This is Part 12 of the transforming Instruction Through Technology series. This article focuses on using Screencastify as a tool to provide feedback.
What is the meaning of the word “assess”?
The Latin etymology of the word means “to sit beside”. I know what you’re thinking – tech is suppose to free teachers to work with more students, not have to sit right beside them. This is particularly true for providing feedback on writing pieces, which is usually a long and painful process for the teacher.
I remember making copious annotations on students’ writing to help them improve their grammar and organization of ideas. Sadly, however, these notes were to little effect. My students seemed to remember very little of my notes and continued to make the same mistakes again and again.
I needed a better way of providing feedback.
Screencastify
When I attended an EL conference in 2017, one participant shared that he used Screencastify as a tool to allow him to virtually sit beside each student as he gave feedback. Screencastify is a cloud-based screen recording program. You simply add it as an extension to your Chrome browser.
The best features of Screencastify are that teachers can:
- save videos on Google Drive
- publish videos on Youtube
- make unlimited videos of any length of time for students
- crop the length of videos
- display their face in a preview box (optional)
- pause, resume, and playback the recordings
Here’s a video of feedback that I provided to one student.
Providing Feedback on Writing
I no longer give written feedback on students’ writing. Instead, I record my feedback and send them a link. As students watch the link, I give them instructions to make changes to their writing. Sometimes, I will point out a mistake or a change that needs to be made. They then have to figure out how to best follow up on that recommendation.
For example, I might say, “I noticed that you spelled The Capitol with a lowercase “c”. It’s the name of a city. What do you think we should do to this name?” They show these changes in two ways:
- making changes directly into their Google Doc
- explaining their changes using the Comment function
What students write in the comment box is as important if not more than the actual change they make to their writing. Commenting on the changes forces students to internalize their thinking about the change. It is like teaching students to fish instead of giving them a fish.
Sitting Beside Students
Using Screencastify is just like sitting next to students as I provide feedback. I am able to:
- prompt like I do during in-person conferences
- show genuine excitement when a student writes thoughtful ideas
- meet with each student at the same time
- provide complex, in-depth feedback
But I’m not the only one who loves it. My students have responded very positively to Screencastify because it:
- provides one-on-one, personalized feedback
- Is clearer than written feedback
- allows them to replay sections when needed
Efficient vs. Effective Feedback
Does Screencastify take a lot of time?
I spend the same amount I do when I used to provided detailed written feedback. The difference now is that the feedback is actually followed up because it is more meaningful for students than written feedback.
Written feedback is more efficient but not as effective as recorded oral feedback. I’d rather invest time in a process that is effective even if it’s not the most efficient process.
Leaves vs. Trees
I can use Screencastify to give two kinds of feedback:
- The Leaves: copy edit (grammatical corrections)
- The Trees: revision (big picture, structural comments)
You have to know what kind of feedback you want to provide when using Screencastify. If not, the videos can become really long, and, consequently, the students often become bogged down by making the grammatical corrections instead of thinking about how to structure writing so that their ideas are more fully understood.
Takeaways
Sometimes we’re drawn to the glittery nature of using tech tools in our class. However, when we meaningfully integrate technology such Screencastify to provide authentic, personalized feedback that students comprehend, we elevate technology from a gadget for show to a tool for learning and instruction.
If you’re interesting enhancing learning for ELs by integrating technology, please consider reading ELL Frontiers: Using Technology to Enhance Instruction for English Learners by Heather Parris, Lisa M. Estrada, and Andrea Honigsfeld. By purchasing this book, you also support this blog.