Middle school students are a bundle of emotions. You are never sure what exactly they are thinking or how they might react to suggestions. I remember sitting in a professional development knowing that I should have been hanging on to every word; however, my mind was on my growing “To Do List.” I was also thinking about last year’s writing and what improvements I could make this school year. I had given feedback in a variety of ways. I “bled” all over their papers and then helped students decipher my comments. I used Post-it notes to protect the integrity of their papers, but that wasn’t very successful because I found them all over the floor. Something caught my ear; a teacher said they were using Google Classroom to monitor her students’ writing. I quickly returned my attention back to the PD, where I became more familiar with Google Classroom.
So, this year I spent some time checking out Google Classroom. I started off slowly. I had students write the draft on paper and then I offered them feedback. Since we are not one-to-one in our middle school, I reserved the Chromebook cart. I found the students really liked typing their papers on the computer, as opposed to writing them by hand. The number of complaints were cut in half, especially when they were making revisions. The complaining reduced because the students no longer had to handwrite their papers over again.
My utilization of the computers worked so well, I decided the next writing prompt would be done entirely on the computer. So, they typed the next paper on the computer, and I went through each one on Google Classroom and gave them feedback. Some students made corrections immediately. For example, I was giving feedback to one student on a Sunday afternoon, when I saw her name pop up in the document. She was making revisions while I was giving feedback. This had me thinking that I could do this from the classroom and give students the opportunity to make revisions while they were still writing. Click here to see what live feedback looks like.
Our last writing piece was done completely on the computer. I logged in and began giving feedback while they were typing. I noticed a few things; one, students were asking me to read their work, which wasn’t at all unusual, since they always want immediate feedback; but they were asking me to give them feedback while they still had their writing on the computer. I saw students who had hated writing come to find the process more tolerable. They no longer minded having to make revisions during class. I no longer heard, “You mean I have to rewrite the entire paper? Well, I’ll just turn this in.” They made revisions without complaining. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t see 100% of my students become jovial writers. They just didn’t complain as much.
How can I chastise students for not wanting to write papers by hand? When I ask myself, “How many have I actually hand written over the past few years? None.” I use my computer, because I too find it much easier to make revisions with the few clicks of a button on my keyboard. Today’s students are Generation Z learners. A significant aspect of this generation is the widespread usage of the Internet from a young age, we only build stamina for them to write by hand because of Kentucky Performance Rating for Educational Progress (KPREP). In the not so distant future, I expect the developers of KPREP will allow students to type their On-Demand Writing on the computer. So, my project was born based on observations and experiences in the classroom last year and this.
I asked some students how they felt about “Live Feedback,” here are some responses.
I have seen students go from hating the process of writing on paper, to no longer hating the process through the use of technology. It is because of this I ask that you take the time to provide live feedback to your students when they are writing. Imagine how much better students’ writing can be if they have access to technology every day and their teachers provide them live feedback, while they have momentum.
So, this year I spent some time checking out Google Classroom. I started off slowly. I had students write the draft on paper and then I offered them feedback. Since we are not one-to-one in our middle school, I reserved the Chromebook cart. I found the students really liked typing their papers on the computer, as opposed to writing them by hand. The number of complaints were cut in half, especially when they were making revisions. The complaining reduced because the students no longer had to handwrite their papers over again.
My utilization of the computers worked so well, I decided the next writing prompt would be done entirely on the computer. So, they typed the next paper on the computer, and I went through each one on Google Classroom and gave them feedback. Some students made corrections immediately. For example, I was giving feedback to one student on a Sunday afternoon, when I saw her name pop up in the document. She was making revisions while I was giving feedback. This had me thinking that I could do this from the classroom and give students the opportunity to make revisions while they were still writing. Click here to see what live feedback looks like.
Our last writing piece was done completely on the computer. I logged in and began giving feedback while they were typing. I noticed a few things; one, students were asking me to read their work, which wasn’t at all unusual, since they always want immediate feedback; but they were asking me to give them feedback while they still had their writing on the computer. I saw students who had hated writing come to find the process more tolerable. They no longer minded having to make revisions during class. I no longer heard, “You mean I have to rewrite the entire paper? Well, I’ll just turn this in.” They made revisions without complaining. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t see 100% of my students become jovial writers. They just didn’t complain as much.
How can I chastise students for not wanting to write papers by hand? When I ask myself, “How many have I actually hand written over the past few years? None.” I use my computer, because I too find it much easier to make revisions with the few clicks of a button on my keyboard. Today’s students are Generation Z learners. A significant aspect of this generation is the widespread usage of the Internet from a young age, we only build stamina for them to write by hand because of Kentucky Performance Rating for Educational Progress (KPREP). In the not so distant future, I expect the developers of KPREP will allow students to type their On-Demand Writing on the computer. So, my project was born based on observations and experiences in the classroom last year and this.
I asked some students how they felt about “Live Feedback,” here are some responses.
- “I like it because it’s there that minute, I don’t have to wait for you to read it and then send it back to me.” Allena
- “I can get more of my thoughts on down, when I am typing.” Olivia.
- “My hand doesn’t hurt or cramp when I type on the computer.” Jago.
- “I like it when you are reading my writing from your computer, because I can go right then and make the changes, or I can reply and ask you a question if I don’t understand.” Leigha.
I have seen students go from hating the process of writing on paper, to no longer hating the process through the use of technology. It is because of this I ask that you take the time to provide live feedback to your students when they are writing. Imagine how much better students’ writing can be if they have access to technology every day and their teachers provide them live feedback, while they have momentum.
Kay Thomas is a teacher in the Frankfort Independent School District, where she has taught reading and writing for the past two years. She is a 2017 Classroom Teachers Enacting Positive Solutions (CTEPS) graduate, Kentucky Reading Project (KRP) and an Adolescent Literacy Program (ALP) fellow. She is also working toward a master’s degree in Technology in the Classroom.