A colleague of mine some years ago (the first part of the last decade of the previous century) and I had conversations about what lay ahead of us due to advances in technology; one of our beliefs was that with advances in computer technology we would see much less paper on the job. Boy were we wrong! I have been swamped my more and more paper in my work as an assistant principal as you can see by the photo on top. Today I disconnected from the internet, rolled up my sleeves and began to make sense of all the paper in front of me. I worked for hours sorting and filing and, oh yeah, swearing (you didn't hear that mom).
And as I worked, I thought back to last night when I was looking at my Google Reader Account. It was a mess and needed some organizing. Well in a matter of seconds I clicked on 'manage subsciptions' and I had the 22 blogs I follow organized into 4 folders; it was sweet! If only I could do that in my office!
Well as things unfold, you come to knew understandings and it occurred to me that perhaps "Google Docs" could be the answer. Do you think it is possible to get every administrator and teacher working collaboratively on documents posted in Google Docs? Do you think we could persuade the thousands of people who want our attention or access to our students to use Google Docs as a way of sharing their information with us? I dream...I dream...I dream.
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4 comments:
Can I ever relate to your picture of the paper filled desk! I look around my classroom and all I can see are stacks of paper! I clean, file, organize and stack on Sundays and by Monday at noon it's mayhem again. I look forward to the days of paperless classrooms, schools, offices, etc.
Stephen:
I was shocked at the similarity between your desk and mine. I too, have been looking forward to the paperless office. Unfortunately, all that technology has offered me; is another way to store the same information. I still have a paper copy of almost everthing. I did however witness a paper free office just a few weeks ago; my dentist's office. Everything right down to the x-rays were displayed on computer screens. I have to admit I was impressed and a little envious. I guess as administrators we can only hope for the day and in the meantime we will continue to wade through the paper.
Guy
Yep . . . paperless is the way to go . . . but then reality hits . . . how many times have you gone to print off a test last minute from the computer and it was down? Or the photocopier wasn't working? Or a site you needed was blocked at your school? Or the net was down? Sometimes, I feel safer (more comfortable) with paper - I know it will always work for me. I guess I'm still stuck in the 'old ways'!
My desk looks the same as yours as well. Too bad I can't paste a pic here. I'm not sure about paperless but easily accessible is more like it for me. I can easily access my files on the computer or from websites... the trouble I have is filing the printed copies I've made when I've used them. I try and clean my desk once a week but because I'm busy trying "to get my stuff done" it goes on the back burner.
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