Ok, well I don't know how much energy is actually used to power these tech tools, but I do know that using electronic formats for silabi, assignments, and other documents that our students often lose does save on resources used to create paper. It can also save the school money in that there is less money spent on ink, toner and paper.
I have tried to rely as much as possible on school sponsored class pages on the Web to post the assignment sheets, attachments and handouts that I would normally give in class from saving the trees, and the time to run off copies. In the past I've used FirstClass and WhippleHill, and next year I'll obviously be using the Wiki. It holds the students accountable for accessing the materials, rather than relying on the teacher to give them to them. You do need to be clear about the expectation that they do actually need to refer to these cyber-postings. The other nice thing about posting documents on any Web or in electronic format is that the students know where to go if they have misplaced their copies (as is often the case with adolescents). Finally, it is great to be able to show parents how organized you are, and to be able to refer them to the place where all of the documents are posted. This approach definitely eliminates excuses like, well, the teacher never told us that or I didn't know we had a test. Of course you did, the assignment was posted two weeks ago and the cyber gods have the proof.
I think that I may have just gone on what Lisa calls a bird walk. So, speaking of the birds, and the bees, and mother nature...Only print when necessary. Think green.
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Tweet! Tweet! I don't think you took a total bird walk in your blog--maybe a slight stroll. Yes, posting assignments, projects, etc... does cut down on all the paper schools consume. I cringe when students clean out their binders and end up dumping all the contents (fortunately) in the recycling bin. The thought and sight of one-sided photocopies makes me ill. During the school year I always make double-sided copies. Oh! Getting back to technology, posting assignments, etc. does make the student more accountable, but there is one draw back, which I discovered this past year. Students become to rely too heavily on seeing their homework on-line, so much that they don't write it down in their agenda, nor do they pay close attention in class to see if they understand the work! I began to question the real usefulness of posting my homework on-line, if students were not taught the importance of understanding before leaving the classroom. Although I will continue to post my homework on-line (since it is also useful for parents), I will, beginning this September, stress and make sure all students are writing the howework down in class.
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