Manifold Mini #3
Reading Groups
This Manifold Mini was held April 21, 2020. I discussed how Reading Groups can support classroom work for CUNY OERs. I described how Reading Groups work and where people can find more information (Manifold Documentation). I demonstrated how to create Reading Groups, invite others to join your Reading Group, and how to annotate within a reading group.
Reading Groups
RECAP
How Reading Groups Work:
I used today to show what sort of information and description is readily available on the Manifold Documentation site. I wanted to show how sections like the documentation on Reading Groups and annotation are geared toward front end users of Manifold. The descriptions go into detail about how different privacy and visibility settings work and include helpful images of the relevant buttons in the user interface.
Assignment ideas:
This quick guide on the CUNY Learn page provides a brief overview of why annotating in class might prove useful and includes some assignment ideas. I’ve included a pdf of slides I used for a presentation at John Jay that list three Assignment ideas (Annotation Types, Discussion Questions, and Role Play).
Annotation Types
- gloss
- question
- rhetorical analysis
- close reading
- connections to other course materials and the broader world
Assignment: As you read, contribute one of each of the following annotation types. Two of the five must be on a passage no one else has annotated. Three may be annotations on something someone else has annotated or comments on their annotations.
Discussion Questions
Instructors: find the critical passage you wish to discuss in class. Annotate with questions and ask that students respond in the comments.
Assignment: As you read, you will discover questions I have left for you to answer. Each of you should comment with a brief response to the question. Don’t be afraid to be bold or disagree with the author. Don’t be afraid to agree. In class, we will use these comments to begin our class discussion.
Role Play
- Ask your students to assume a role (in literature this could be a character in the story, in a political document this could be either an actor affected by the document, an author, or a staunch opponent)
- Have your students read and respond as if they were that person
Assignment: Now that you have read this text once as yourself, imagine you are someone else reading it. In class students will choose an avatar who will read this text. Comment the way that character would comment. Does the character agree or disagree? What details would stick out to that person? How might they react differently?
Sample assignment listings:
These projects are examples of course readers that include instructions about annotation on the project home page (in a Markdown content block)
Eng 111: Literature and Composition
The Negro and the Nation
QUESTIONS
Because my meeting was the smaller of two sessions, we had more of a discussion about how Reading Group development is going. The whole development process is publicly posted on Manifold Scholarship on Github and discussions come up on the Manifold Community Slack Channel. Feel free to address your questions there where the development team and the digital editor from the University of Minnesota Press are also chiming in daily.