Going COMPLETELY Paperless- 90% convinced
This commercial put the biggest smile on my face because it's a
great portrayal of how I feel about the idea of going paperless
especially in the classroom. This year our school started the 1:1 iPad
program and it has been a definite journey so far. Don't get me wrong,
it has been the best thing for my classroom in the sense that it has
absolutely helped my students and myself pass comfort zones, think
outside of the box and finally read each others minds! The most amazing
thing about it though is that once in a while (once I again I'm being
generous here=) the roles flip and the students end up teaching ME how
to do cool things with the iPad or end up being my IT help. They love
the role reversal and I am okay with that. It has actually built more
relationships among the students and with me as we all came into the
new year a bit Techno-phoebic. That vulnerability turned into everyone
wanting to help each other succeed and not feel like "idiots holding
iPads" .
On the other hand, there are times that I definitely
feel like Emma in this commercial. I still believe there are some
things that technology can't replace. Technology can't replace writing
skills. I feel very uncomfortable knowing that kids are so quick to
"auto-correct" and "spell check" their work. It is literally like
breathing to them. This will be my 15th year teaching and in the past
few years I have seen students' writing decline. This year I decided to
continue to have my students' journals in writing and not on the iPads.
If I had a penny for every time I see writing like " 2day has been a gr8
day so far. i got to c my crush and u wouldn't believe what he sed to
me" - Forget financial aid! I could pay for everyone's EdTech degree in
this class! =)
Am I a little bit old fashioned??? and if yes, is it bad?
