K-W-L

Here are a few things I know:

1. My next case of copy paper from Office Depot will set me back $35.99.

2. Shaking my printer's toner cartridge til I'm dizzy will only get me so far, and the replacement's $77.99.

3. My lesson plans for tomorrow don't do a good job of reflecting what I believe about preparing my kids for the real world.

4. I have a computer and LCD projector in my classroom; access to laptops and wireless internet; some working knowledge of wikis, blogs, and Twitter; and a desire to change.


My plan is to begin moving toward a paperless classroom. During the final grading period of this semester, I hope to experiment with my Advanced English 12 class of 35 students. Learning from that six-week project, and planning over Christmas break, I'd like to implement paperless activities in each of my classes during the spring semester.


So these are the big questions I have so far:

1. How do I use Web 2.0 tools to create lessons that engage my kids and teach them things they value now and will use in the future?

2. What ground rules and procedures do I need to establish to ensure that they're focused on the tasks at hand, interacting with each other as a learning community, and not playing flash games for 98 minutes?

3. What texts will I use for this experiment, and what online resources will best help us to create some meaningful products in class?


Time to get to work on the -L.