I am torn over this question of providing printed handouts not only because it’s expensive, but also because it is now possible to be “green” and environmentally friendly by NOT printing handouts. I am a BIG believer in providing step-by-step instructions for educators learning to use new technologies, because many are “procedural learners” who only feel comfortable trying something new once a workshop is over when they have detailed instructions. The reality is, of course, that even though we provide extensive printed instructions during workshops many people will just throw them away afterwards.

Writing in a post titled “The Coming Shift for Professional Learning Communities and Knowledge Workers” today, Rob Jacobs shares a study about our changing economy conducted by Directions Research Inc. Authors describe workers today as falling into one of four different categories:

Leaders – Young professionals who use a variety of emerging technologies both at work and in their personal lives

Actives – Largely over-35 year old professionals who have adapted to emerging technologies to meet the changing demands of the workplace

Followers – The less technically-inclined who rely on e-mail at the exclusion of other technologies

Resistors – Generally older workers who are reluctant to adjust to shifts in the workplace and office technologies

Educators can likely self-identify which of these groups they fall into when it comes to the use of multimedia technologies and the social web. While those who are “Leaders” may be fine without printed handouts, I think most educator “Actives” and “Followers” are those for whom printed handouts are essential. In the case of “Resistors,” handouts may help, but in many cases they’ll be ignored.

What do you think about printed handouts for educational professional development sessions? Even if teachers have their own laptops to use, should printed, step-by-step handouts still be provided for them?