{"id":1695,"date":"2026-09-11T16:53:31","date_gmt":"2026-09-11T15:53:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/digilearndg\/?page_id=1695"},"modified":"2026-09-11T16:53:33","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T15:53:33","slug":"bring-learning-to-life-with-annotate","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/digilearndg\/?page_id=1695","title":{"rendered":"Bring Learning to Life with Annotate"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bring Learning to Life with Annotate<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Sometimes the most powerful teaching tool isn&#8217;t a brand new app or a complicated piece of software. Sometimes it&#8217;s simply the ability to write, highlight and explain exactly what&#8217;s on your screen in the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That&#8217;s where Annotate on the Promethean ActivPanel comes in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether you&#8217;re modelling a maths strategy, highlighting key features in a text, analysing a historical source or capturing children&#8217;s ideas during a discussion, Annotate lets you write directly over anything displayed on your screen. It&#8217;s quick, flexible and designed to support those valuable teachable moments that happen every day in the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is Annotate?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Annotate is Promethean&#8217;s built-in annotation tool that allows you to write over websites, documents, images, videos and apps displayed on your ActivPanel. Think of it as a transparent layer that sits on top of your screen, turning any content into an interactive teaching resource.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With Annotate, you can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Write notes directly onto displayed content<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Highlight important information<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Circle, underline and emphasise key features<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Capture learning through screenshots<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Annotate over connected devices and applications<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why teachers love it<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the biggest strengths of Annotate is its simplicity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There&#8217;s no need to import files into a separate application or prepare resources in advance. Simply open a webpage, PDF, PowerPoint or image and start writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This makes it ideal for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Modelling Thinking<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Show pupils exactly how an expert approaches a task<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Annotate a reading passage and identify evidence<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Solve calculations step by step<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Highlight features of effective writing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Label diagrams in science<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Because pupils can see your thinking unfold in real time, learning becomes much more visible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Creating Interactive Discussions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Use Annotate to collect ideas from learners during class discussions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Circle pupil suggestions on a mind map<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sort ideas into categories<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Highlight common themes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Vote on answers by marking directly on screen<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The ability to instantly capture and respond to pupil thinking helps create a more dynamic learning environment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Make Videos and Websites Interactive<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Rather than simply watching a video or viewing a website, Annotate allows you to interact with the content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pause a video and:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Label parts of a diagram<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Predict what might happen next<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Highlight evidence<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mark important vocabulary<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This transforms passive viewing into active learning.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Useful Tools at Your Fingertips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Annotate toolbar includes several easy-to-use tools:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Pen<\/strong>: Perfect for writing notes, drawing diagrams or modelling solutions. Teachers can choose different colours and line thicknesses to make annotations clear and visible.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Highlighter<\/strong>: Ideal for identifying keywords, highlighting evidence or drawing attention to important information without obscuring the original content.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Eraser<\/strong>: Made a mistake? Simply erase individual parts of your annotation without removing everything. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Undo and Redo<\/strong>: Quickly correct errors or revisit previous annotations with a single tap.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Hide Annotations<\/strong>: One of the most useful features is the Eye icon. This temporarily hides your annotations, allowing you to interact with other applications, then instantly bring your notes back when you&#8217;re ready.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Snapshot Tool<\/strong>: Capture the screen, complete with your annotations, and save it for later reference. This is a great way to record learning, share notes with pupils or add evidence to digital learning journals.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bring Learning to Life with Annotate Sometimes the most powerful teaching tool isn&#8217;t a brand new app or a complicated piece of software. Sometimes it&#8217;s simply the ability to write,<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/digilearndg\/?page_id=1695\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19366,"featured_media":0,"parent":1644,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1695","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/digilearndg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1695","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/digilearndg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/digilearndg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/digilearndg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/19366"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/digilearndg\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1695"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/digilearndg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1695\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1696,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/digilearndg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1695\/revisions\/1696"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/digilearndg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/digilearndg\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1695"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}