Idea Space: Augmenting Reading and Writing in the Humanities

We propose to develop and implement a new approach to teach reading and writing in humanities subjects through the use of an innovative educational tool called “Idea Space,” which will enable students to move seamlessly from reading and annotating into composition. By advancing and expanding on MIT’s NEH-funded, collaborative web application “Annotation Studio,” Idea Space will allow students to combine, juxtapose, and review annotations from their individual or collaborative reading processes. Through these processes, students will be enabled to transition from close reading and annotation to organizing thoughts, collecting sources, analyzing content, properly citing sources, developing outlines, and confidently managing the writing process.