Three-ring binders - a little rant

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.

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When Kiwanians get it...

Last Monday, I was the "guest" speaker at my local Kiwanis Club. Our club usually has about 50-70 members in attendance, is represented by a broad cross section of occupations, and skews to the older side of the chronological spectrum but still has a surprising number of 30-something youngsters in it - including a lots of parents.

My topic was e-books for personal and educational use.

Like always, I started with the statement, "I HATE BOOKS" despite being both an English teacher and librarian. But I back off the statement pretty quickly, by explaining that what I hate about books is their cellulose format. Paper books are heavy, get dirty, get lost, go out of print. I need to find my reading glasses before I can access them. Printing, storage, shipping and remaindering make them more expensive than they need to be. They have words in them I don't know, I can't pronounce, and I can't ask them questions.

How many other 15th century technologies do we still venerate? Medicinal blood-letting? The Iron Maiden?

During the rest of my 20 minutes, I share and talked about four short video clips, commercial but exciting:

• Kindle 2
• iPad Imagineering by Penguin Books
• Kno tablet
• Holt McDougal e-textbook for Algebra 1

Had I more time, I'd have shown:

• Future of the Book by IDEO

My AHA! moment was that e-books were not a tough sell to this group. The questions were about "What e-book reader is best for me or my family?" No reactionary comments about loving print books. Not even much of a raised eyebrow when I suggested that inexpensive e-books go on the student supply list. A state representative in the club (and former school board member) quizzed me after the meeting about educational policy ramifications. (Funding equity for technology? Changed metrics for school success? Need for additional staff development dollars? Technology literacy requirements of practicing teachers and administrators?)

Kiwanis is my community bell-weather for the acceptance of new technologies. These folks are ready for e-books both at home and in schools.

Librarians and teachers, get ready.

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What's an authentic question?

Never ask a question to which you think you know the answer - Junior Great Books training

Why do so many school "research" assignments fall flat? One big reason is because they don't ask students to answer an authentic question - only to supply a "right" answer.*

A genuinely authentic question may have mutliple right answers, no right answers, or no answers at all, only the conclusion that consists of more questions. Nobody knows at the outset of the assignment what the answer will be. The task should be a reseach assignment, not a fishing trip for pre-determined outcomes.

During my training to lead Junior Great Books discussions many moons ago, I encountered the statement made above. The exemplar authentic question was, "Why despite having a bag of gold coins and a goose that lays golden eggs, does Jack make a third trip up the beanstalk?" I'd still like to know the answer to this question.

Teachers and librarians, celebrate ambiguity in your teaching - there are very few "right" answers. And don't a few surprises in kids work make teaching a whole lot more interesting?

* Thanks to Jeri Hurd's post that stirred these thoughts.

Related writings:
   Embracing Ambiguity
   Designing Research Assignements Students (and Teachers) Love

Somewhat off topic, but I liked this quote:

From the moment kids are asked to subdue their passions in order to get straight As to the time they arrive at a company and are asked to work 70 hours a week climbing the ladder, people have an incentive to suppress their passions and prune their souls. David Brooks

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