Assessment of English and Seminar Papers using Adobe Acrobat
- Details
- Category: Reports
- Published on Wednesday, 28 September 2011 19:28
- Written by Jeffrey A. Sigman
- Hits: 81
What I like about Acrobat are all the different options.
However, I rarely use the editing options, and often just include text comments in bubbles or in the text, as I would in Word. What I find the most valuable is inserting voice recording comments because it actually allows me to express praise and admiration for a student's work in an easier and more authentic way. I can reread a sentence and tell that student it's beautifully rendered or I can laugh if it's funny... This was an unexpected benefit, I think. I use the recorded voice primarily for praise, reserving criticism for text comments.
The one problem is that students can't open or navigate pdf's. I know it's easy, but you know students. They can't download Reader, they don't have it, it doesn't open, their computer was built by witches in the bayou in 1973, they have Reader but it doesn't accept megazaps and "Why does it ask me for my credit card?" So, that is the primary reason I don't use Acrobat more often. I find it difficult to respond to all students in that way only, which is how it would be the most useful. It seems kind of unfair to send a pdf to some and not to others.
I haven't yet converted into reading and grading all essay in Acrobat, but I'm still thinking about it. Most of the time I use it for drafts and outlines.
