The days of students lugging overstuffed notebooks filled with smudged ditto papers are becoming a thing of the past. The technology of today has allowed educators to leave paper behind and embrace a digitally based classroom.
Are we ready to establish a purely paperless classroom?
The short answer is yes! The advent of tablets, apps and cloud storage give us the tools to completely switch over to digital lessons and assessments. It does take a certain amount of preparation to make sure developing your fully paperless classroom is a success.
First, determine which programs students will use to submit assignments, both in class and out. Online learning platforms like Google Classroom allow teachers to create and assign assignments. Students can access them from any device and submit their work online, where it stays organized and up-to-date. Students can do all their work via tablets or laptop computers in class and out, and teachers can instantly monitor all work and changes students make.
Teachers can purchase digital gradebooks or create them and save to Google Drive. This gives teachers digital access to grades on any connected device. .
Cloud storage is the new filing system for teachers. Now all assignments and lesson plans can be easily and quickly accessed for future use. Students’ work can instantly be stored on the cloud as well, creating a hub for the entire classroom that used to only exist in paper form.
Teachers need administrative support in order to make a change to fully rely on technology. The transition phase will require everyone to learn the benefits of a paperless classroom. Administrators will ultimately discover how beneficial a paperless school can be. Students are growing up in a digital world. As technology evolves, the expectation will be to learn fully online and via apps and tablets. The opportunity exists today to create paperless classrooms, getting ahead of the educational curve.