For handwritten stuff I use a flatbed scanner. I scan to a JPG and post
this on my course website. Once I established the proper resolution and
routine for contrast/sharpness it became manageable, but still time
consuming. As you are doing, I am looking for a better way.
Individually scanning one page at a time is quite a pain.
Stuff I type or draw with a drafting program gets assembled in
WordPerfect or Word, then I use Acrobat Distiller to create the PDF that
I post. That is sufficiently fast and works so well that I am not
looking for any improvement in this process. Most of my handouts have
been generated electronically, so I simply use Adobe to put it in a form
that all can read.
As I get more proficient with MathType I sometimes figure I can generate
a PDF file quicker by making my solutions in WordPerfect/MathType than
if I hand write them and scan them. Plus, the totally electronic
solution sets are easier to correct. This is especially true if I use a
lot of text (sentences of explanation) as well as equations. However...
for equation-intensive stuff I am still faster by hand.
Thus, the primary problem for me is stuff that originates in paper
format. Let me know if you find some fast inexpensive solution for
this.
BTW, we don't have Black Board... we have something called Jenzabar.
Profs and students mostly hate it. It was chosen by the Tech Staff
without much faculty input. I don't use it. I put stuff on my own web
space. There has been some coersion to make all faculty use Jenzabar.
So far I have had enough seniority and abrasiveness to be left alone.
But some faculty are feeling a lot of pressure to put stuff on-line
using tools they don't like.
Apparently we aren't "up to date" if we're not making heavy use of
electronic media in our teaching. Another reason for the push is to go
"paperless." The college wants to cut down on duplication costs.
However, this was a big blunder. Putting stuff on-line just means the
students print it using expensive printers as opposed to having us
duplicate it with less expensive duplication procedures. I do not
believe students will study on-line material. If they think it is worth
studying, they will print it. Now we are trying to figure out how to
bill the students for all the printing they do. Students, on the other
hand, are complaining that tuition should include the cost of providing
hard-copy handouts. I am probably on the students' side on this issue.
I put stuff on-line so students can print a duplicate if they lose the
original paper handout I gave them. That saves me a lot of time because
I usually get at least one request for a replacement for each handout I
distribute.
Michael D. Edmiston, Ph.D.
Professor of Chemistry and Physics
Bluffton College
Bluffton, OH 45817
(419)-358-3270
edmiston@bluffton.edu