Paperless Classroom
8-B-1 Paperless Classes
This post is in response to the prompts of 8-B-1. The article on paperless classes prompted me to think about classroom management. One of the tools I have used in my classroom is the Internet Classroom Assistant called Nicenet (http://www.nicenet.org/). After three years of incorporating it into my sixth grade social studies classes I have found the paperless aspect of assignments to be very efficient. When I post a conferencing topic on Nicenet, I ask the students to thoughtfully respond by the end of the week. This allows students the “wait-time” needed to deeply reflect on an answer. This also allows me to hear a response from all participants in the class. Additionally, student side conversation can then continue long after the concept was presented within the 41 minute class period.
Students can post from home or school, and once posted they are done. The sixth grader does not have to remember to place the assignment in their backpack, bring it to school, remove it from the backpack, and bring it to my class. The on-line ICA allowed for instantaneous completion.
Additionally, the audience for a posting is more than one, the teacher. Other students are then able to read the postings and respond.
My paperless space in Nicenet has allowed my students to interact in a way not possible within the rigid structure of the 41 minute period. Students learn to respect each other’s ideas and points of view devoid of the usual social cues. They hear the message for what it is saying.
In the article, the professors described the Web-enhanced classroom as a combination of face-to-face and on-line activities/resources. I have not gone totally paperless (I am still a digital immigrant), but I could see the advantages of it in my future practice.
