CheckMark

CheckMark is a Chrome extension that's aimed at speeding up the often tedious task of digital commenting on students' Google Docs files. After a quick installation process (although with some disconcerting privacy permissions), teachers can highlight any text in a Google document and get a small menu of buttons. These buttons correspond to some common comments teachers might make on a student writing assignment, such as "Check punctuation" or "Evidence needed." Once a button is clicked, this feedback appears as a standard Google Docs comment. Students can resolve comments or reply to them.

To get the most out of CheckMark as a time-saving writing feedback tool, teachers will want to make a few modifications. To do this, click on the CheckMark logo in the top left of the browser and then click the pencil icon to edit the list of available feedback. From this menu, it's super easy to edit, delete, or add feedback to make sure the tool fits every need. Teachers might also consider requiring that students reply to each CheckMark comment with a short explanation of how they responded to the feedback in the writing assignment (rather than having students resolve the comments).

CheckMark could also be introduced to students as a tool for peer feedback. Since the options are baked in, it's a good way of scaffolding for students some common things to look for. They'll likely want a printed list of the feedback abbreviations so that they know what each button means, however. (Note: There's a hover-over, full-text explanation of each button, but it's a little wonky.)