To get maximum benefit from peer or teacher editing, students need to be able to see, accept, or reject changes their editors have made. Microsoft Word's change tracker tool allows them to do just that.

Provide students with the directions below for using the tool when editing or rewriting a Word document.

For Word 98 and Word X for Mac users: Go to Tools>Track Changes>Highlight Changes; check "Track changes while editing.

Now, if you are the only editor, you can add, delete, change words, and so on, and the changes will be marked in red. If you are one of several editors, you can use the options button on the window at Tools>Track Changes to change ink color, so each editor's changes appear in a different color. If you are the writer, you can see the changes suggested by the editor(s) and accept or reject those changes by going to Tools>Track Changes>Accept or Reject Changes.

With Word XP: Go to Tools>Track Changes to open the Reviewing toolbar. The toolbar includes four yellow icons, each with a different symbol (a forward arrow, a back arrow, a check mark, and a red X); a New Comment icon; a Track Changes icon; and a Reviewing Pane icon.

If you are an editor, you now can add, delete, change words, and so on, and the changes will be marked in red. If you are the writer, you can see the changes made by the editor, and accept or reject those changes by clicking the yellow icon with the correct symbol. Click the arrows to move to the next or previous change; click the check mark to accept a change; click the X to reject a change.

Track Changes can be used for in-depth editing of student work, as well as for a number of professional tasks. Track Changes is especially helpful for working on committee or collaborative documents.

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