Using Schoology and Notability for Written Assignments

It's a conundrum. Students need to write. A lot. And writing experts agree that the best way to improve one's writing (and the critical thinking skills that go along with it) is to revise the same piece multiple times.

Yet we teachers also have to balance that necessary revision with the other equally important content and objectives, all in a short space of time. 

Barring time travel, it isn't possible to completely remove that tension. But I discovered through experimenting in my English 9 classes last year that our tech tools can help reduce it significantly. As an example, the following is the process I used for an essay assignment during a poetry unit last spring.  

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Step 6

Students brought annotated versions of their chosen poems to class. They brainstormed in small groups to develop arguments. For homework, they prepared a digital concept map or outline using a tool of their choice.

Students brought their maps/outlines to class and peer reviewed using Notability. For homework they revised their outlines and uploaded them to a Schoology assignment. I reviewed their outlines on my iPad and offered feedback as needed. 

Students prepared a draft of one body paragraph and loaded it into Notability. In class, they again exchanged iPads and engaged in a detailed peer review based on criteria I provided.  

Students prepared a draft of their introduction and loaded it into Notability. In class they exchanged and peer reviewed.

Students prepared an essay draft (complete, typed, MLA formatted) and loaded it into Notability. They exchanged and peer reviewed the drafts in class, then uploaded those reviewed drafts into a Schoology assignment.

Over the weekend I read the drafts and provided narrative feedback using Schoology. Students received the feedback immediately.

Students prepared a final draft of their essays and uploaded it to the same Schoology assignment. I graded the essays using Schoology's built-in rubric function and provided additional narrative feedback. I was able to easily switch to the peer reviewed first drafts as needed.

Given that this was a new process, we of course hit a technical snag once in a while. But my students were great sports, and in the end, the we all agreed that the benefits of using the tech tools were worth any minor frustrations. Those benefits included:

• Speed. Each step took significantly less time than it would have using paper. This was particularly true when I offered feedback. I was able to get through 75 essays in less than half the time I usually needed, and my typed narrative feedback was more detailed than anything I could have handwritten. (To be fair, I am a faster typist than hand writer. But still....)
• Increase in feedback. Students received detailed peer review on their outlines, paragraphs, and essay draft, as well as feedback from me on both drafts of their essays. But I did not have to increase the number of days I spent on the essay process. 
• Higher quality final essays. Because students were able to engage in more peer review and revision steps than a paper process would allow, their final essays were significantly better than I expected and indicated significant individual improvement in thinking and skill.

Will this work for everyone? No. It's important for each teacher to make the choice that will best serve her students and work with her methods. But I hope my experience will encourage those who are interested in trying the paperless route.