Paperless by Trieste

Paperless by Trieste - February 2018 Scholarship Essay

My personal favorite use of technology in schools is the Google Drive system, including Google Docs, Google Classroom, and Google Slides. I love how collaborative it is and how easy it is to get help from the instructor and fellow classmates. If a student is sick, they can still work on an assignment from home with ease.This system by itself cannot work in every classroom however. I believe that a technological advance in the accessibility of devices, making them cheaper and better quality, will allow every student in America to access this wonderful program from anywhere with a WiFi connection.

In 8th grade, my Science teacher decided that her classroom was going to be paperless. She received a grant for a laptop cart and set up a Google Classroom where all of her students could access all her assigned projects. None of my fellow students needed a notebook, a pencil, or any paper for that class. It was easy for her to grade our work from her couch as she watched her favorite T.V. show or as she waited for her son at soccer practice. This online classroom was fantastic for three reasons. First, I was able to work on labs and study guides from my phone. This ability gives students a productive reason to be on their phones and takes away any excuse for not having work done. Second, group projects were much easier to put together. Previously, my classmates and I would have to come up with a time and a place to meet and often, not everyone could make it to work on the project. We could all work on a presentation at the same time and ask questions about information or what looked best. Google Drive helped me to better understand the material and made it less stressful to complete my course work.

Thousands of acres of trees are cleared every year to satisfy the demands of the paper industry, of which educational systems are a large consumer. If schools were to cut down on paper and switch over to Google Drive and Classroom, not only would it save the school districts thousands of dollars, it would improve our environment and reduce our need for paper goods. Where possible, people should be trying to cut down on paper use, and this is one way that is easily achievable to the vast majority of people who own smartphones.

Implication of Google Drive and Google Classroom is not only smart, it is reasonable. By 2038, I believe that whole school districts with budgets of every size will be using this program to create collaborative relationships between students and teachers, save money, and help the environment. This program makes it so easy to complete work and be involved. Even the most shy student who never has anything to input during a project would be able to be involved in a project and have their voice heard. Google Drive is not just another Microsoft Word, it is the future of public education.