Oct
12
Audio Feedback – can it work?
October 12, 2011 | 7 Comments
Zack taking notes, listening to audio feedback
My students were given the daunting task of writing lesson plans. As first time lesson plan writers and facilitators, they are just discovering the backwards design model. They are learning terms like differentiated instruction, modification, and accommodation. Using assessment to guide their teaching and matching the goals with assessment criteria is a new concept. They are learning the importance of goal setting and big ideas and by planning a step-by-step model, they are better prepared for a variety of scenarios.
As their guide and coach, the best thing I can do for them (as I would do with little learners too) is give excellent FEEDBACK.
As I began to review the first set of submitted lesson plans, my mind drifted back to my grade six classroom. I would sit for hours adding comments, and notes, and suggestions, and ideas to the student essays that were spread across my classroom (or living room) floor. I had so much to say, to explain, to suggest. I wanted my feedback to make sense, to be authentic, to have detail and guide their next steps. As I reviewed work for these new set of students (adult students), with a ballpoint pen in hand, I couldn’t help but think –
there has be a better way…there has to be a better way….
I took out my Smartpen and a few livescribe sticky notes and began talking through the lesson plan. I made small circles (anchors) in sections and well as brief text notes of their work so they could control the navigation of the recording (a non-linear audio note). At first, I was very conscious of the fact that I was speaking to a piece of paper. It felt strange.
Kristen taking notes, listening to audio feedback
The next class, I gave my students the pen, their work, and some earphones (plugged into the pen). They listened to the feedback and made their own notes on the page (instead of the usual teacher mark ups). I wonder, would this type of feedback work with my younger students? I wonder, is having students write on their own pages, while listening to feedback an effective literacy strategy? I wonder, would this type of feedback give teachers an ability to give deeper, more detailed suggestions for student improvement?
Thoughts?
7 Comments so far
Hmm… Livescribe and stickies huh? I think that’s a great idea. I guess a next step would be to post them somewhere (Ha!) as a podcast. (Stickycast?) That would free up the pen for you, and not have to be giving it to them. Just a thought, not sure how that would work.
Actually……since you mention it. You can post the sticky notes as either an pdf audio file. It is so cool really. With all the podcasting you’d do, you’d really like it. I’ll show you at ECOO.
As a test subject for Zoe’s experiment with the livescribe feedback, I definitely recommend it over regular written feedback. Zoe was able to say so much more with the audio than she could have writing it down. But it was also HOW she said it. She was able to deliver positive feedback with an encouraging tone and it felt like she was right there with me. It is a much more personalized approach. When she said “Zach I really like what you did here, but don’t forget you could also do this” (an example), it really hit home. I was amazed at how I was able to retain the audio to memory. It also helped that I could write down her points, and also rewind and listen to them again, over and over if I so chose. It was like 1 on 1 instruction, personalized for me, the student. In all honesty, it is the best application of the livescribe pen I have ever seen.
I love your creativity! I wrestled with the same issue, although when my students moved to turning in their work online, and there was no longer any paper involved. I blogged about it: http://mmetechie.blogspot.com/ the second part (which I will post this week) is about the video commentary. Great post!
I was also a guinea pig of Zoe’s and I couldn’t have been happier about that. The Smartpen is my favourite technological tool that I have learnt about in the past month. I think this is a fantastic way to get students to actually look at, in this case listen to, the feedback teachers given them. As a student, I would read the feedback I was given by the teacher but it never registered with me. The assignment was already done and I wouldn’t understand the “circles” or the “question marks” I would receive on my papers.
Since I was given the audio feedback, my full attention was on what Zoe was saying. The feedback was personal which was also positive just as Zach mentioned. The audio clips allowed me to write down any or all of the information and suggestions that was given to me. The responsibility was put on me. If I wanted to improve the way I wrote lessons, I needed to pay attention to the feedback given.
I think this is a great way to use the Smartpen in the classroom. Students would be able to keep going back to listen to their feedback if it was uploaded as an audio clip. What would be better than that? I am a fan of all the uses that the Smartpen can offer. I am discovering something new every day!
Hey there Zoe,
Funny I should read this. I was just about to blog about our use of the stickies and pens in our classes here at SCDSB. We have a few teachers using the pens and stickies on student written work and math to include descriptive feedback. It becomes a station in the classroom to get your feedback and then plan your next steps to improve. I’ll be posting the blog post this weekend i hope.
This is another example of why Livescribe needs to add the ability to copy recordings from one pen to another. I’ve been begging for this since my school first decided to buy Livescribe pens for all of the teachers in our building.
Imagine if your students had their own pens and you could transfer the recordings of feedback to their own pens. Then they could listen to them anytime they like, revisit them as often as they need to, without needing a computer or other mobile device to access a PDF. Also, although I’m sure the PDF works fine for your adult students, I think for younger students, taking the recording from an actual sticky note attached to the student’s work to a PDF on a screen kind of breaks the connection a little from the student’s work to the feedback. Younger students might have trouble tracking from the appropriate place int their work to the related comment on the PDF.
Does anyone else agree with me that we would really benefit in the school setting from the ability to copy recordings from one pen to another?