Notes and annotations as information resources in a social networking platform

Taking notes and annotations contributes in the learning process. Many platforms are developed as Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) thanks to advancements in new technologies. A common limitation of these platforms is the restricted ability to share/retrieve notes and annotations (Su, Yang, Hwang, & Zhang, 2010a). This is because the annotations in these platforms are disconnected from the information system and they are only accessible in the annotation system. As a result, the annotations could not be indexed as any other information resources (e.g., a document). This means that the annotations are not accessible/visible like other resources. In this paper, we present an original semantic model in which notes and annotations are modeled as information resources. The semantic model is used within the MEMORAe web platform. Then we detail an experiment of collaborative learning made within a university course using the MEMORAe web platform. The feedback of this experiment shows us that students are satisfied with the use of the MEMORAe web platform for helping them to index and retrieve notes and annotations as any information resources.