For anyone who wants to be able to manually annotate directly on Google Docs, Google on Tuesday announced that it is rolling out a new markup feature for Google Workspace customers, Google Workspace individual subscribers, and personal Google accounts that will allow users to write directly Use your stylus or your finger to work on Google Docs. New features include some standard pen and highlighter colors (black, blue, red, green, yellow) and an eraser. If you don’t like these colors, you can add your own.
There are many use cases for features like this, across age groups, industries, professions and personal work. Google mentioned some good things in its announcement, specifically “educators providing feedback on students’ essays, reports, and short stories.” Interestingly, I can’t understate how useful this feature is to creative writing students and professors.
It blends the traditional way of distributing hard copies of assignments with current computing technology and classroom management platforms such as Canvas or Blackboard that can be integrated with Google Drive. But you’ll never have to worry about lugging a pile of paper to class on seminar day, or running out of printing credits in the library. (Think back to being an undergraduate student around 2006, when my alma mater started charging students to print coursework in the library.)
This new feature also includes a tactile aspect; many of us creative writers prefer handwriting development notes on our peers’ work because not only is this more personal, but because Google Docs’ tracking editing and commenting system can quickly clutter the page . Comparison of typed text and handwritten notes on the same page can make it easier for writers receiving feedback to parse the information. Especially when you write in fun colors. (Hat tip to Alison and her baby blue gel pen for making constructive criticism fun.)
But there was one glaring problem at launch: Manual annotation was only available on Android devices. Users of Windows, macOS, iOS, ChromeOS, and even Chrome on these devices only have the option to view tagged documents, as well as show, hide, and delete them. This shortens the list of compatible devices for Android phones and tablets. Many K-12 students use school-provided non-touchscreen clamshell Chromebooks for writing and feedback assignments, and the older students are, the more likely they are to have a Windows or macOS clamshell laptop.
One more question: Over the past 10 years, I can count the number of times I’ve seen my students or graduate school colleagues write on tablets or 2-in-1s with half their hand. So while Google seems to have created a great feature that educators and students can use inside and outside the classroom, most people don’t have a compatible device.
If Google opens the feature to cover Windows, macOS, and iOS devices, it might help alleviate the problem. According to a report released by Statista in October 2023, Apple holds nearly 55.9% of the tablet market. Although the 2-in-1 laptop market is growing, some universities encourage students to buy convertible Windows laptops according to their majors.
Google began rolling out new features on February 27 to users who signed up for the Rapid Release. Users of the Google Standard version will begin seeing the new feature on March 11. Each deployment takes approximately 15 days.
If you don’t know your publishing track, go to Menu > Account > Account Settings > Preferences > Publishing Preferences > New features to check from the Admin console.