Providing Feedback in Google Docs

Tuesday Feb. 13, 2018

Whether it's writing a research paper, essay, lab report, poem, script or other text document, Google Docs is becoming the most used tool for word processing by our students.

With this increase use, I wanted to discuss two features in Google Docs that excellent for providing written feedback; Comments and Suggestion Mode. Both of these tools can be used by teachers and between students, and each provides a unique way to facilitate student learning.

Comments and Suggestion Mode are also great assessment tools if you are collecting assignments digitally via Google Classroom, Portfolios, or Sharing.

Note: To use both comments or suggestion mode, the Google Doc must be shared with all collaborators.

Comments

What are Comments?

Comments allow you to link text within a Google Doc (or Slide or Sheet) to a note that is displayed on the side of document. Comments are a great tool to bring attention to specific areas of text without actually changing the text itself.

How to Add a Comment

Use your mouse to highlight the text you want to comment on
- It can be one word, a sentence or even a whole paragraph
You will see a little comment box with a plus (+) sign appear to the right of the screen - click that and a comment box will appear
Type in your comment (you can even add a link if you want) and hit the comment button

How To Delete or Edit a Comment

If you would like to edit or delete a comment, click on the ellipsis (3 little dots) in the top right corner of the comment box
Select Edit to edit the comment
Select Delete to delete the comment
- only the creator of the comment can delete a comment, viewers can only Resolve comments

Responding or Resolving Comments

Collaborators can interact with a comment by Responding to it or Resolving it.

To respond simply type in the Reply... area. All comments and replies are labeled with the commenters name and are visible to all those it has been shared with.

Resolving a comment removes the comment from the page view. This does not delete the comment, but rather tracks that the comment has been "read" and removes it from view.

To view all comments, including those Resolved click on the Comments button at the top right of the document - next to the Blue Share button.

Click on the re-open link to reinstate a comment that has been resolved to the document.

Suggestion Mode

What is Suggestion Mode?

Suggestion Mode in Google Docs allows collaborators to make suggested edits to a document. What is great about this mode is that those edits are not actually made until they are approved by the original author/owner of the document. Not only is this a respectful way to provide feedback, but it also provides opportunity for students to really think about why the edit was suggested.

How to suggest changes in Google Docs

1. Change to Suggestion mode by click on the Editing button in the top right of the document and selecting Suggesting.
  1. - If you don’t see this option, you may not have editing permission and will need to contact the owner of the document.
2. Once in Suggesting mode you can make edits to the document that will only show up as suggestions.
  1. - You’ll see suggestions in a different color (green in the image below).
    - Anything you delete will be crossed out not actually deleted.
    - A comment is automatically added to indicate your suggestion and you may add more detail by clicking Reply.

Accepting or Rejecting a Suggestion

Authors can choose to either accept or reject a suggestion by simply clicking on the checkmark or x in the suggesting comment box.

- Accepting a suggestion will make the suggested edit to the document
- Rejecting a suggestion will delete the suggested text

When to use Comments or Suggestion Mode

There are lots of opportunities to use comments and suggestion mode in the classroom.

Here are a few suggestions:

Suggest edits or improvements to writing
Ask a question to encourage further thought
Use as a peer feedback tool - students can comment on each others work, asking questions, providing suggestions
Use to encourage collaborative learning. Students share with their classmates who comment on what they learned - similar to blog comments
Use as an assessment tool to comment on student progress or learning based on the evidence provided.

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