We appreciate the positive buzz out there...keep it coming:

January 7, 2010: ESOLTechnolog.com reviews Version 1.0 of Annotate (just in time for 2.0)

Excerpt from the longer review:

Installation: The plug-in itself is a tiny file that installs in a few seconds.  The next time you open an Office document, you will notice a new tab (Annotate) on the toolbar. Clicking on “Annotate” unveils a new menu consisting of 10 commenting categories, each with a drop-down menu offering further commenting options. The main commenting categories are: Argument, Evidence, Organization, Writing Style, and Grammar/Mechanics.

Overall, Annotate simplified the process of correcting my students’ essays, but it was a bit frustrating when I couldn’t find the comment I was looking for and ended up creating a blank comment.  Hopefully, the developers of Annotate will address this in future updates by allowing users to customize comments and categories  on the toolbar.

• We were pleasantly surprised to discover this review...and immediately sent the editors of esoltechnology.com a review version of Annotate for Word PRO v2.0, with full customization.

1. I wanted to engage in "greener" grading.
2. I wanted to maximize the informative content in my comments to students with a minimum of effort.

Annotate for Word 2007 has met my needs on both fronts. I am now able to avoid printing student papers. I can grade them, with exactly the sorts of comments I wish to give, entirely on my computer and then return them to the students electronically.

It is also a HUGE relief to not have to write the same comment over, and over, and over....I simply point and click - presto! My standard "speech" about the use of the semicolon magically appears!

Grading papers is still the worst part of my job, but with Annotate for Word, the prospect of it (and the paper cuts) no longer makes me weep."

• E. Sandberg
  Associate Professor, Psychology

"I love your program so far. I really think this is a great asset for people like me. I have been teaching composition courses on the college level for more than three years now and I have always longed for a program that could save me from writing the SAME comments over and over again. I also think the added links to the OWL site are a great learning tool for students. It also saves me the time of printing supplemental materials to help with writing style and mechanics issues. It cut hours off a set of papers that I graded earlier this week. Therefore, I did not hesitate to order the full version." 

• Kamilah Cummings
  Professor, College Composition

"My students appreciate the speed with which I can send comments and grade papers using Annotate comments. As a teacher, I like the wide variety of comments I can make using Annotate, and I really appreciate the ease-of-use. I have cut down on time spend grading papers by using Annotate and my sore hands thank 11trees for its thoughtful work on a great product."

• Dr. Samadhi L. Metta Bexar
  Professor of English
  Yuma, AZ

"Annotate is great. We should talk about buying it for the department. Go to 11trees.com and download it for free. Try it and then we can talk. That is a great tool for both English and History. If they could make Spanish and French versions, that would be great. The feedback is great. It even has a direct link to a website with tips on how to write papers."

• from iTeach

"I love this program, and here's why:

Like most high school English teachers, I spend a hefty chunk of my life grading essays- which means I spend hours reading, scribbling copious notes in the margins which are indecipherable after the fifth paper, and then passing papers back to students in the hopes that they will revise them. Frequently the papers are given little thought, and then thrown into the trash when no one is looking.
Processing and grading papers electronically instead means clearer comments for students, no paper transportation or costs (or paper cuts!), no lost papers under my couch, and better student participation in the writing process. (Besides, there's always another copy if you need it )Parents are much more likely to see student work if it arrives in their email account as well.
So why this program? I've used electronic annotation programs before, and have been frustrated with the confusing organization, and the overemphasis on proofreading symbols that students don't respond to. Annotate for Word easily integrates right into Word (it shows up on the menu ribbon like magic!) It comes with comments that are easy to find, meaningful,constructive, and that already include links to on-line resources that students can go to right away for help with a particular skill issue. It is user-friendly with the first paper. I find that I have been getting papers returned more quickly using Annotate, and students like turning in and receiving annotated papers online.

Anything that streamlines the homework process and helps students learn has got my vote, and Annotate for Word definitely does both."

•  from an Amazon.com review

The one catch is that it is not available for the latest version of MS Word for Mac (2008).  Because Microsoft decided not to support Visual Basic for its latest version of Office for Macs - to the frustration of many - it doesn’t support many of the automated features that are available for the Windows version (2007).  Additionally, many of the software add-ons like Annotate are built with Visual Basic, so Mac users are out of luck in this regard for now it seems.

However, there are some glimpses of hope.  One work around, of course, would be to work with one of the many Window’s emulating programs now available for Macs.  This would allow users to run the Windows version of MS Word, which would be compatible with Annotate and other add-ons and functionalities.  Moreover, Craig Eisler, the General Manager of the Mac Business Unit for Microsoft, has recently indicated that the next version of MS Office for Mac will support Visual Basic."

• from  the Computers and Composition blog