(For newbies and others)

American educators have leapt on the technology bandwagon. We love interactive computer programs and webquests. We enjoy teaching students how to most effectively search for information. Especially in financially-disadvantaged districts, the arrival of Chromebooks and internet access can become a giddy and even inspiring event.

I love those Chromebooks. I love go-at-your-own-pace math programs. Students using technology maintain their focus for longer.

That said, I’d like to put in a vote for paper and glue.
https://balancingmodes.wordpress.com/2015/09/19/interactive-notebooks-set-up/86/

The advantages to the paper, paste and glue interactive notebook remain true even in our technological times. The internet is never down. The notebook is always charged. These notebooks are easy to show parents. They hang around long after computerized documents have been archived or buried in piles of similar documents. They allow for more movement than mere keyboarding. Cutting, coloring, writing, gluing and pasting utilize different kinesthetic skill sets than keyboarding. For a subset of kids, our kinesthetic learners, notebooks like the one above make excellent learning tools.

I suggest mixing the old paper and paste with the new Chromebooks.

As one of my seventh graders said to me last year, “Even big kids like to color. Everybody likes to color.”

I know I do anyway

P.S. Tips for new teachers:
♦ Find a place to store the colored pencils and glue in the classroom if possible. This can be a challenge in middle and high school, but you don’t want to waste time with locker requests. If supplies are in the room, you will save hours by the end of the year.
♦ Watch those glue sticks. They do lend themselves to mischief.
♦You want to keep track of caps, too, so tubes of glue don’t end up dried out and wasted.