Your Teacher is a Computer

Who would think this is possible? 
A program that reads essays for you!
It grades them on organization, sentence fluency, ideas...
If you ever felt sensitive to criticism from the red pen of your condescending (but later much-appreciated) English teacher, think how it feels to get judged by a robot.
[Personal confession: my most hated was the most helpful: 11th Grade, Avondale High School, Mr. Welty.  As a human, he meant little, as a builder of writing skill, he helped a lot.]
The computer grades kids' essays and then gives them up to five more chances to edit and re-submit.
Maybe this drilling on the mechanics can get them halfway and then a real human being can coach them in some style.
Here is a sample screen from the Write To Learn software.

Comments

[Denise]

Funny how I found Mr Welty far more interesting as a Spanish teacher. He was a bit of a pervert.(Albeit in Spanish)
Now I wish I'd had in in English.
Eggen wanted Philosophy not writing.

[Peter]

Thanks for the link. I watched the Flash demo. My first impression: pretty grim stuff.

My course this summer taught us ways to get students writing to "authentic audiences" and not to teachers. I'm going to write this great piece -- this soulful, voice-filled piece -- for a machine to read? Not much of an audience.

I think it says a lot about where the instruction of writing may be heading until the government starts listening to the recognized writing instruction experts.

Maybe Pearson's product is the next logical step in a system that (1) must quantify, (2) loves technology, and (3) burns out writing teachers, many of who believe that every mistake should be pointed out on every paper.

I'm going to see how much I can get away this year with not grading papers to death. In the rush to quantify (and, with my legal background, I've written some detailed and bulletproof rubrics), I have discouraged a lot of student writers. But I've been learning some ways to get students to assess themselves. (And, ultimately, what good is any other kind of assessment?)

Thanks, Evan!

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1187122038]

Hey, I was GOOGLING Mr. Welty as the subject of creepy cigar smoking high school teachers came up and i came across your page. I was trying to remeber if he was as creepy as i remembered him - :)

Tim Halstead - Class of '81