BFTP: 3-ring binders - a little rant
Saturday, October 31, 2015 at 05:02AM 
When a former superintendent used to ask me (jokingly? hopefully?) when I was planning to retire, I always responded, "The day every student in school has a computer and all the skills needed to use it effectively." I'm still fine with that criteria, but I am going to add another one: "When there are no more three-ring binders used in the district."
I hate these things, but if you are like me, you have at least a half dozen lining your book shelves. Curriculum guides, emergency plans, technology plans, vendor proposals - heaven knows what else. I've even been the perp in creating a couple. My best was the mega Y2K preparedness notebook that seemed to take up much of my year 1999. Nothing like impending disaster to bring out the three-ringbinder mania in people.
How simple and how common-sensical to transfer the contents of all three-ring binders to a wiki, GoogleDoc folder or even a repository of PDF files where the content can be linked and searched. I'll bet dollars to doughnuts that 99% of the material in most binders was printed from a computer file anyway.
Just think - no more finding, dragging to meetings and updating, page-by-page a print binder. Everyone would have access to the latest updates and from anywhere. No more cooridinating multiple editors. Extra shelf space in the office for pictures of grandchildren or pets or golfing trophies. Think of the time and resources saved in not printing, collating and binding. Somebody new needs the information, just send'm a link.
If the information is important enough to gather, organize and update, isn't is also important enough to make available, uniform and current by placing it online?
This, like so many technology changes, is less about technology and more about mindsets. Based on binder use, I don't think I will be retiring any time soon.
Reader Comments (7)
I've been without three-ring binders for about three years now; everything is stored in OneNote Notebooks / Class Notebooks.
I honestly think that pretty much everything I have in binders IS available online. It's just hard to part with those hard copies. It's a mindset, like you said.
But with that said, our teachers don't have laptops or tablets that they can bring to meetings. Kids have access to gobs of Chromebooks. Teachers are still tied to their desktops. So, paper it is! We'll get there.
Hi Cal,
I have managed to nearly eliminate 3-ring binders myself, but is this now part of your school culture?
Doug
Annette,
So why don't your teachers borrow the kids' Chromebooks for meetings? We try to have some portable devices for teacher use at meetings available in each school, too.
But yes, you need to have the equipment (and know how to use it) before ending the tyranny of paper.
Doug
Hi Doug,
Yes, we're one-to-one with a tablet PC (and have been for the past 15 years or so). All of our classes are given a OneNote Class notebook (well, our design of it) and our administration use OneNote to communicate and collaborate. In fact, our only challenge is that external bodies don't use it and we end up having to print them out to pass on.
Thanks for the reply, Cal. You district is an inspiration and hope that some day I actually can retire.
Doug​
Doug,
As a person who has been in the business of manufacturing ring binders for almost 30 years I hope you are never able to retire. I suppose you want to do away with all books too...remember that that includes the bible, so take that laptop to church with you next Sunday.
Joe
Hi Joe,
Thanks for the note. I would have guessed most 3-ring binder manufacturing had long been moved to other countries. Times are changing.
Actually, I don't want to do away with books - only paper books. I am an avid reader, a former librarian, and a father-in-law to a minister who used his iPad to read the Bible and conduct his services. If I have my Bible on my phone it is always with me to consult if I wish!
All the very best,
Doug