Digital vs. Paper

    About a week ago, a survey was circulated at GSB in order to gather information about preferences for the delivery of information.  The basic question was simple: Do you prefer information in digital form or paper form?  The survey asked a variety of questions designed to tease out more specific information about preferences.  All employees were given an opportunity to complete the survey.  About 100 did so. Respondents self-reported as one of four affiliations: lower school, middle school, upper school and all-school employees.

    The first set of questions surveyed respondents about the distribution of information at school.  This set of questions was designed to allow respondents to differentiate between different types of documents in terms of length. Results were separated by division, with an additional category for respondents that identified themselves as primarily associated with the whole school, as opposed to a single division.  It’s very clear that in the aggregate, there is consensus around the idea that a sole reliance on paper delivery is not a preference.  Paper delivery gains some traction when the document is larger, but the data suggests that we’d be fine with digital communications on campus in most situations. 

    There was also an opportunity to comment on the question of digital vs. paper delivery of information.  A number of comments do a nice job of articulating specific concerns.  Here are just a few:

At times I feel I am under a pile of information sent digitally. I think people send information that they wouldn't normally send along to others because it is easy to click. 

I think that we could better utilize the resources that we have. For instance, we should use our outlook calendar for setting up meetings so that individuals need to RSVP and get the meeting on the calendar. I also think that our online resources could also be used more effectively.

I frequently like digital material because it cuts down on paper use. On the other hand, if something needs t/b handed out to students (or kept in a folder etc) it makes more sense to use Xerox copies than to have everyone print out copies on a printer (Xerox more efficient than ink-jet or laser).

Paper copies going home seem more likely to be read by parents. Not many keep up with KnightSite, unless an email is also sent out. 

    A question asked about etexts for class use.  Etexts are being used in some middle school classes but have not gained real traction in any division.  I wondered what the interest was in etexts. They are talked about as "the next big thing" in curriculum delivery. The responses across all divisions indicated interest (though not overwhelming interest) in etexts.  In terms of saying they were "very interested," only 7% of lower school respondents agreed. But 50% of middle school faculty were very interested and 28% of upper school faculty were also very interested. Add in numbers for "not sure at this time" and the interest is significant. We certainly want to keep up with etext information and look for appropriate opportunities to expand our program.  

    A number of questions asked about at-home reading habits.  These questions were designed to gather additional information about varying comfort levels with digital vs. paper delivery of reading materials. Roughly one third of all respondent s owned a dedicated eReader. The Kindle was the preferred device, with the Nook a somewhat distant second.  People also are in the habit of reading at home on other devices (i.e.: tablets, phones, laptops), and for those using these devices, the iPad was a clear favorite. Finally, a question solicited information about home subscriptions.  Here, paper delivery was a clear favorite.  When newspapers or magazines are delivered, most people right now favor paper delivery. However, roughly 30% of all respondents stated their subscriptions include a mix of delivery modes.

    Again, respondents were given an opportunity to comment.  And again, they were thoughtful, insightful. Here's a sampling:

I like real books.


I find that I'm using my iPad more and more. Books are becoming cumbersome to hold and carry, but I can't pass the digital books along to share with others. 


I like to be able to write notes on paper as I am reading it. I'm not in the habit of doing that on my kindle.


I prefer paper form because it reduces my time staring at screens, either on phone or computer.   


I prefer to read longer email attachments from paper. Reading articles or schedules from the computer is, for some reason difficult for me, so I print them out.
I do like reading books from an ereader but only with the e-ink that looks like a book, not the glow of an ipad or computer.


I like digital copies, because I can file them on my computer, making them easy to find later. However, if a document is several pages, and I need to read it in its entirety, I print it out to read. So, my preference is to have digital copies, and then I make the choice to print or not. 


I don't like the electronic of the GSB monthly news. I find it too hard to read. I would prefer a paper version, or even a simpler PDF. It is the type of publication I would like to read when I am relaxing, not sitting at my computer.

    Interested? Want to know more? Feel free to email me and I'll send you a more ccomprehensive report.

8 Dying Technologies

   You might know that Beloit College publishes its Mindset List annually. This is a list that reminds us that incoming first-year students at Beloit, and the rest of our nation's colleges, have a very different set of life experiences than older people may realize.  In other words, readers of the Mindset List get a yearly reminder they are getting older.
   Some of the Mindset List addresses technology changes. That's understandable. Technology changes rapidly, so the 8-track tapes of yesteryear are essentially unknown to today's college students.
   Reading the May, 2014 issue of MaximumPC, I was reminded of the Mindset List because there's a brief article on eight dying technologies.  The author suggests that the listed items are so out of favor with younger users that they are doomed to extinction.  They are, of course, items that many of us have used over the years.  But times change and new habits, built on new possibilities, evolve.  This list perfectly illustrates our evolving culture.

1. Travel Maps: Always a challenge to open them in a car and then refold them correctly. Useful for travel, but not as useful as a GPS navigation system to go from here to there.  And simply put, younger drivers/riders just don't use them.
2. GPS Device: Maps (see #1) were in part doomed by the GPS device. But that stand-alone device has quickly given way to assorted phone apps. My personal navigation app favorites: MapQuest and Scout.
3. Wired Internet: Though not likely to be truly extinct anytime soon, it is true that the generation currently coming of age is a wireless generation. A wired connection seems pretty old fashioned to most of them.
4. Answering Machine: You're just not very likely to find this device on the nightstand of a twenty-something.  The truth is, you're not all that likely to find that group of people making calls or leaving voice messages. Texting, tweeting and posting have largely supplanted voice-based communications.
5. Alarm Clock: Even I don't use an alarm clock, and no one will mistake me for a millennial or a gen-exer. I just use my phone's app.
6. CDs: As the article in Maximum PC states, vinyl may be coming back, but CDs will not.  If you're listening to digital music files, CDs are now the least convenient way to listen. (But they have best chance of surviving intact over time, so they may continue to exist as a back-up solution.)
7. Compact camera: We call them phones, but for most people, their functionality as a camera is very important.  Why carry a second camera that does pretty much the same thing as your phone's camera?  More avid photographers know that the phone's camera is not going to make a good DSLR obsolete anytime soon, but that small digital point and shoot will quickly become a thing of the past.
8. Land lines: Why pay twice for phone service? Cell phones are on their way to becoming a pervasive technology, so given the presence of a cell phone (and cell phone bill) in your life, do you need a land line too?  Twenty-somethings definitely think not.

Old School: Technologies evolve though memories persist.

    Technologies change, and as they do, new ways of doing things emerge.  Through history, my guess is that younger people have generally pushed these changes of habits forward.  That certainly seems to be the case in these first decades of the 21st century.

Computer Aided Design

   One of our Upper School Computer Science electives is Computer Aided Design.  As stated in our curriculum guide:

     This course is open to all students in grades 9-12 who are interested in learning computer-aided design for school-related assignments or personal projects. Architects, mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, landscape designers, interior designers, genealogists, forensic scientists and a host of other professions have used CAD in recent years to plan, organize, and visually communicate their ideas to colleagues and clients.

     Students in this class will explore design principles and the production process needed to produce high-quality CAD renditions. We will examine diagrams of electrical schematics, architectural designs, floor plans, landscape layouts, mind-mapping, etc. Along the way, students will also learn how to use today's digital equipment: computers, scanners, digital cameras, DVD-burners, etc. A variety of computer software programs will be utilized and learned.

     Working both individually and in groups, students will develop an understanding of the technology and related design principles needed to produce a variety of CAD-based projects on their own in the future.

   Recently, the Computer Aided Design (CAD) class has been utilizing SketchUp, CAD software developed by Google.  SketchUp is a 3-D modeling tool used to present geometric concepts.  No doubt you've seen the results of a SketchUp project (or similar software) in the popular media.  Some advertisement companies utilize the software. Tech savvy automobile ads, for instance, will often show a schematic of a new design and then rotate it in space. Science fiction films often use the same effect.  This ability to work and navigate in a 3-D environment is at the heart of SketchUp. The software puts a premium on a broad skill set. Students need to think creatively, precisely and analytically.   

    Irv Taylor, the class teacher, has been integrating SketchUp into the curriculum for years.  He's assembled an interesting array of projects that allow students plenty of creative license while being sure to develop their modeling skills. One of the assignments students undertake is to use SketchUp to accurately render the Hockenbury computer lab serving as their classroom.  Accuracy in objects and proportions is important, as is attention to detail.  Here's an example of one student's work:

On the student's computer, this image could be rotate in a variety of ways to allow the student different viewing perspectives.

   The objects that might be rendered are limitless.  But no matter the choice of object, students will need to be creative, precise and analytical in approaching the work.  Below, a gallery of some student work.

A boat on the water, awaiting the rower.

A dog house.

A schoolhouse.

This drawing was designed to serve as a working model for a wood shop project to follow.

Each student designs a house. The project begins with floor plans and continues through a final rendition.