=20
Cathy Meany
Boston Latin School
**********************************************
Turnitin does seem to have cornered the market, at least for the
moment. Regarding the grading tool, however, I think their offering is
more sophisticated than a simple algorithm for calculating marks. They
offer a tool for grading actual papers, including rubrics that teachers
can manipulate in order to focus on particular features of writing.
Teachers can add marginal notes, summative comments, and grades on
either the paper as a whole or on each section of the rubric. People say
it can carve as much as 30% off the time it ordinarily takes to grade a
paper, and they feel it enables them to give students much more
substantive feedback, much more promptly. Thus Turnitin has become far
more than a 'Gotcha!' tool, to the company's credit and teachers'
benefit.
I'm sure that a site license for Boston Public Schools would be
costly. On the other hand, it's a tool all middle and high school
teachers should have, and the cost of a license at the building level is
prohibitive, which then results in a have/have not scenario, which no
one wants.=20
Hope the above is helpful. Feel free to pass it along!
Cheers,
Susan
=20
Susan Diamond Moran
English and Modern Languages Program Director
Boston Latin School
78 Avenue Louis Pasteur
Boston, Massachusetts 02115 617.635.8895x146
=20
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