Basic tips for using MSOffice 2010 for writing tutoring

1. Tips and tricks on how to provide assistance and feedback for students
utilizing comments, tracked changes, and other mechanisms in MS Office.

2.  Always Have a Base Copy
 This is important!
1. You’ll need a base copy to compare a revised copy
with comments and tracked changes.
2. Make this the student’s responsibility: If possible, have
them send you ‘two’ copies: one called ‘base’ and the
other ‘Version 2’ or some other schema that you can
agree upon

3.  When in doubt, use comments instead of
changes
 This’ll remove the temptation to change the
idea/meaning of the student’s writing
 My personal philosophy: ‘Edit’ the writing only
after:
▪ If the student has worked with you over multiple drafts
and this is a ‘final revision’
▪ The edit in question is to help the writer express his or
her meaning

4.  Lock the paper down
 “This is why the tutee has an original copy”
 Locking and restricting editing prevents the
student from ‘accepting’ all changes/comments
and passing them all off as his or her own
 This will force the tutee to engage with you in the
writing process to understand the comments you
made as tutor, as well as force them to read
through all the edits of the paper.

5.  Always leave a digital watermark
 Digital watermarks are similar to ‘watermarks’ in a
painting: identifying marks unique to a user.
▪ I.e. do something like leave at the end of the paper:
“Reviewed by Kevin Lee, Writing Tutor on <Date>”
▪ Make it clear to the tutee that there are ‘watermarks’
and ‘breadcrumbs’ that were YOUR
comments/feedback; if the tutee was to turn in said
work, it would not bode well for them

6.  Only utilize technology after you built a
working relationship based upon mutual trust
 If your student is not showing up prepared
 If your student doesn’t do his or her prewriting
outlines or drafts
 These issues are much more fundamental
and should be used in face to face instruction.
 Remember: technology is used to
supplement instruction, not replace it.

7.  Now’s a good time to discuss any questions
or concerns.
 IF there are no more questions… I’ll proceed
to specific instruction in the next YouTube
video on this series.