Paperless – furthermore!

Thought I’d add a little ‘other dimension’ perspective to Warrick’s paper-free classroom post. Like him, I’m working towards that goal as well – but it’s illustrative, I think, to see how the versatility and “customizable” nature of the Web, and Web 2 applications enable teachers to achieve this aim, in their own ways.

I guess there will be those who claim that leaving the pen and paper out of the equation is ‘wrong’, and there is certainly a huge part in my classroom for the ‘traditional’ tools of learning. However, the purpose of this page is to offer views of how technology can extend, and enhance what we [traditionally] do. From setting assignments, and making them available through the school portal; discussing them via an IWB, with support and extension examples in a variety of media – film, e-docs and images, as well as visits to relevant web-sites for research or for direct information, the student can use a variety of tools to enhance the value of the development – and learning experience from here.

The new “tradition” is the two-dimensional process of an email submission, either for a “good” copy, or as part of a drafting process. While this has great advantages in that handing in isn’t confined to scheduled classes, or during the school day (my pigeonhole stays empty for days at a time, but my inbox fills every day!) However, this doesn’t do anything to the learning process that wasn’t already there.

But using the advantages of my Tablet PC (others use the “Comment” insertions, in Word) I can make suggestions, or draw attention to features of the writing that the student can continue to grapple with – IF the document is “flexible”, or “malleable” enough. So using a Web app like Google docs means that a document can be “shared”, and moulded as a dynamic extension of the educational process – and yes, the relationship! – that takes place as I walk around the class, leaning over a student’s shoulder to answer a question, or help with an aspect of an exercise in a hand-written workbook. The advantage of this is that – unlike email – there’s only ONE version of the piece, and not several drafts to keep track of.

I use the School’s portal to provide access to and copies of all the main course documents, but maintain Wikis for each class as more versatile, more personable and more colourful places to provide my own reactions to and extensions of what happens in the classroom.

I wanted to add a comment on using the Kindle. Giving that Borders seems to be floundering to a watery grave, and perhaps this is as much due to its late entrance into the ebook market, I’m finding the “Notes” function of the Kindle a fantastic tool. Apart from not wanting – necessarily – to mark, with pen or pencil my books, making Kindle notes automatically means that these are available anywhere I’m online – NOT just if I have my Kindle. Given that I spot lines, or words or phrases and para’s in almost everything I read that I want to save for a “nuther” day, and since I can hardly carry every book I ever read around with me on the off-chance that’ll be the day I want or need it, this is a great teaching tool. And just as it works well for my wider-reading resources, its fantastic for books I’m teaching.