The Paperless Classroom

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The Paperless Classroom

• Jan Knispel
• Language Arts Department Head 6-12 Senior English
  Instructor
• MidPlains Community College Adjunct Instructor
• Valentine High School
• Jknispel_at_esu17.org

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Curriculum 1998

• Applied Communications
• Oral communications
• Job based writing
• Research writing
• Literature based course work 9-12
• Writing in Literature classes
• Response to literature
• Imitation of literature
• Journaling
• Research writing

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Technology Before Paperless

• Electronic Portfolio Grant for Language Arts lab
  1998
• 20 G3 Mac computers for students, 3 G3 for
  English teachers at VRHS, printers, cameras
• Increased student work with technology
• Keyboarding writing assignments
• Journaling
• Powerpoints
• Webpages

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VRHS Language Arts Department

• Increased technology hardware use
• Increased technological software use
• Clarishomepage, Microsoft Office
• Sharing of lab days-once a week
• Physical location
• Time commitment
• Changed with Standards Assessment Requirements

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The Paper FULL Classroom

• 2001 Introduction to Composition/Composition 1010
• Valentine High School and MidPlains Community
  College dual credit course
• Greatly increased the paperload
• Writing Workshop
• Peer Review
• Increased paper production/turn around

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Dual Credit Issues

• MPCC required Process Logs
• Specific text use
• Two semesters VHS1 semester MPCC
• Course requirement at VHS of two semesters mean
  more writing for Intro. students than in other
  senior courses
• College credit transfer to Nebraska colleges

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Requirements

• I required
• Multiple drafts (essay)
• minimum D3 Semester 1/D5 for portfolio
• 2nd semester-minimum 4 on essay, five on poetry,
  D6 or 7 for portfolio
• Authors note and Process Log
• Essays and research papers minimum 3 pages each

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Student Assignments

• Students produce 18 essays
• Options in Text/College Essays-scholarships/applic
  ation
• Poetry portfolio
• Semester portfolios
• Semester tests
• 2 Research papers

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Physical appearanceThen

• Boxes of papers
• Boxes of research
• Boxes of red pens
• Time, time, time
• 36 hours to correct
• Research papers
• One assignment

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Student issues-Then

• My handwriting
• And numerous
• comments
• Frustrations

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Issues Before Learning Web,My Elearning/Angel

• Readability
• My handwriting
• Their handwriting in early drafts and process
  logs/authors notes/graphic organizers
• Turnaround time
• Student Peer Review time
• Saving Paper
• Use of technology was basically keyboarding

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Where it began

• ESU17 technology experts Mary Gurney and Patti
  Finney organized the Learning Web Teams in Brown,
  Cherry and Keya Paha Counties
• Three teachers from Valentine High School
• Two Cherry County Rural Schools
• One teacher from Keya Paha High School

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Learning Web

• A technology based program to give teachers in
  Nebraska an opportunity to use technology along
  with educational philosophy to develop new
  technology in their classrooms.
• NETA is the showcase for the Learning Web teams.

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In the beginning

• Spring 2006
• Electronic Passport to Learning, a Learning Web
  group
• Nebraska Educational Technology Association
  program
• Valentine Community Schools
• Keya Paha County Schools
• Elementary and high school teachers in
• Business, Math, Language Arts

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School Improvement Goals

• All students will improve their problem solving
  proficiency, which includes but not limited to
  Math Reasoning and Reading Comprehension.
• Valentine Community Schools

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Goal Setting

• Two business teachers, one math, one English and
  two elementary teachers
• Due to diverse curricula, needs and interests,
  goals and the technology for each teacher varied.
• Help with paperload was IMPERATIVE!

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Instructional Strategies

• Note-Taking
• Writing Skills especially for college-bound
  students
• Feedback on assignments, more timely and
  readable.
• Technology use
• Cooperative Learning/Peer Review

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Project Description

• The use of technology to enable students and
  teachers grades K12 to improve communication
  skills through digital media and internet sharing
  of information with peers, teachers, schools and
  communities.

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Personal Goal

• Need for technology like Blackboard to allow
  Introduction papers to be electronically
  submitted and returned
• Faster turn around -student and teacher
• Clarity issues
• Handwriting
• Process logs

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Paperless Classroom andMy ELearning

• Computers in classroom-lab/cart
• Began to use in late fall of 2006
• Cost per license
• Learning curve of instructor
• Learning In-service
• Using Basic skills
• Inputting student data
• Setting up password
• Educating self as well as students

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Student Issues

• Computer availability
• Learning curve of students
• Not just for Introduction to Composition
• Used in British Literature and Applied
  Communications courses
• Student Reluctance
• Students who are not technologically educated
• Keyboarding skills
• Writing skills
• Learning styles

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Year TWO

• 100 licenses with DL contract
• Data Input much faster
• Password protected
• Summer In-Service
• Learned more about Bells and Whistles
• Calendars
• Elocker
• Document and other types of info.
• Blogging, Email, etc.
• Unfortunately dont use all of them

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How does it work?

• System administrator (depends on district)
• Teacher Account-password
• Builds assignment drop boxes and other
  folders/data repositories
• Collects/downloads assignments
• Corrects/Uploads assignments
• Can save documents on line or on hard drive
• Make assignments available or unavailable
• View assignments individually

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Students

• Assignments posted/submitted/uploaded by
  students.
• Save documents
• Peer Review in teams or as classroom groups
• Download peer review
• Receives assignments after grading

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What did I save?

• Keyboarding GO/PL/AN
• Keyboarding Essays D1-7
• Downloading assignments
• Uploading assignments
• Date and Time of turn in
• All writing assignments can be checked with
  symbols
• Track Changes

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English does the Math

• Papers per student in Intro. 18 essays, 10 poems,
  2 research papers with bibliography with GO/PL/AN
  D3D7 (ave.
• Papers per student Applied Communications
• 2 research papers
• Chapter Projects
• Papers per student British Literature
• 2 research papers
• Literature based writing
• 3 College essays
• Other as assigned

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English does the Math

• Average Intro paper is 10 pages with D1-3
  (GO/PL/AN) X9essay (1st sem.) 90 X25students2250
• Average Intro paper is 16-20 pages with D3-7
  (GO/PL/AN) X9 X254500 pages
• (Students NOT having to print multiple drafts for
  conferences and peer reviewX1045000 pieces of
  paper per year)
• Does not include British Literature or Applied
  Communications papers or research papers for
  Intro 10,000?)

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What did I save-Teacher time

• Previously, on the average, grading research
  papers, took approximately 40 hours due to page
  turning and writing comments (One full weekend
  from 4 PM-11PM Friday, Saturday and Sunday 9
  AM-11PM.)
• Grading essays D3 status 7 to 9 hours continuous
  grading.
• Correcting time is at least now half of what it
  was.

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Comments and Issues

• Student comments
• Issues
• Server issue
• Internet-Firefox
• MicroSoft Office Word (Vista)
• Flashdrives and viruses

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Physical Appearance Now

• Correcting time
• No more than half
• of what is was
• Handwriting
• No longer an issue
• Paper saved

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Student paper Now

• Student name titles of books need italics or
  underlining not quotation marks
• Introduction to Composition
• Option 16, Draft 3
• Needs a title PL is very short. NO GO
• Audrey Niffeneggers book The Time Travelers
  Wife is an intricately woven tale about the
  delicate balance of the space/time continuum.
  Niffeneggers characters are developed in such a
  way that youre constantly learning more about
  them. The author is extremely good at what she
  doesand that is writing novels that can make you
  laugh and cry simultaneously.
• In this book, Audrey-you know her well enough to
  call her by her first name? weaves a love story
  about Claire and Henry. The thing WC that makes
  this book such a page-turner though, is that its
  very odd. You see, Henry is a time traveler not
  by choice thoughits a genetic disorder that
  leaves him constantly popping in and out of the
  present tense. Claire is Henrys rock. Ever
  since she was six years old, she knew that she
  would some-day marry Henry. Constantly waiting
  for him is her main occupation throughout this
  book. No matter what,she Claire never gave up on
  himeven when he Henry lost his feet. (use the
  characters names from time to time).

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Lets take a look

• Valentinemyelearning link

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The Future at VHS

• More LA teachers using myelearning?
• More curricular areas using myelearning
• Teacher pages/ 100 additional licenses
• One studentone account can be accessed for
  numerous curricular areas
• Computer business desks/one computer per desk,
  wired in (approved for 2008 school year.)

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What is Available

• My Elearning
• Creating and uploading assignments with drop
• boxes
• Discussion boards
• Email
• Podcasting
• And other opportunities
• Your local server?

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Questions?