How Technology is revolutionizing the idea of "meaningful feedback" for teachers and students

Whether it is personal or online, offering meaningful feedback to students is a well-established method of helping students to master a topic or concept in the classroom.  But, what is meaningful feedback, and how is technology revolutionizing the way that teachers can incorporate this important strategy in the classroom?  Research conducted by Edna Holland Mory at the University of North Carolina Wilmington found that, in an online environment, the following factors to be important when considering feedback:

• Prompt, timely, and thorough online feedback

• Ongoing formative feedback about online group discussions

• Ongoing summative feedback about grades

• Constructive, Supportive, and Substantive on-line feedback

• Specific, Objective, and individual on-line feedback

• Consistent on-line feedback     Mory, E. H. (2004). Feedback research revisited. Handbook of research on educational communications and technology, 2, 745-783.

Both on-line, and in the classroom, a teacher's feedback matters.  While this is not a discussion of the KIND of feedback that should be provided (that would be for another blog post), I have found that a combination of technological tools have allowed me to provide much better meaningful feedback to my students.

The combination of technological tools I use includes:

Schoology LMS:  With Schoology, there are many avenues for offering both immediate, and delayed feedback to students.

1. Messaging:  I can use the messaging system, which is much like email, to message students about intervention, re-dos, and missing assignments, which allows me to help students meet learning targets.
2. Rubrics: Schoology rubrics are easy to set up for any assignment, but I usually use them for projects.  I can set the learning targets in the rubric, and there are two areas where I can provide feedback to students.  This allows students to read my comments and suggestions.  I then allow them to re-do learning targets that were not met, so that they can show mastery in those areas.  (I have never written something that has not needed edited and re-thinking, so why should a student be expected to be perfect the first time?)
3. Grade and Assignment Comment Sections: In Schoology, a teacher can comment in the gradebook, or in the grading section, by using annotations, or commenting under the grade.  This function has been valuable to me, because it allows me to message an individual student about why they received a grade that they did, and what they can do to make it better.  If a student has not turned in the assignment, I can put MISSING, or ask them why they have not turned it in.  When they look on their iPads, the comment is there immediately, and they can either message me, or come talk to me in class or during their intervention period.  This communication has streamlined the way that the classroom works, and I feel that expectations become more clear when I can give clear and personal feedback.

iPads:  iPads have allowed the students to receive more immediate and meaningful feedback in the following ways:

1. 24/7 access to their grades and comments: When I provide feedback in any of the Schoology areas mentioned above, students can read and respond by either messaging me or coming up to me and showing me the comment so that we can discuss it.
2. Paperless environment: With Schoology links and a paperless environment, assignments are rarely "lost," and students submit their assignments under their login.  This allows me to have more organization with a large group of students.  I can access their individual assignments, and make comments, and provide meaningful feedback where necessary, without having to search through piles of papers to find their work.

Remind: The Remind App allows me to communicate with both students and parents about upcoming assignments, events, and even give meaningful constructive feedback for entire groups of students.

1. Communicating upcoming assignments: Both our teachers and administration use Remind for communicating important information.  I can use the remind app to update students on any classwork or homework that is due.
2. Giving constructive feedback about assignments: If I feel that most of the students have done well on an assignment, I can send them a message telling them so, with details about what I saw that impressed me.

I am so appreciative of what our school district has done in the last few years to provide teachers with the technological tools to allow us to improve the quality of our feedback to students.  This is not the only reason we have moved in this direction, but I believe that offering feedback improves my ability to assist students in learning mastery.  I hope that others will comment on this post with ways that technology has revolutionized the way that they provide meaningful feedback.