When thinking about keeping track of my grades, a question entered my mind. With the ever-increasing technology, are teachers completely making the switch from a physical grade book to a computer-based or web-based source? While surfing the English Companion Ning, I found a great web-based grading system called Engrade. In addition to Engrade, there are tons of other interactive grading systems where students can view their constantly updated grades. What about gliches, though? What if something happens to the system and you lose all of your students’ grades?
Then, there’s always Microsoft Excel. It’s a wonderfully organized spreadsheet way to keep track of grades. Is it anymore practical than a gradebook? I honestly don’t know. I haven’t had much experience with Excel.
Finally, there’s the traditional, physical grade book. Perhaps this is the best choice? Just as easily as a glitch can occur in an online source, couldn’t an accident with a physical grade book happen too? What if a drink would spill onto the grade book, or what would happen if you lost the grade book?
Having all of these questions in mind, I asked my friends and colleagues on the English Companion Ning. This is what they had to say: Physical grade book? Excel? Engrade?
Implementing Technology in the Classroom 
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March 21, 2010 at 7:41 pm
Amber
Good post Kim. I think this is just one of the many ways that the problem of deciding between the traditional or the new and hip will appear throughout our careers, and in reality our everyday lives. I am personally a fan of good old pen and paper. Even if I have a computer sitting in front of me, if I have to take notes I will open up a notebook and pull out a pen rather than open a blank page in Word. Last year my hard drive on my Mac crashed, and I lost close to EVERYTHING, with the exception of the music on my iPod and some work that I had saved on my thumb drive. I was luckily not in the middle of a huge assignment when this happened, but getting everything back together was a huge hassle and I have come to be very careful not to put too much trust in a machine.
When it comes to gradebooks, I can see the value of an computerized gradebook which can be viewed by students and parents. I think that this is a great way to foster the all-important home-school connection, and teach students to take responsibility for their progress. But, an actual gradebook is more likely to survive a spill than a computer grade book would survive a crash, and I think that having the physical copy is an absolute must.