Online Feedback

I have been using Moodle in my classroom on a regular basis, but I'm not sure what direction to take in regards to giving online feedback. It is still an area of uncertainty for me. In regards to my students' posts and replies, I have simply given completion points for answering a question. I have tried to be more diligent in reading my students' comments/debates and have come up with a 5-4-3 grading scale. 5 for excellent, thoughtful, at least 3 reasons or explanations/4 for good, could provide more justification, 2 reasons or explanations/ 3 for fair and needs more thought. This seems to be working for simple discussion posts. Honestly, I focus more on the process, thought-formation, and interaction online rather than the correct answers. My goals with Moodle have been to foster and encourage discussion and debates outside of class, allowing students to develop a "voice" online.

Here is a sample post from one of my students:

"...all men are created equal…..with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
I think that Abigail Adams response to this quote would be she would think it was true becasue she had been fighting for so long for equal rights for women and africian americans and this quote talks about equality for all, and how everyone is equal and should be treated like everyone else not matter who they are.
I think that Abigail Adams would have agreed with Thomas Jefferson because Abigail Adams thought that all men and women are equal. And no matter what their race is they should all be treated the same. Thomas Jefferson said that " among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed" And i think that Abigail Adams and Thomas Jefferson both think that everyone should and needs to be treated with equality and have the same rights and freedom as everyone else.


I have found it be very time-consuming for myself to respond to every student's posts. Usually, I pick a class every couple weeks and provide comments to those students. I could explore the idea of using different fonts/italics/highlighting features to focus on points and ideas I like within students' work. Additionally, I need to become more familiar with Microsoft Word editing features and try these more to help my students. I haven't heard much negativity on my lack of comments; Students tend to understand the value and importance in commenting to each other.
As mentioned in chapter 8, "Students take pride in posting work and they are able to see authentic reader response to their writing." I hear many comments about discussions on my moodle. Many students are anxious to see if their post will receive any responses from their classmates. My students are no strangers to using text-talk, either. I come across many LOLs and TTYL and smilies in my students blogs. However, I don't frown upon this. I see it as students interacting and engaging with the content in an informal setting. To foster comments, I have students explain why they either agree or disagree with a students' posts. In the beginning of the year, I had student practice giving feedback to a couple of statements. Students still seem fearful of providing negative comments or disagreeing with their peers. They tend to simply agree and move on. Here is a sample response from one of my students:

I agree with Jason because the first time that i saw Trevor i thought that he was also just some kid who was week , shy , and couldn't do anything to change the world. But as the movie went on Trevors character started to grow more and more and you could see how he was changing into a stronger and more knowledgeable kid.
The first time i saw Eugene i also agree that he was a quiet and patient teacher who cared about his students and wanted to help them achieve in the world. And as the movie went on Eugenes personality opened up more and he showed more passion for teaching and helping society grow.


I did like some suggestions that were made in Chapter 8 and could possibly inter grate them into my classroom, especially for larger projects.

-Encourage students to highlight parts of a text they agree or disagree with.
-Use different fonts of italics to emphasize an idea
-Group my students on Moodle and have them share project ideas or papers (require a certain number of responses before turning in the final draft)
-Explore Tappenin or some IM program to encourage a more free-flow of ideas within a small group.