Annotating with active, critical reading is necessary to fully understand the course readings provided in this course. I utilized multiple strategies to achieve critical reading. One of the aspects of the text I have identified over the course of the readings were key concepts and main ideas. This is evident in Nicholas Carr’s essay that I have referenced below. When I find something such as what might be a key concept, I simply underline it and add a comment on the side stating “Main Idea.” This is so that I can quickly and effectively go back into the text and find the information I am looking for. The reason I labeled a quote in Nicholas Carr’s essay as a main idea is because it is a common argument throughout the essay. The idea that technology hinders our ability to read deeply and is “making us stupid” is stressed by Carr so much in his writing. Therefore, it is a key concept that should be noted for later on. Another technique I used while annotating was asking questions. In Sherry Turkle’s essay attached below, I underlined the statement “…we can take action” (Turkle 346). In response to this I asked the question “What would we fix?” This is because she argues that technology is negatively affecting us, but fails to give a real solution we can act upon. I am challenging the credibility of her argument and extending her idea. Turkle did later go into depth about conversation and how that can be of use, but at the time, she didn’t give any real reason. I was just looking for some clarity in her argument. Questioning her ideas helped me draw relationships with ideas outside of the text itself, and challenge the ideas presented by Turkle. Highlighting relevant information and challenging ideas is my way of practicing active, critical reading and to not blindly consume the words given to me by the writer.
