One of the ‘banes of my existence’ as an English teacher is having to teach classical literature and then watching my students struggle through every single line for basic comprehension. Twenty years ago, I’d pull out my trusty guides that annotated the work(s) line by line. These days though, with technology at the forefront of all we do as educators, it would be great to find an online tool that not only helps students comprehend works like Beowulf, Hamlet, and Jane Eyre, but also one that I can use to annotate important sections that students need to read.
Little did I know that this tool already exists and that it’s free. Let me introduce Owl Eyes (www.owleyes.org), an improved reading and learning experience for students, teachers, and everyday readers. Teachers have the ability to incorporate expert annotations, quizzes, and insights into their classrooms or personal reading experiences.
The tool is pretty cool to use and all you need is access to the Internet. Basic set up took less than a minute. Here’s a screenshot…
When you look at a text, you’ll see a basic synopsis of the work and a user-friendly interface that allows the students to read the text on a phone, tablet, or computer.
When students are reading the text on www.owleyes.org, they can click on highlighted words and passages to find a full explanation of the text. In addition, here’s the full library of texts on Owl Eyes, with hundreds more coming soon.
Here’s some additional information about how to add questions and annotating the text.
Sign up for this free service here.
For more information about Owl Eyes, email them at help@owleyes.org.
