Tech Talk Shelley Martin-Young Teaching Digitally (or From Anywhere) I, like many others, am once again teaching face-to-face. However, with COVID-19 numbers still high, I often find that I am doing double duty with some students face-to-face, while others join us on Zoom. Because of this and the fact that I simply enjoyed the infusion of technology into my online teaching, I continue to use online tools to instruct my students whether they are in my classroom in real time or in my classroom virtually. In this article, I share how to create and use a digital, interactive notebooks. Why Digital Interactive Notebooks? I attended a workshop on using digital notebooks and I fell in love with them. At the time my classes were completely digital, so I was looking for a way to be able to interact with my students and also see the writing they were doing, even if I could not be in the same room with them, so digital notebooks made sense to me. Despite going back face-to-face, I have continued using digital notebooks in my classroom.
There are some great benefits to using digital notebooks. First, incorporating digital notebooks gets you one step closer to being a paperless classroom. A paperless classroom saves you time and energy by allowing you to provide feedback quickly and efficiently for your students, keep track of students’ works easily, and save time communicating with parents. A paperless classroom also helps to reduce waste and reduce your carbon footprint. Going digital also allows you to reclaim precious space in your classroom that is often overrun with textbooks, folders, and notebooks. Having a digital classroom also improves document security by storing your students work electronically. It is also great for helping you to be more organized. Second, a digital notebook is always available to you and your students. Students will be able to easily access their notebooks if they are home sick, on vacation, or just working on their assignments at home. They can read directions, watch videos, or interact with you or other students simply by accessing their digital notebooks. As the teacher, you always have access to your students’ work. You can quickly see the progress your students are making and leave them feedback in real-time. You can access digital notebooks from phones, iPads, or the computer. Third, grading is so much easier with a digital notebook. In the past, I had to lug 30 writer’s notebooks home with me. With a digital notebook, all I need is my phone. How many times have you had to wait somewhere and wished you could get some of your grading
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