School Printing

[FarAwayHills]

Just wondered if anyone else is being asked to print out lots of homework sheets and booklets for their DCs school work.

DD2 is in secondary and seems to have to print out pages of stuff every night to complete homework sheets and sometimes its whole booklets. DD1 in primary also seems to have more to do on computer and also has to print off things to complete and then stick in her workbook.

I feel like I'm running a print shop and its costing me a fortune in ink. I've just had to order more after replacing it at the beginning of the school year.

Do they use pen and paper anymore in schools or is this a time/ cost saving exercise? Projects or little bits are ok of course but work booklets and lots of colour stuff is just getting a bit much really.

AIBU?

[CodyKing]

I'm torn

Firstly my son is able and articulate but can not write it's a mental block - he can dictate the most amazing stories but school won't accept it as his work. The technology is there why shouldn't we use it?

But I do see the need to hand write

Why not invent a Bluetooth pen for children to write on the computer screen - best of both

[FarAwayHills]

Surely it would be better for kids to have an exercise book for written work and working out in one place. This way they can refer back to things when revising or trying to remember how to work out a maths problem. Teachers can also see where they are going wrong and it helps with practice in presenting work as they will have to do in exams. It drives me nuts when DD2 gets homework with the 'option' of presenting the work in typed or written format - she is 8 years old FFS she needs the practice of actual writing but she will insist on typing it because it's easier and fun to do.

The current system of lots of bits of paper, stray information sheets, worksheets and stuff done online just seems chaotic and is for the schools and teachers benefit not the students.

[NicknameUsed]

"I wondered if funding might be the reason it is a bit worrying that things are really that bad."

It is, and things are really that bad. DD is in year 12 and as she is doing two sciences for A levels I have to print off a lot of homework sheets from the school's VLE.

OH works from home so we are thinking of buying a double sided laser printer because we are getting through forests of paper right now.

[TheTyrannyOfMAGENTA]

In Australia the parents get a list of all the work books and exercise books the children need, and they have to buy them. Along with a set of glue, pens, pencils, a box of tissues etc. the classroom then starts off with a full set of books and supplies that will last hopefully a portion of the year, reducing the load on school budgets.

I can see this happening in the UK tbh.

[Gmbk]

Echoing those saying it is due to budget cuts.

Same thing in our school, apart from the kids aren't expected to print it. They can view the sheet online and complete the work in their books or on paper.

[KittyVonCatsington]

Oh your poor DD! Sounds like an MFL app called Vocab Express too. Pupils would make one minor spelling mistake towards the end and they'd have to re-do the whole thing. I saw it because pupils use my IT classrooms at lunch and after school. The poor things would be beside themselves!
But hey-it was 'easier to mark', as it was automatic and produced an Excel spreadsheet tracker and it ticked a modern 'online' box.

When I taught maths as a second subject and was told to use MyMaths by the department to set homework, I hated it as I couldn't see the pupils' working out, so I didn't know where they had gone wrong.

It was ironic as the only ICT (back then) teacher in that dept at the time, was the only one setting Maths homework in the exercise books! My end of year results for that department exceeded some trained Maths teachers' classes...

[KittyVonCatsington]

I've been thinking about this more as I go through my Year 13s current Personal Statements for UCAS, this evening. I have them on paper and am adding commas (they seem to be phobic of them!), alternative words/phrases and pointers etc. as normal, to hand back to them.

If I did this on screen, I'd either be adding the commas myself or typing 'add a comma', which is such a waste of time. I think I might cry if I had to do it that way!

I have heard of and used a few of the programs Dixie mentioned and my heart sinks for future results and prospects.

The problem with these experiments, is that it takes a while to see any difference and if it's negative, the damage has already been done for a lot of young people who were the Guinea Pigs

To go back to the OP though, it's also incredibly unfair for parents and teachers to shoulder the financial burden the government (and previous governments) have imposed by the back door!

[PersianCatLady]

although I pass on I am sure that marks get missed
When we were at school we were told that if the marker couldn't read the work then we would lose the marks.

TBH unless someone has SN which prevents them from writing clearly then I think that the policy makes sense.

[cricketballs]

I much prefer annotating on paper rather than adding comments digitally (and I teach IT!)

[FarAwayHills]

I wondered if funding might be the reason it is a bit worrying that things are really that bad.

I also wonder about kids that don't have access to a computer or printer. It seems as if access to education is now dependant on having good PC, printer and an endless supply of outrageously priced ink.

I agree with Kitty bring back pen and paper.

[nosyupnorth]

also even if the work is supposed to be typed it's still often for easier for teachers to have it in hardcopy for marking - easier to make notes on the work while reading, and much easier on the eye which really matters when you might have 30+ homework exercises each of which is several pages long

[RainyDayBear]

I'm a teacher, and one year had no photocopying card from Christmas until summer. I was expected to project worksheets onto the board, even for bottom sets who really needed it in front of them. It was shit and not fair on the kids!

[cricketballs]

Dixie - whilst I love tech and the benefits it can bring in school going completely 100% digital IMO is not good; when do they students actually hand write?

I also mark exams and the handwriting of some candidates is beyond terrible and unreadable (in this case it has to be passed onto team leader) but although I pass on I am sure that marks get missed

[PersianCatLady]

BoneyBackJefferson
Kitsandkids
KittyVonCatsington
Thanks for the ideas, it is really interesting to get feedback from people who actually have experience these things.

It is also interesting (and sad) that no matter what you do for people they still complain.

[KittyVonCatsington]

KitsandKids - that's a good idea! Weirdly though, most parents probably would be in uproar over providing exercise books, whereas printing is by stealth..


Selfimproved

[KittyVonCatsington]

Obviously I need to do a lot more research on this but as a CS teacher do you find these kind of things useful or more of a gimmick?

Oh definitely useful up to a point, sure! Especially for more lower school pupils. However, it can't really (currently) be fully implemented from Year 10 I don't think. There still needs to be some human element retained, rather than fully automated systems.

Then you would need institutions like OFSTED to change the way they view progress. Doing a 'book look' on a fully online system is incredibly difficult and tedious, for example.

Maybe ways to 'capture' hand written work with minimal fuss, for example, I would be interested in!

[Kitsandkids]

If there is no money for exercise books surely it would be cheaper for parents to be asked to buy a homework exercise book then the children can view the information to do with their homework online but write the work in their book to hand in? Not ideal, but cheaper than ink cartridges.

[Selfimproved]

I'm bitchily place marking because I completely respect and agree with Kitty but get the feeling people are going to ignore her experienced reasonable answers. Or maybe I'm wrong

[BoneyBackJefferson]

PersianCatLady

We use show my homework, the whole of the homework can be done online, no need for the pupils/parents to have office or an office alike program.

Pupils and parents complained because it required a pc.
Complained because they wanted to see the work and grades (they can)
Complained because the children couldn't upload the work (WTF)

I now accept hand written, printed out, e-mailed and uploaded.
And I still get complaints.