The iTeach Blog

Hey Coach, I often use tools like Flipgrid, Google Classroom, Seesaw, and blogging so my students can give peer feedback through comments on each other’s work. The problem is, their feedback is not very meaningful - the comments lack detail and specificity to support their peer’s learning, and instead are full of exclamation points, emojis, and vague compliments. How can I teach my students to provide meaningful peer feedback in a digital space? Sincerely, Frustrated with Peer Feedback Dear Frustrated with Peer Feedback, First, let’s take a moment to celebrate what’s going well. It sounds like you recognize the importance of peer feedback in the classroom, and you’re already utilizing tools that enable students to share and discuss their work. Researchers John Hattie and Helen Timperley (2007) explain that when utilized effectively, feedback is one of the most powerful influences on student learning, so you are on the right track! But what does effective feedback look like? Acc...

These days, when pressed for time to deliver content with the pacing guide, the digital tools and techniques we use with our students are sometimes limited to online activities, video resources and unit projects.  But we forget that it is often just as easy to incorporate new technology into those three old school learning areas:  reading, writing & arithmetic!  Our students sometimes struggle with seeing the relevance of what we do in the classroom with what they experience in the real world, having to often shut themselves down when they enter class and getting hooked up the moment they get home.  But what if there were a way we could use tools like  Seesaw ,  Skitch ,  Google Classroom  and  Office 365  to motivate kids to complete their work while using it to demonstrate what they have learned at the same time?  As teachers, we often have difficulty finding time to fit in just one more thing, but are also guilty of forgetti...