Learning and Leading

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23%

77%

awe, and humor; or use precisely the right word to express an opinion or feeling. Teachers can help students engage in self-reflection about their writing using not only grades, but also the opinions of other readers to inform their writing process. They can provide guidance in a way that computers cannot, and this is what they should be doing. Forego the red pen and instead sit with your young writers and engage in conversation to help them find the words and their voice.

—Steve Taffee has been a high school English teacher, a professor of education, an educational software developer, a high-tech executive, and a grade 6–12 director of technology. He currently consults in the areas of strategic planning, faculty development, and technology integration. Read his blog at taffee.edublogs.org.

than the byline. The writer-reader connection is a distinctly human experience: One has something to say, and one has the desire to listen.

We all want students to write well. The first lessons of writing are lessons of audience and purpose. If we’re teaching our students to write for a computer audience with a generic purpose, we have missed the mark as digital age educators. Computer-graded essays might cut costs, but at what cost?

—Evi Wusk, EdD, is an assistant professor of education at Peru State College in Nebraska, USA, where she teaches courses in educational technology and co-directs the iPad virtual learning community. Follow her on Twitter @eviwusk.

Feedback Should Be Personal

When we ask our students to write an essay, the last thing we should care about is the marks they get. In the process of reading my students’ assignments, I trace their weak areas and provide additional information. No computer can provide such information.

George S. Mouzakitis E-Learning Professor Athens, Greece

Benefits Outweigh the Drawbacks

The benefits of automated scoring far outweigh any drawbacks. My students receive feedback within three seconds that is consistent, accurate, and thorough. I know that on that 63rd essay, I am nowhere near as consistent, accurate, or thorough as I was on the first 3. This technology also allows my students to write more. With increased quantity, I consistently see marked increases in the quality of writing.

Jeff Pence Middle School English Language Arts Teacher Canton, Georgia, USA

Does Not Compute

Computational logic produces computational communication. It stands to reason, then, that computational assessment rewards computational communication, as a rubric can only reward that which it can recognize.

Jeff Tillinghast Educational Technologist/Administrator/Music Educator Kingston, Jamaica

Pros and Cons

When an administrator introduced me to a program that checks for plagiarism and grades the mechanics of student writing, I was eager to experiment. Keeping track of student writing in an electronic portfolio that I could refer to in conferences was an immediate selling point. I find the grammar and style checker somewhat clumsy. While I believe it saves me time marking things like fragments, subject-verb disagreements, passive voice, and misplaced commas, I also have to spend considerable time cleaning up its mess. The aspect of electronically graded papers I like best is that I can offer substantive commentary for students.

Camela Giraud English Teacher Sarasota, Florida, USA

The Human Touch

A computer reduces writing to an algorithm. The programmer of these algorithms reduces “quality” writing to the number of misspellings, length of sentences, number of times words are used, subject-verb agreement, or other grammatical errors. They can’t “read” a piece of writing and truly interpret the author’s craft, voice, or subtle descriptive language that evokes a reader’s emotions, thus engaging them in the words. They also can’t see improvement in writing and nurture student growth.

Dodie Ainslie Coordinator of Instruction Vestal, New York, USA

Three Steps to Make It Work

As long as the teacher never relinquishes authority to the computer, incorporating technology makes sense in grading papers. The challenge becomes, how do we make this work as a coherent system? I propose a hybrid approach. First, use computerized scoring to ease the repetitive load: Check for spelling, grammar, and plagiarism. Second, use teacher grading for at least one formal essay every grading period; focus on critical thinking and creativity. Third, utilize peer review in collaborative groups.

Rick Stevens Consultant San Francisco, California, USA

An Appeal to the Teacher’s Heart

Teachers: With whatever strength remains in your body and soul, take those pages that you clutch in your hand and raise them high. This is the reason you came to teach. In the heat of battle, when the burden seems unbearable, do not relinquish your living, pulsing dignity to that plastic box full of wires and fans. When the heartbeat on the page is weak, rush to the rescue! When the stream of life on the page is choked, clear a passage. And if you should be so lucky to find yourself overwhelmed with the vitality on those pages, do not drown. Swim! Wallpaper the room with them, pass them out like flyers on the street. Do not feed them to The Computer.