines parse the underlying source differently, annotations can be orphaned and incorrectly re-attached. This article explores the preservation strategies that are required to ensure the longevity of scholarly annotations that use such technologies. These recommendations range from the social changes needed for the perception of annotations as first-class scholarly objects through to the technological changes and infrastructures that are needed for the preservation of such objects. It concludes with a series of recommendations for changes in practice and infrastructure that work towards the digital preservation of DOM-node-keyed scholarly web annotations.

Hypothes.is is a leading collaborative annotation tools for educators. This tool allows for private, public and closed-group annotations. Check out their Education page and Quick-Start guide for getting set up yourself.

A vibrant conversation is underway about how research data should be curated, managed, and shared.

University of Minnesota faculty Bodong Chen describes the role Hypothesis annotation played in his experiments to incorporate collaboration in a graduate course: In this design case, an instructor architected a digital learning environment to facilitate collaborative discourse in an online graduate-level class. Given traditional Learning Management Systems offer uninspiring support for dynamic social interactions, the designed environment harnessed emerging technologies in open textbooks, web annotation and team communication to foster a collaborative learner discourse that was dynamic, distributed, and coherent. The purpose of this paper is to describe the designed digital environment, as well as key design decisions leading to the designed environment.

My project has been to implement digital annotation (using Hypothesis) into my upper level course in anthropological theory, last taught in the spring of 2016. I was in the middle of this course during my last update, and now I have had almost a year to reflect and plan for the next offering of this course in spring of 2018. The outcomes were so successful that I would not want to teach the class again without using digital annotation. Adding digital annotation into the course led students to dig deeply into difficult texts, which led to two distinct results: higher grades on tasks involving close reading and theoretical thinking; and, more nebulously but also importantly, greater class camaraderie and discussion.

Today we are announcing a partnership to bring open, collaborative, cross-platform annotation to eBooks. Together with NYU Libraries, NYU Press, Evident Point, the Readium Foundation and the EPUBjs project, Hypothesis will be working to bring annotation to EPUB, the standard format for digital books.

Climate scientists and technologists are collaborating on fighting fake news with a site called climatefeedback.org.

Climate scientists have volunteered by the dozens to review the accuracy of stories about climate change. Now they're collaborating with computer experts to develop ways to scan the internet for fake and misleading stories about climate.

In my previous post I outlined what students should be annotating for in a complex text or novel. But what about the how?

Just recently Francis Ford Coppola, the director, released an entire book filled with his notes as he was making the movie. That’s right. Even the director of The Godfather engaged in annotation.