Annotation is a note added to a text. And you’re an annotator. You read and write annotation every day, it patterns the warp and weft of daily life.
Welcome to #Annotate22—one year, 365 examples—a project that’s part syllabus, educational mixtape, and public pedagogy.
Read January: Annotation is | February: Annotation on | March: Annotation with | April: Annotation in | June: Annotation by | July: Annotation marks | August: Annotation documents
May 31: Annotation for this broad and majestic universe.
May 31 tweet | May 31 Hypothesis annotation
“Whitman probably drafted this manuscript in the early 1850s as he was composing the first (1855) edition of Leaves of Grass. The discussion of the vastness of time and space is similar to a passage from the first poem in that edition, eventually titled ‘Song of Myself.'” Walt Whitman was born on this day, May 31st, in 1819. #Annotate22 151/365
Source: The Walt Whitman Archive.
May 30: Annotation for Memorial Day.
May 30 tweet | May 30 Hypothesis annotation
“For all who sacrificed | Thank you”
Two ephemeral notes have been added to today’s Google Search results for “Memorial Day,” with both notes appearing above a single row of red poppy flowers. #Annotate22 150/365
May 29: Annotation for restoration.
May 29 tweet | May 29 Hypothesis annotation
“To slow the inevitable long decay of the books, and to protect them from dust and acidic particles seeping in from city traffic, new microthin clear covers, or ‘slip cases,’ are being designed for each volume.”
On restoration efforts to preserve The Library of Trinity College Dublin’s “700,000 books, manuscripts, busts and other artifacts.” #Annotate22 149/365
Source: The New York Times.
May 28: Annotation for facts about gun violence.
May 28 tweet | May 28 Hypothesis annotation
Two nights ago the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays didn’t cover the game–rather, both teams used their Twitter platforms to share the same set of facts about gun violence. Yankees added a “citation” for facts, Rays noted a “source.” #Annotate22 148/365
Source: NPR.
May 27: Annotation for Bob, the Non-Starving Artist.
May 27 tweet | May 27 Hypothesis annotation
“We miss you, Bob. Here’s to your legacy and all you did to nourish our community.”
Join me at the dedication of the Bob Ragland Branch, the newest branch of the Denver Public Library, next Saturday, June 4th at 11:30 am. #Annotate22 147/365
Source: Denver Public Library.
May 26: Annotation for Migrant Mother and Children.
May 26 tweet | May 26 Hypothesis annotation
A handwritten log sheet indicating over a dozen publications in which Dorothea Lange’s iconic picture of Florence Owens Thompson appeared from 1936-1940. Lange was born on this day, May 26th, in 1895. #Annotate22 146/365
Source: Library of Congress.
May 25: Annotation for fading art.
May 25 tweet | May 25 Hypothesis annotation
“There is no example of this erasure more striking than the continual destruction, removal or slow vanishing of much of the street art produced in the wake of Floyd’s killing.” #Annotate22 145/365
Source: “The Great Erasure,” by Charles M. Blow, The New York Times.
May 24: Annotation for “What hath God wrought?”
May 24 tweet | May 24 Hypothesis annotation
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The first long-distance telegraph message, printed in Morse code, was transmitted from Baltimore to Washington, D.C., on this day, May 24th, in 1844.
Source: From the Smithsonian: “In 1843, Congress allocated $30,000 for Morse (1791-1872) to build an electric telegraph line between Washington and Baltimore. Morse and his partner, Alfred Vail (1807-1859), completed the forty-mile line in May 1844. For the first transmissions, they used a quotation from the Bible, Numbers 23:23: “What hath God wrought,” suggested by Annie G. Ellsworth (1826-1900), daughter of Patent Commissioner Henry L. Ellsworth (1791-1858) who was present at the event on 24 May. Morse, in the Capitol, sent the message to Vail at Mt. Claire Station in Baltimore. Vail then sent a return message confirming the message he had received.” #Annotate22 144/365
May 23: Annotation for Violation of Section 88, Title 18.
May 23 tweet | May 23 Hypothesis annotation
Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were shot to death on this day, May 23rd, in 1934. In February of 1935, nearly two-dozen family and friends were prosecuted as detailed in Bonnie and Clyde’s criminal case file. #Annotate22 143/365
Source: National Archives and Records Administration.
May 22: Annotation for buoying vessels over shoals.
May 22 tweet | May 22 Hypothesis annotation
“It is no wonder that Lincoln’s invention has been relegated to the marginalia of Lincoln scholarship.”
Abraham Lincoln’s adjustable buoyant air chambers were issued as Patent No. 6,469 on this day, May 22nd, in 1849. #Annotate22 142/365
Source: United States Patent Office/de Silva (2018).
May 21: Annotation for aviation.
May 21 tweet | May 21 Hypothesis annotation
A piece of “Original Fabric” added to a description of the Lockheed Vega 5B plane flown by Amelia Earhart. She became the first woman to make a nonstop transatlantic solo flight and landed near Derry, Northern Ireland, on this day in 1932. #Annotate22 141/365
Source: San Diego Air and Space Museum.
May 20: Annotation for segregation.
May 20 tweet | May 20 Hypothesis annotation
“Closed”
A handwritten sign–added to a restaurant door at the Greyhound bus station in Birmingham, Alabama–read by Freedom Riders Lucretia Collins, Catherine Burks Brooks, and John Lewis. The Freedom Rides began 61 years ago this month. #Annotate22 140/365
Source: Alabama Department of Archives and History.
May 19: Annotation for #May19Project.
May 19 tweet | May 19 Hypothesis annotation
“Keep expanding your horizon, decolonize your mind, and cross borders.” – Yuri Kochiyama
“The only way we’ll get freedom for ourselves is to identify ourselves with every oppressed people in the world.” – Malcolm X
“Inspired by the shared birthdays of Malcolm X and Yuri Kochiyama, May 19th Project is a campaign to promote solidarity within Asian and Pacific Island communities and with all communities.” The May 19th Project is co-founded by Renee Tajima-Peña and Jeff Chang. #Annotate22 139/365
Source: KCET/May 19th Project.
May 18: Annotation for forecast.
May 18 tweet | May 18 Hypothesis annotation
It’s currently 81 F in Denver, CO. The forecast for Friday suggests a 40 degree drop plus 5” of snow (and another inch on Saturday!). A red flag warning, for wind, paired with a winter storm watch, for snow. WTF weather next to the Rockies. #Annotate22 138/365
May 17: Annotation for eating stars.
May 17 tweet | May 17 Hypothesis annotation
“They flew into outer space. Ting told Ling with her mind to eat the stars.”
Tonight’s bedtime story Ling & Ting: Twice as Silly by Grace Lin with redaction, addition, and the major plot twist of mind reading with star eating. Toddler loved it! #Annotate22 137/365
Source: Ling & Ting: Twice as Silly.
May 16: Annotation for preparation.
May 16 tweet | May 16 Hypothesis annotation
“Americans can once again order free COVID-19 tests from the federal government by visiting COVIDtests.gov. In this round, the U.S. Postal Service will deliver eight free rapid antigen tests to any household in the U.S. that wants them.” I ordered mine today, please get some, too! #Annotate22 136/365
Source: NPR.
May 15: Annotation for cancellation.
May 15 tweet | May 15 Hypothesis annotation
“The New York Times wrote an opinion about student debt. This opinion is a bad one. It’s so bad, we annotated it. Our edits are bolded, and in all caps.” A must read analysis by The Debt Collective, h/t Astra Taylor. #Annotate22 135/365
Source: NYT Student Debt Editorial, Annotated by the Debt Collective.
May 14: Annotation for wayfinding.
May 14 tweet | May 14 Hypothesis annotation
Yesterday my son and I visited Children’s Hospital Colorado and were greeted by this useful mix of 11 red arrows, hand-drawn and pointing in multiple directions, some with small black interior arrows, taped to a STOP sign. Helpful! #Annotate22 134/365
May 13: Annotation for astrophysics.
May 13 tweet | May 13 Hypothesis annotation
“Sgr A* April 7, 2017”
The first image of Sagittarius A* the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way: “Ring-like images dominate the wide range of images obtained across multiple methods.” #Annotate22 133/365
Source: The Astrophysical Journal Letters (The Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration et al. 2022)
May 12: Annotation for direction.
May 12 tweet | May 12 Hypothesis annotation
“When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”
“Yogi Berra Way” street sign added to the Montclair, NJ, neighborhood where Berra lived. Edgewood Rd/Ter is a loop and the road winds up where it starts. Berra was born on this day, May 12, in 1925. #Annotate22 132/365
May 11: Annotation for documenting glacier loss.
May 11 tweet | May 11 Hypothesis annotation
The years “1911” and “2016” added to repeat photographs of Grinnell Glacier documenting glacier loss over 105 years. Glacier National Park was established on this day, May 11th, in 1910 by President William Taft. #Annotate22 131/365
Source: Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center/USGS.
May 10: Annotation for contextualizing heritage and hatred.
May 10 tweet | May 10 Hypothesis annotation
“Her response provided insight into the intimate connections between monuments, white public schools, and town celebrations of the Confederate past.” Today, May 10th, is Confederate Memorial Day in North Carolina and South Carolina.
Source: Dr. Karen L. Cox’s excellent book No Common Ground. #Annotate22 130/365
May 9: Annotation for The Best Arguments Against Bitcoin, Cryptocurrency and Blockchain.
May 9 tweet | May 9 Hypothesis annotation
From David Golumbia: “This is my attempt to provide a curated, annotated selection of the best critical work on these topics.” A comprehensive garbology reader. #Annotate22 129/365
May 8: Annotation for holotype.
May 8 tweet | May 8 Hypothesis annotation
“4928.”
A handwritten label added to the skull of USNM V 4928, a triceratops holotype: “It’s the gold standard for a species.” The CU Boulder triceratops returns to the Smithsonian after 41 years, safe travels. #Annotate22 128/365
Source: CU Boulder Today.
May 7: Annotation for teachers.
May 7 tweet | May 7 Hypothesis annotation
“How do we become better storytellers of the craft of teaching?”
As #TeacherAppreciationWeek ends, an annotated poster about teaching and learning (marked up by colleagues during a professional learning workshop I co-facilitated in 2018). Thank you, educators, for supporting our learners, their families, and communities. #Annotate22 127/365
May 6: Annotation for 3:59.4.
May 6 tweet | May 6 Hypothesis annotation
“Here at the Iffley Road Track the first sub-four minute mile was run on 6th May 1954 by Roger Bannister.”
A plaque at the University of Oxford marks Bannister’s achievement 68 years ago today. Hicham El Guerrouj’s current WR is 3:43.13. #Annotate22 126/365
May 5: Annotation for #RedDressDay.
May 5 tweet | May 5 Hypothesis annotation
Today, May 5th, is a day of awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People #MMIW #MMIWG2S. Read about artist Jaime Black’s 2010 “REDress Project” and the lasting power of symbols, awareness, and civic action (as with the removal and reimagining of a statue on February 14th, 2022). #Annotate22 125/365
Source: Jaime Black.
May 4: Annotation for The Torah of Reproductive Justice.
May 4 tweet | May 4 Hypothesis annotation
An “Annotated Source Sheet” by Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg because: “Learning the sources that undergird Judaism’s approach to reproductive rights can help illuminate one of the major struggles of our day in new and, sometimes, surprising ways.” With original textual analysis and commentary shared via Sefaria. #Annotate22 124/365
Source: The Torah of Reproductive Justice (Annotated Source Sheet).
May 3: Annotation for reproductive health.
May 3 tweet | May 3 Hypothesis annotation
“The general assembly affirms the fundamental right of individual Coloradans to make their own reproductive health-care decisions.”
Five signatures and the date added to Colorado’s Reproductive Health Equity Act when signed into law on April 4th, 2022. #Annotate22 123/365
Source: Colorado Public Radio.
May 2: Annotation for taxation.
May 2 tweet | May 2 Hypothesis annotation
“The medium is the message…The time is now for childcare, healthcare, and climate action for all. Tax the Rich.”
U.S. congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at last year’s Met Gala. I am curious what notes will accompany this year’s theme “Gilded Glamour” at the 2022 Met Gala. #Annotate22 122/365
Source: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
May 1: Annotation for workers.
May 1 tweet | May 1 Hypothesis annotation
“Going through the ruins of capitalism towards the international brotherhood of working people!”
The Caption of a 1920 poster from the archive of Kyiv’s Ukrainian Evangelical Theological Seminary. Today is #MayDay #InternationalWorkersDay. #Annotate22 121/365
Source: USC Libraries.
A note about images:
#Annotate22 is an educational project and an act of public pedagogy. This year-long effort is comprised of blog posts, social media, and public Hypothesis annotations intended to advance new narratives about the relationship among annotation, literacy, and learning. Images are a key component of #Annotate22. The use of images follows best practices in fair use for media literacy education. Sources for all images are cited. Furthermore: a) Featured images are used for an educational purpose different than that of the original purpose, and are interpreted in an original and creative context; and b) The extent of featured images (i.e. a screenshot) is appropriate for the purposes of teaching and learning.
