Ultimate Guide to the Paperless Classroom

By Edudemic Staff on October 21, 2014

Many top educators and administrators view the idea of a paperless classroom as an inevitability in education. In today’s digital age, these educators believe that a paperless classroom promotes a more efficient and organized classroom while preparing students for the practical world outside classroom walls. In other words, if every facet of life is becoming increasingly reliant on technology, then why not equip students accordingly?

“We need technology in every classroom and in every student’s and teacher’s hand, because it is the pen and paper of our time,” said esteemed author and educator David Warlick. “It is the lens through which we experience much of our world.”

This sentiment is shared by many educators, administrators, and parents in the educational community, and for good reason. However, implementing a plan through technological mediums still necessitates the same care and mindfulness of creating a conventional lesson plan, and transitioning to online platforms isn’t without its own unique hurdles.

Practical First Steps (and Challenges) for the Paperless Classroom

Image via Flickr by mortsan

According to a recent article by Educational Technology and Mobile Learning, using a simple visualization Web tool — such as Stat Planet for creating infographics — coupled with a document-sharing tool like Google Drive is an excellent first step to explore the potential of paperless teaching methods. These Web tools deliver key concepts to students while promoting collaboration and improving classroom efficiency, both of which are demonstrable advantages of the paperless classroom. By utilizing and mastering a few online tools (and not introducing too many at once), educators can explore paperless benefits and transition slowly into a completely paperless classroom.