How do you use tech to reflect on feedback with students?

We already use this tool for years. My personal experience is that my students (16-18 years) find it very annoying to have to improve themselves, once they thought the work is done and ready.

My most recent teaching experiences were: 1. I taught beginning printmaking. The history of printmaking— printmakers who were “masters”, modern and contemporary. I also instructed printmaking techniques, with hands on instruction in the printmaking studio. I encouraged students to use traditional printmaking techniques and apply their own personal vision. I critiqued all of their work whether they were assignments or creating their own unique prints. There were critique sessions for the group and individual critiques for those students who desired my personal comments. No digital interaction. I taught a contemporary “mural art” course and used computers to teach students how enlarge their lettering and design using a grid system.

I used digital portfolios for my students enrolled in their Master's programme as Nurse Educators. They were taught how to compile a digital Teaching Portfolio. They would upload all their teaching practica and reflections as student teachers and submit this for grading. The students also used this as their first activity to help them when they are employed as educators to continue to develop and build on their teaching portfolio that they will keep as part of their journey as qualified educators. Reflective practice forms a major role of this digital portfolio.

One of my tasks involves filming my interactions with the students in simulated environments that mimic situations they would encounter in real life. I then pick some of the best and worst interactions and edit them into a short video that the students and teachers can review later on in group feedback sessions. This works wonders as a learning tool.

I am retired from public school after loving my four decades of teaching middle school and high school, and for a decade as a part time adjunct professor. Now (I work only because I want to), I find myself in an incredible private school. I have found that using project-based education is very successful when set up correctly. With the technology in the classroom, and being able to present in technology like Google Slides or (PowerPoint) and just being a facilitator; real learning takes place. It took me a while however, to give up to change the paradigm that I learned with in school. Project-based learning was especially helpful with students that were lacking educational skills and in the inner city.

Filming is certainly one of the best tools. There is so much science behind it, from stimulating as many of the five senses for easier restoration, to visually seeing goals being accomplished, creating a strong sense of self empowerment. The list goes on. Although the websites mentioned are great, I tend to go for regular videos from the phone and emailed/shown in class by USB.

Utilizing online surveys in education enhances the feedback loop, promoting a dynamic learning experience. Research, such as the one conducted by The University of Wollongong, Australia, has shown that active polling through technology can lead to reduced fail rates. By encouraging students to provide feedback from surveys, they can identify areas for improvement, aligning with the growth mindset concept. This approach not only helps students but also informs educators, enabling a more tailored teaching approach.

Another useful activity can be organizing interactive Jamboards in a Google Drive so that students can review each other's work and leave feedback independently. I find often this gives a greater degree of freedom to students in reviewing each other's written work. In the case of presentations it is often useful to create a feedback form using one of many tools (e.g. Google Forms) that students are encouraged to fill out following a presentation. This way they can discover good presentation skills from their own perspective which deepens their connection to the topic.

Encourage students to write reflective blog posts or journal entries about their feedback experience. This promotes deeper thinking and metacognition. As a teacher you can set up closed groups on social media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook or Instagram for students to share their feedback experiences, insights, and questions.