Working in a 1:1 laptop school has its advantages and disadvantages. Of course, one of the biggest issues is how technology changes so quickly. Also, there are a lot of tech that is gimmicky. It might be flashy or fun, but it rarely moves learning forward in a meaningful way.
But, I love when I find a tool that is useful and practical. An add-on to Google Drive called Doctopus is very helpful. It allows you to distribute files to students, automatically shared with you and the student(s), organized into folders. With another add-on called Goobric, you can attach a rubric of your creation or one made through rubistar. This tool can be used on any platform as long as you are using Google Drive.
The beauty of using a tool like this is that you can monitor students while they are drafting. Feedback becomes seamless and immediate. I always strive to give purposeful feedback, but I hadn’t found a way to get it to students in a timely manner and in a way where they could edit more frequently. This tool allows for all of that.
One class of twenty students took me thirty minutes to grade with more thorough comments than I am able to usually give. Students were able to get their work back much more quickly to make improvements for the next check up.
Check it out.
jennifer m lindsay | educator 