The problem of recording information
I have been experimenting with input devices and methods for getting information into computers for a number of years. Many things have inspired this experimentation, but it mostly stems from the realization that much of my work as a teacher boils down to bookkeeping — recording grades and giving feedback on assignments. More and more of this work over the last 15 years has moved from hand-written grade books and criteria sheets to computer input.
Couple these changes with aging eyes and hands, and I am now looking for ways to make the process faster and easier. Hand pain for me has increased over time, and there are real health hazards, not just occasional pain, that all teachers and heavy computer users should be aware of. I have been aware of Carpel Tunnel Syndrome for awhile but researching the 2022 Collaborative Learning Days presentation confirmed that my main technique for managing pain and fatigue, varying input methods and pointing devices, can be a valuable ergonomic strategy.
This may not be for everybody, but I think varying methods is my main strategy for making computer input manageable and even enjoyable. What follows is a brief overview of techniques I use. This include both hardware and software that helps me input grades and feedback.
Pointing devices and keyboards
One method to manage computer input is to use different devices. I haven’t used many keyboards. I am pretty flexible in this respect, so I haven’t researched it much. There are many options for keyboards out there for better ergonomics, including split keyboards and various other physical arrangements. It just isn’t something that has caused me a lot of pain.
I did develop some index finger pain with standard mice, so I have tried a variety of pointing devices, including track pads and vertical mice. I once even tried doubling pointing devices, with a trackpad on the left and a mouse on the right side of my keyboard. It wasn’t for me. My current experiment is a vertical mouse, which is a mouse turned on its side, making the angle of the wrist more natural. The wrist angle is more like a handshake, instead of twisting the wrist downward. There are many cheap options for vertical mice, and they can be easily added to any computer.
Here are a few web resources on the ergonomics of keyboards and mice. The first is a guide from UC-Berkeley. The other two are buying guides with some good information on these devices.
https://www.flexispot.com/spine-care-center/trackpad-vs-mouse/
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/5-cheapish-things-to-help-with-carpal-tunnel-syndrome/
Tablets and phones
Thanks to cloud storage, much of our work can be done on any device we like. I have been using an iPad Pro as a laptop replacement for awhile. It offers another way of inputting information, adding to the variety of input methods I use. With the iPad and the Apple Pencil, I have used it for hand-written annotation and converting small amounts of handwriting to text.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/draw-and-write-with-ink-in-office-6d76c674-7f4b-414d-b67f-b3ffef6ccf53 – Ink technology for annotation in Microsoft Office
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208459 -Apple support page on Scribble, iPad’s technology to convert hand writing to text
I recently discovered Microsoft Word dictation and it is surprisingly good. For some grade criteria sheets, I use annotation to write numeric scores and dictate longer comments, eliminating the mouse and keyboard entirely.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/dictate-your-documents-in-word-3876e05f-3fcc-418f-b8ab-db7ce0d11d3c?ui=en-us&rs=en-us&ad=us – Word dictation support page
If you have a relatively recent iPhone, converting images to text is another way to input text. This can come in handy if you ever have text in an image that you want add to a document. While this has limited utility, I recently had a student email me a photo of a typed assignment, so it came in handy in this case.
https://lens.google – Android phones had this ability before the iPhone, called Google Lens
Boilerplate and clipboard management
Another kind of software approach to making input easier is to use boilerplate for repeated words and comments. These repeated words can be compiled in a document and copied and pasted, avoided repeated typing. There are also a number of applications that can store clipboard contents to accomplish this as well. Window 10 has a clipboard history function, which I just discovered. It stores 25 entries, and you activate it by selecting the Windows logo key and V.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/get-help-with-clipboard-30375039-ce71-9fe4-5b30-21b7aab6b13f#WindowsVersion=Windows_10 – help with clipboard history
Yoink is a clipboard manager for Apple devices. It is particularly handy for use with iPads in multitasking mode.
And now for a completely different kind of input device …
Finding ways to input information efficiently and ergonomically is important. But let me conclude with another kind of input that is important — drinking hot coffee. Grading requires some fuel and hot coffee is one of the best fuels I know, even though at my age I drink half-caf. Ember is nifty tech toy that replaces the old hot-plate type coffee warmers. It is a little quirky but I recommend this Bluetooth-enable heated coffee mug. Happy grading!
https://ember.com – Ember home page. These are available at Target and Amazon. It’s a little fussy and a bit pricy, but it is handy for “inputting” hot coffee or tea.
