Online Or On Paper?

Covid changed everything, didn’t it? We had our practices and standards, and kept everything going smoothly within our classroom. We had relative control over what our students did, how they spent their time with us, and could monitor their work easily over their shoulders. 

Then, the pandemic shook the entire world, and changed the education landscape permanently. Now, though most of us are back to a more traditional delivery system, there are some things that have been altered forever.

Causing us to rethink what we have always done…

Benefits Of Online Work 

“I type much faster than I write by hand, and when I take notes on my computer I can focus more on what the teacher is saying.” ~Ashley O.

“I’m at the point where I hate doing anything that isn’t on computer. I love being able to access everything from anywhere.” ~Arron F.

The advent of the personal computer changed students’ ability to complete work, making it significantly easier in some ways. There are numerous benefits to students being able to complete work virtually. 

Portable

I taught an entire week from Disney World near the end of the shutdown. I carted everything I needed to successfully deliver information, created a little “office space” in the condo, and taught all day while enjoying my evenings in the parks. That was good living, let me tell you.

Editable

I recently found a glaring error in a summative assignment I had already pushed out to kids through Canvas LMS. with Google docs, I was able to correct the mistake from my home office, so that students had the correct information. 

Shareable

My collaborative projects didn’t actually change during the shutdown, due to the ability for students to share their work and screens with others. We even had group presentations using Google Meets and Zoom during the shutdown. 

Mimics the Real World

The world of work has gone completely global, and the online delivery and sharing of information directly mimics that reality. Teaching students proper online etiquette for meetings or documents is an important way to prepare them for their future.

Benefits Of Working On Paper

“I don’t care what anybody says, I passed my End of Program test because I took all of my study notes by hand. There is just something about actually writing it out that makes it stick in my brain” ~Camille L. 

But, oh, the benefits of actually creating a paper and pencil document! Still an incredibly important and useful skill, there are absolutely concrete reasons why some of your assignments should be completed on paper. 

Interacting With Material

Research shows that the parts of the brain that are engaged with creating written documents can’t be imitated in an online environment. The combination of fine motor skills and cognitive abilities combines to improve retention rate when things are done on paper. 

Can Be Duplicated And Shared

With one major benefit of online work being the collaborative nature, it is important to remember that it is still possible to photocopy handwritten work so it can be shared with group members or absent students.

Some Things Are Still On Paper

An important thing about paper and pencil tasks: They can’t be copied/pasted from the internet or from AI. Even if they are copying verbatim from a website, simply the act of handwriting the notes will dramatically increase their retention.

In Honor Or Lecturing 

Today, I lectured about the conversion cycle in Accounting and Finance. There were graphs and diagrams and facts and figures that needed to make their way into the notes students took. Sometimes, Boo Boo, you just have to lecture.

In looking around, I had students handwriting notes, typing notes, and a few using a stylus to put notes online. I don’t regulate or collect their notes, but they can use them on chapter tests. For note-taking, in my opinion, it is best to allow students to use whatever medium they are most comfortable with. For test retakes, however, students must show me their notes, and overwhelmingly, handwritten notes are better with the graphs, diagrams and calculations than computerized notes.

Project-Based Learning

While I lecture sporadically in my Accounting and Finance classes, I do it quite rarely in my Business Management classes. The learning in those two years of classes comes almost exclusively from experiential learning, with students completing multi-step, multi-level projects during which they investigate and internalize the necessary topics, theories and information. 

I truly believe that Project-based Learning is the single best way for students to learn rigorous material in a way that helps them not only retain the knowledge, but have the skills and confidence to expand on that knowledge in the future. Can this be done in both online and on paper ways? Of course it can…

Creating Deliverables Online

Some of the deliverables for projects can be completed totally online and in an asynchronous format. This was extremely useful during online learning, and remains a viable option now that things have returned to the “new normal”.

• Working outside of class – The important group contract and project plan need to be completed prior to starting a project, and I firmly believe this should be done in person if at all possible. Students need to sit around a table and evaluate the work to be done, and how to best accomplish tasks successfully. After that, however, work can be completed almost entirely outside of class, supporting learners with different schedules or time constraints.
• Hard to determine who did what – One of the hardest parts of fully online projects is my ability to differentiate between different people’s work. For this, I rely quite heavily on the project plan document, so I know who took responsibility for each element of the project.
• Supports differentiated learning – The ability to create deliverables in a fully online setting has helped tremendously to support students with different learning styles and abilities. Not being bound by the class period makes it much easier for students to relax and complete their best work. I have students with significant social anxieties, as well, and working asynchronously supports their needs, too. 

Creating Deliverables In Real Time

There are some things, however, that need to be created in person. My seniors, for example, are creating tri-folds, and these involve good old-fashioned paper, paint and glue to complete. Who does that benefit?

• Allows for all students – Having part of your project completed in person allows for students to work on their collaboration and teamwork skills in a safe environment. Some students thrive with these more creative tasks, and can better demonstrate their individual mastery. 
• Plays to different strengths – Every student presents with different abilities and strong points, and having deliverables that vary quite dramatically can help all students feel successful. I’ve had great luck with assigning things like videos or podcasts for students who are not strong writers, for example.
• Can be used and displayed – Creating tangible deliverables also gives you the opportunity to “show off” what is happening in your classroom. Recent videos from a marketing project, for example, were featured on our daily announcements, while tri-folds from my junior classes were displayed in the hallway outside of our room.
• Supports differentiated learning – Opening up the opportunities to demonstrate mastery will not decrease the rigor in your assignment. Quite the opposite might occur, in fact, when you see the incredible deliverables students can come up with when given the opportunity. 

How Do I Choose?

The short answer is that I don’t, usually…

Over the five projects in the Marketing semester, I make sure that there are a wide variety of deliverables being presented. Sometimes, I take one big project and break it into parts on purpose, so that the groups can demonstrate mastery in smaller chunks, doing different things. 

The other option is to accept  multiple types of deliverables. A recent financial ratios project, for example, could be completed in a variety of ways. I had student groups that used Google Docs, Google Slides and created a website on Wix. All three mediums demonstrated mastery using the same rubric, but supported the different abilities and learning strengths of the group members. 

Stepping Out Of Your Comfort Zone

The bottom line with this blog is simple: Get out of your own way and let the kids work. While I personally have absolutely zero creativity or artistic ability, I have found that many of my students are quite gifted in those areas. By creating rubrics that are not specific on form and more focused on content, I have enabled my students to thrive in their own ways.

Just try it…you’ll love it! 

THANK YOU FOR READING THIS FAR!!!

Wow, thank you for reading about teaching on paper or digitally!

Hey, since you’re here! You may as well check out classroom seating strategies, here, and learn about project based learning, here! Check out our other topics here! Either way, I appreciate you!

Please leave a COMMENT about any tips you may have!! Or comment what your favorite lesson of mine was! How’s your student organization operating?

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Resources

https://src.gse.harvard.edu/files/gse-src/files/poster_naomi_reiner.pdf

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/pen-and-paper-beats-computers-retaining-knowledge