Annotations
Add your own insights and explanations with text, voice, or handwritten notes attached to the passages you mark in the Reading tab
What Are Annotations?
Annotations are your personal thoughts, explanations, questions, and insights that you attach to specific passages of your study content in the Reading tab. Think of them as your digital margin notes, diagrams, and voice memos—each one linked to the passage you marked.
Unlike the main study note (which is the AI-generated simplified explanation of your source material), annotations are:
- Your own words — Write how you understand it, not how the textbook explains it
- Multiple formats — Type text, draw diagrams, or record audio explanations
- Contextual — Each one is attached to the passage it explains, which stays marked in the Reading tab
- Freeform — No structure required, just capture your thinking as you learn
How Annotations Bring the Feynman Technique to Life
Annotations are where the Feynman Technique truly comes to life. They're built into the Reading tab of your study guide, so you can attach your own explanations, examples, questions, and insights to the exact passages you're studying.
Why Annotations Matter
The Feynman Technique emphasizes explaining concepts in your own words as if teaching someone else. Annotations are your space to:
- Explain further — Break down complex concepts even more simply
- Add examples — Include personal or real-world examples that make sense to you
- Ask questions — Note what's still unclear so you can research it later
- Make connections — Link this material to other things you've learned
- Record insights — Capture "aha!" moments and new understanding
- Annotate visually — Draw diagrams, mind maps, or sketches to visualize concepts
How to Access Annotations
Annotations are integrated into the Reading tab of your study guide. To add an annotation:
- Open any study note and tap the Reading tab
- Long-press the text you want to annotate. Notesmakr shows its own pop-up menu instead of the usual system one
- Pick one of the four colours: Yellow, Blue, Green, or Pink (Yellow is preselected)
- Tap Highlight, Underline, or Strikeout to mark the text straight away, or choose a note type under NOTE: Text, Voice, or Write
- Create your annotation and tap Save
The menu also has a Copy button for copying the selected text.
Three Types of Annotations
Notesmakr supports three ways to capture your thoughts, all available from the NOTE row of the pop-up menu in the Reading tab:
1. Text Annotations
Use the text editor, with a formatting toolbar, to write explanations, examples, questions, or summaries. You can give the note an optional title. Perfect for detailed written explanations.
Best for:
- Detailed explanations and analysis
- Lists and structured information
- Quick typing on a physical keyboard
- Notes linked to a specific passage
2. Handwritten Annotations (Write)
Draw, sketch, and write by hand with a pen, highlighter, and eraser. Ideal for diagrams, equations, mind maps, and visual thinkers.
Best for:
- Diagrams and visual representations
- Mathematical equations and formulas
- Quick sketches and doodles
- Memory techniques (drawing aids retention)
3. Voice Annotations
Record audio explanations of up to 60 seconds, as if teaching the material to someone else. Voice notes need a title before you can save them, and the app asks for microphone permission the first time. Great for auditory learners and hands-free annotation.
Best for:
- Explaining out loud (Feynman's core technique)
- Auditory learners who think better by talking
- Recording thoughts while walking or commuting
- Practicing verbal explanations before a presentation
- Capturing spontaneous insights quickly
When to Use Annotations
During Initial Learning
As you read through your study note in the Reading tab, add annotations to:
- Clarify points that confused you
- Add examples that helped you understand
- Note questions to research later
While Studying
When reviewing your study notes before a test in the Reading tab:
- Annotate passages with mnemonics and memory aids
- Draw visual summaries alongside key concepts
- Record yourself explaining key concepts
After Practice
Following quiz or flashcard sessions, return to the Reading tab and:
- Annotate sections where you got questions wrong
- Explain correct answers in your own words next to the relevant content
- Note patterns in your mistakes
Feynman Technique in Action
Annotations are the perfect place to practice the Feynman Technique:
Pick a specific concept from your study note that you want to master.
Add a typed or voice annotation explaining the concept as if teaching a child or someone unfamiliar with the topic. Use simple language and avoid jargon.
As you explain, you'll notice where you get stuck or use vague language. These are gaps in your understanding—write them down!
Return to your source material, research the unclear parts, and update your annotations with clearer explanations.
Refine your explanation. Use analogies, draw diagrams, record yourself explaining it until it feels natural and clear.
Organizing Your Annotations
Your notes are not shown inline in the text. Instead, the passage you marked stays visible in the Reading tab, and a passage that has a note is drawn with a double underline in the colour's darker shade (a passage without a note keeps its pastel background). You can:
- Add as many annotations as you need — Attach as many notes as you like throughout your study content
- Mix annotation types — Combine text, handwritten, and voice notes for rich multi-modal learning
- Open a note in context — Tap a marked passage to open a sheet with its notes, a trash icon for each note, an Add Another button, and a red Delete Highlight button. The sheet also lets you change the colour
- See every note at once on iPad — On an iPad in landscape, the sticky-note icon in the top bar opens an Annotations panel beside the page (see Annotations in the Reading Tab)
- Edit anytime — Tap a text or handwritten note to reopen its editor and refine it as your understanding deepens. Voice notes open in a player instead
- Mark text quickly — Highlight, underline, or strikeout from the same pop-up menu, with no note needed. The four colours are Yellow, Blue, Green, and Pink
What You'll Find in This Section
This section covers everything you need to know about creating and managing annotations in the Reading tab:
- Annotations Overview — Understanding the annotation system
- Typed Annotations — Create text explanations linked to content
- Handwritten Annotations — Draw diagrams and visual annotations
- Voice Annotations — Record audio explanations and insights
Learning Science Behind Annotations
Annotations leverage several evidence-based learning principles:
Generation Effect
Creating your own explanations (rather than just reading someone else's) significantly improves memory and understanding.
Dual Coding Theory
Combining words and visuals (typed + handwritten notes) creates multiple memory pathways, making recall easier.
Self-Explanation
Explaining material to yourself identifies gaps and deepens processing—one of the most effective study strategies.
Elaboration
Connecting new information to what you already know (through examples and analogies in annotations) strengthens retention.
Next Steps
Ready to add your own insights? Open any study note and navigate to the Reading tab to start annotating. Then explore:
- Typed Annotations for written explanations
- Handwritten Annotations for visual annotations
- Voice Annotations for audio explanations
- Study Guide Annotations to learn about the full annotation system