Ungraded Social Reading (PDF Annotation)

Overview

PDF Annotations allow instructors and students to have a discussion right inside the text. With  PDF annotations, you can:

• Encourage students to read by making reading itself a class activity.
• Increase content retention by inviting students to think and reflect while they read.
• Discuss a wide variety of documents. What can you turn into a PDF? Just about anything! In addition to course readings, you can invite students to annotate the course syllabus, assignment sheets for major projects or papers, sample assignments, lecture slides, and more.

Wondering what to do with PDF Annotations? Check out these Teaching Tips:

• Enhancing Content Retention with Polling and Social Annotations
• Enhancing Learning with Course Document Annotations

See also: Graded PDF Annotations.

Setting Up PDF Annotations for Your Students in Canvas

• Navigate to the Module to which you want to add Harmonize components.
• Click the "+" icon located to the right of the Module name.

• You will be presented with the Add Item to [Module Name] window.
• Select External Tool from the "Add" drop down menu.
• Select Harmonize.

• In the Link Resource from External Tool dialogue that appears, click PDF Annotation. 

• In the next window, click +Add File to upload a single PDF for annotation. Once completed, click Create PDF Annotation.

• The Link Resource from External Tool window will close and the URL and Page Name will be automatically populated based on your choices.
• IMPORTANT NOTE: Please do not alter the provided URL in any way.
• Edit the Page Name, Load in new tab option, and Indentation as needed.
• Click Add Item.

• The PDF Annotation component is now added to your Canvas Module.

• You may publish your discussions and modules as needed.

Setting Up PDF Annotations for Your Students in Blackboard, Brightspace, and Moodle

• Follow the steps for Adding a Harmonize Component to Your Course. Come back to this guide once you've reached the Harmonize Component Selector. Select PDF Annotations from the Harmonize Component Selector. Click Create New to create a new PDF Annotation component.

• Enter a title for you PDF Annotation component.
• Use the provided Add File dialogue to upload a single PDF for Annotation
• After the file is uploaded, click the Create PDF Annotation button.

• Your PDF Annotation is now available for you to edit.

Editing Your PDF Annotation

• Navigate to your PDF Annotation and click the title to open it.
• If this is your first time opening the PDF, you will be presented with the Edit PDF Annotation window. If not, click the Edit button near the top right of the Harmonize window.
• From the Edit PDF Annotation window you may:
  • Edit the Title, Available From date, and Available Until date
  • Click the PDF file name to view the PDF file
  • Update discussion Instructions.
  • Update Annotation Settings

• Click Annotation Settings to set Visibility Settings for your PDF Annotation. Depending upon your LMS, these options include:
  • Visible to Everyone (Canvas, Blackboard, Brightspace, and Moodle)
  • Students in Same Sections (Canvas only)
  • Students in Same Group (Canvas and Blackboard only)
  • Private Between Students & Instructors (Canvas, Blackboard, Brightspace, and Moodle)

• After editing is completed, click the Publish button.

Creating Annotations

Once the PDF Annotation is created, instructors and student can add new annotations as well as respond to the annotations of others.

1: Navigation and Filtering Options

	Show / Hide Annotations
	Previous / Next Annotation
	Zoom In, Zoom Out, Select Magnification

2: Annotation Tools

	Create a Highlight
	Drop a Pin
	Move / Pan

3: Annotation Menu

Open / Close Annotations Panel

The Annotations Panel

Here is an example of how top-level student annotations and replies appear in the Annotations Panel:

	Previous / Next Annotation
	Annotation Action Menu Edit Annotation Delete Annotation
	Reply to Annotation

The Annotations Panel

Here is an example of how top-level student annotations and replies appear in the Annotations Panel:

	Previous / Next Annotation
	Annotation Action Menu Edit Annotation Delete Annotation
	Reply to Annotation

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Can I use Milestones with PDF Annotations?

• Milestones are not available for use with PDF Annotations at this time.

Q. Can I use Harmonize's Group Visibility setting with PDF Annotations?

• Yes! Click the Harmonize "Edit" button and click the Annotation Settings tab. Choose "Students in Same Group" and select your desired group set from the Group Set drop down menu.
• Please note that the groups settings is only available to LMSs that support the use of groups with external tools.