Hypothes | Tech Teaching Tips from Timothy Corvidae

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Are you wondering how to keep your students’ discussions grounded in the texts you’re working with? Do you need a cool way to stimulate conversation about a reading during an online class session? We’ve got a tool built into Canvas that can help.

 

Evergreen subscribes to Hypothes.is, a social annotation tool that allows students to post comments on a shared document, right in Canvas. This works kind of like commenting on a shared Word document, but with the ability to tag comments, sort comments, and—best of all from the faculty perspective–grade (well, you know, review and provide feedback on) comments in Canvas SpeedGrader. If you want to try making an assignment in Hypothes.is, I want to help! Reach out to timothy.corvidae@evergreen.edu and we can brainstorm assignment prompts and I can help you set it up.

 

Check out Hypothes.is’ blog 4 Tips for Incorporating Hypothesis Into Your Course

for some excellent tips and links to starter assignments you can adopt or adapt. They recommend starting small, setting clear expectations, varying your assignment requirements if you’re using Hypothes.is a lot, and some tips on how to let students know their contributions matter. 

 

Here’s how to make an assignment using Hypothes.is:

Create an assignment in Canvas. As you’re setting up the assignment, scroll down to the Submission Type box. In the drop down menu, choose “External Tool.” A search box will appear; click “Find” button next to the box, and you’ll see Hypothesis in the dropdown menu. Click on it, and a dialog box will appear asking you to select content for your assignment. Make a choice and you’ll be prompted to upload or link to your choice. You can upload a document–shortish (3-6 pages) tends to work better than a longer document, so students’ comments don’t get too lost. But you can also enter a URL to create a copy of a website that students can then annotate. You can also annotate Youtube videos.

Then choose continue, and then Select to finalize. From there, continue setting up your assignment and publish it. The document, website or video will appear with Hypothes.is ready to go.

 

Below are two cool sets of instructions Evergreen faculty Kathleen Eamon has used in different programs. Obviously, you’ll want to adjust the kinds of tags you’re using for your subject matter and specific assignment goals, but this gives you an idea of the kinds of things you might prompt students to annotate using Hypothes.is. You can ask students to tag their annotations so you’ll be able to sort out comments by each category.

 

HOW TO HYPOTHES.IS in just four easy moves:

1. Vocabulary Fun
2. Key Terms
3. Critical Passage Identification
4. Micro-Essay (print and bring to class!)

 

1. Vocabulary Fun, or Mucking About in the Symbolic 

• Highlight unfamiliar words
• Provide a concise paraphrase or definition
• Cite the source of your definition (e.g., dictionary name, website)

 

2. Key Terms, or Our Master Signifiers

• Identify 2-3 crucial terms in the text
• For each term, infer its meaning using contextual clues
• Briefly explain why you believe these terms are central to the text

 

3. Critical Passage, or at least It Feels Important to Me 

• Select a brief, significant passage for potential class discussion
• Summarize the main idea in simple, accessible language
• Explain the passage’s importance to the overall text or argument

 

4. Micro-Essay, or This-Us-Me it Up

A Micro-essay contains the following three components:

(1) summarize the passage

(2) relate it to another program element

(3) relate it to your own life or popular culture.

(75 words min, 200 word max) print and bring to class!

 

 

Over the summer usage… Students read the week’s assigned texts in different orders depending on their emphasis (called a ‘strand’).

 HOW TO HYPOPTHES.IS in Six Standard Moves:

1. Vocabulary Exploration
2. Essential Key Terms
3. Critical Passage Analysis
4. Strand-Specific Engagement
5. Power of the Negative Connection
6. Free-style

 

1.Vocabulary Exploration

• • Highlight unfamiliar words
  • Provide a concise paraphrase or definition
  • Cite the source of your definition (e.g., dictionary name, website)

2. Essential Key Terms

• • Identify 2-3 crucial terms in the text
  • For each term, infer its meaning using contextual clues
  • Briefly explain why you believe these terms are central to the text

 3.Critical Passage Analysis

• • Select a brief, significant passage for potential class discussion
  • Summarize the main idea in simple, accessible language
  • Explain the passage’s importance to the overall text or argument

 4.Strand-Specific Engagement

• • For your primary strand (philosophy, psychoanalysis, or literature):
    • Identify a relevant phrase or passage
    • Formulate a substantial, text-based seminar question
  • For your secondary strands:
    • Engage with existing questions by:
      • Clarifying or refining the question
      • Discussing potential approaches to answering in class

5.Power of the Negative

• • Identify a connection between the text and one of the program themes: negativity, the unconscious, sublimity, the death drive, death, mortality, or zombies
  • Explain how the text relates to or illuminates this theme
  • You may refer to a specific passage or discuss the text’s overall approach to the theme

6.Free-style

• • Make at least one other comment in your own voice, about anything you like