Post-Day 31 - Realizations and Reasons

So, my students and I were completely paperless (and still are) for 31+ days. That's a really long time to not have handouts or homework come in on paper, so I most definitely applaud my students (and myself) for trying something new, being pioneers, and really thinking about how to avoid using and wasting paper. That said, I've spent the last week or so ruminating over what I really want out of this project. I wanted to try something new; I wanted to avoid the copy machine, and I wanted to give my kids some problem-solving skills that they will most certainly come across in the years to come.

So now what?

I touted the fact that I shouldn't force students into learning my way, so with that said, I plan to let them choose the way they want their homework and notes. Paperless is now an option, not a requirement. I won't run things off, but I will provide every student with electronic copies. If he or she wants to make paper copies and turn them in, the option is there. It's always been there, really.

Now it will be fun to see who remains paperless... I've shown them how to do it; I wonder who will keep flying the flag.

Day 31 - Bleh.

For the first time in 31 days, i've questioned my project. I need to think a little before I write more.

Talk About Paperless... - Days 23-25

Every winter our students choose a place in town at which to intern in order to learn about LIFE IN THE REAL WORLD. Needless to say, they are often blinded by the fact that they can sleep until 9am, which translates into their staying up all night long. Generous businesses around the city host them and work very hard to teach them about life in the working world. They learn about running a small business, selling and buying, prosecuting, restaurant-running, publishing, promoting musicians, making jewelry, dentistry, veterinary medicine and many other awesome things. Obviously, this is about as paper-free as it gets. Real life learning = the ultimate paperfree experience.

Business To Tend To - Day 22

I was not at school today, but I was able to monitor work done by my students via google docs. I had them add some stuff to a document that had already been shared with me, and since Google can track all changes and additions to the document, I was able to see who did their work and when/if they finished by the end of their respective class. It sure does feel good to hold them accountable even when I'm sitting in the DMV. That's a great feeling.

So Normal It Was Boring - Day 21

So yeah, totally normal:

Routine in place? (check)
8th grade student sass (check and check to the "n"th power)
Students troubleshooting themselves (check)
Students attempting to surreptitiously search the web for glitter lip gloss (check)
Student caught and banned from computers for the remainder of class? (check)


Oh, but one cool, new little paperless thing today. The 7th graders and I did some multiple choice exam prep by writing on our desks. Everyone got an Expo marker and answered my class starters on their desks. That's right; I let them write on their desks. They seemed to love it. Low tech and satisfying.

And In All Fairness...

We are really 21 days without paper counting weekends and holidays. The kids have to work paperfree at home too, so there. Yay for the 20s.

My Thoughts On Homework

So I've had this debate in my head for the past 10 years. It's about homework. And how and when to give it. I think about how I've handled assigning homework over the years, and it's scary for me to think just how lousy I used to be and sometimes still am.

Consider English class. Is it a better use of time to go home and answer questions out of a textbook or is it better to read a poem, jot down some notes about it, and use Facebook or texting to discuss it with friends? Is that even feasible? Can I even grade that? No one actually gets a thrill out of answering those textbook questions. Yet there are pages and clubs dedicated to discussing literature and art, physics and biology. And why is that? It's because people love to talk about what love and find interesting. But only if they are 30+. They don't love to be graded on how they answer questions; they just love to talk. Would it be more feasible to assign a student to find a popular reference to the book or story and explain it? In talking and discussing, they learn. And in this social media-rich environment, it's stupidly backwards to refrain from tapping in to that; however, schools don't want the liability/distraction of social media. What a conundrum since social media accounts for 80% of the lives of teenagers who would rather Tweet, Tumble, Facebook, text, or Kinect rather than discuss something face-to-face.

So how do you make homework relevant to "screenagers"? How do you imbed the rules of comma use to tweens? How do you help kids of the digital age recognize imagery and discuss symbolism without homework as practice?

One thing I've noticed over the last several paperless weeks is that I have become far more judicious about what I give as homework. I've had to come to terms that grading everything I assign is essential. And I have come to realize that having a night off from English work is not a criminally negligent act on my part.

I don't know where homework is headed in the 21st century, but I'm willing to bet that it's moving away from the canned textbook questions I grew up with. Homework will look more like getting prepared for a debate or meeting. It will come in many forms, and not every person will be doing it the same way. That's pure speculation on my part, but I think I'm on to something...