Ok, confession time: I take a legal pad to nearly every meeting. I have dozens of them. On my desk at work, in my car, at home. They’re mostly filled with notes, but I don’t think I’ve ever referred back to any of them. How could I? The first page of the one on my desk has a note from 2020 with the words “East Corps” underlined three times. The last page has a date on the top: It’s yesterday. You try designing a search function for that.
Wealthy Elementary principal Stephanie Olson may have found a better way. This spring, she applied for a grant from the Foundation to fund a ReMarkable tablet. It’s sort of like an iPad that uses e-ink so you can read documents and books, take notes, and share them seamlessly with your computer. And using one feels very much like using a paper notebook.
Olson is piloting the device for the district to see if it would be useful for other administrators and teachers to have.
"The ReMarkable tablet will play a crucial role in streamlining administrative workflows at Wealthy Elementary, especially as we pilot its use for building leadership,” Olson says. “Reducing the reliance on paper and simplifying tasks like note-taking, document management, and meeting coordination will help us work more efficiently and stay organized. This tool will not only enhance communication among our leadership team but also set a model for future tech integration across the school."
I think I may have found a replacement for all my legal pads.
