One Ream of Paper

I recently talked to a teacher who said their school now provides one ream of paper per teacher each quarter. Wikipedia defines a ream as 500 sheets of writing paper. If the average class size is 25 students, then one ream would allow a teacher to copy 20 one-page assignments each quarter. Currently I see about 4 reams of copied math worksheets arrive each Monday in many classes. But I see this changing as classrooms get 1:1 devices, use Google Classroom, and adopt online textbooks.

Since the first of the year the schools I supervise are now 1:1 Chromebooks for grades three through five. At the beginning of the semester when given the choice by teachers to get a hard-covered reading text or access the online version, I observed most students using the traditional paper text. It was familiar, and although these anthologies are heavy, students know how to find information in them quickly. As the semester progressed more teachers began posting assignments in Google Classroom. Now students have their Chromebooks on their desks with one tab open to Google Classroom. Teachers post a beginning question for students to post their prediction about what will happen in the story. Then they read the predictions of others in their class and respond to them. This whole building background process takes less than five minutes, every student has the chance to answer the question, they collaborate with others online, they are prepared for the lesson, AND they learn how to use an online management system!

By the end of the semester things had changed. Chromebooks were out on desks, one tab was open to Google Classroom, AND another tab was open to the curriculum website. Rather than handing out paper graphic organizers or questions, students access and complete these tools online. Students are using the curriculum website for more than practice activities; 90% of students now given the choice to read from the paper text or digital text select the online version.

Things are changing as traditional paper hits the digital world. And this allows the types of activities students do to change as well. Rather than completing graphic organizers, they can now create their own. Instead of answering worksheet questions students can create multimedia presentations that demonstrate comprehension. Every student can respond through Google Forms where data is collected and used by the teacher to inform instruction. And students can collaborate on projects with accountability as each person's online contribution is stamped with date and time.

So what's next? Perhaps one ream of paper per semester? Many of the teachers I work with are going paperless. We need continued research and instruction on new literacies to help students effectively read and compose online. Donald Leu and colleagues at the New Literacies Research Lab at the University of Connecticut are collecting informative data about how students read and research online and what assessment of online reading comprehension may look like. Articles on new literacies are appearing regularly in literacy journals. I suggest reading Leu's Preparing Students for the 21st Century: How can teachers incorporate new literacies into elementary classrooms. And teachers are learning daily how to best empower students with support in online environments. I am very interested to know what you are finding helpful in your classes.