Video Feedback to Student Assignments

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Shelly Blake-Pollock, the teacher and author of the TeachPaperless blog (http://teachpaperless.blogspot.com), encourages his students to publish online. Beyond that step, though, he offers feedback on their writing online as well via screencasts, or video recording of his computer screen. Screencasts, or "JingCrits," that he creates are short, less than 5-minute video clips where he highlights student work on screen and offers feedback (View an example - http://bit.ly/bsgVQQ).

Blake-Pollock sends each student a link to their own feedback. The response, Shelly says, has been positive:

 So far, the reaction to Jing comments has been overwhelmingly in favor. In fact, both students and parents have been pushing me to produce as many JingCrits as my time allows.

This kind of feedback can connect with auditory learners who may prefer to get their feedback in another format besides cryptic comments on a post-it attached to their piece of writing. The teacher reviews student writing online, offering specific feedback, recording the feedback as a video recording. The teacher reports taking only 5-8 minutes to record feedback that would normally take 20 or more minutes to write out as feedback.

JingCrits get their name from The Jing Project, a free screen-recording tool available athttp://jingproject.com that enables you to post videos online. Using screen-recording tools to offer feedback--whether from teacher to student, student to teacher, student to student--can offer tremendous benefits to students. This kind of video/audio feedback contribute to the demise of one writing myth--"it takes longer to grade writing." As Shelly's JingCrit demonstrates, writing workshop facilitators can grade for discrete skills. The focus on the lead of a paper is helpful. 

Writing Workshop facilitators may be familiar with the Carroll/Wilson Analystic Scale for Classroom Use. The scale enables teachers to assess quickly and effectively what they have taught their students. Developed collaboratively with students, the scale embodies intelligent writing assessment. Simply, you only get graded on what you were taught. Imagine having students and teacher develop a Carroll/Wilson Analytic Scale for Classroom Use--centered around what has recently been taught in class--then offering video feedback on a piece of writing using that scale. The video of the Analytic Scale, shared online with students, serves as a perpetual "model" of how to provide feedback.

Shelly has found a quick way to offer feedback his student writers need using screencasting. Some free web-based services that do not require you to install anything on your computer include ScreenToaster.com, ScreenCastle.com, and/or Screencast-o-matic.com. Online tutorials are available for each, but you should be able to get going fairly quickly with 15 minutes of exploration.

If video is not for you, you can also take advantage of digital audio tools. A variety of tools are useful in this category. From inexpensive digital audio recorders, a USB microphone connected to a computer running Audacity audio recording/editing program (free) to online free web-based recording sites like Vocaroo.com and Drop.io, you and your students can easily record audio.

• Digital Audio Recorder - Teacher can record the mini-lesson and post it on class web site (e.g. blog, wiki). This is an ideal tool for field trips or "on the go" recordings where a mobile phone is not desirable.
• Vocaroo.com - Students can record a reading of their written piece then email it to the teacher or to other students. 
• Drop.io - This web site allows easy recording of audio, whether by sending a locally recorded audio file on a computer, emailed from a mobile device, or "phoned in." 
• AudioBoo.com - This web site allows phone recording of content and publishing online.

These are only some of the technology tools available.