Friday, November 5, 2010

Paper is just a fad

Remember when bulletin boards were the iPads of the classroom?  A teacher would post pictures and information which we wouldn't normally see in our daily lives.  Now, bulletin boards are places to hang examples of student work, which is a noble use of the cork, but how much longer do we have before student work on paper is a thing of the past?

The cost of copy paper for school districts is exhorbitant.  So much so that some schools give teachers codes and limits on what they can print.  Teachers and librarians monitor what kids print.  Not to mention the cost of toner, repairing and replacing copy machines, printers, etc.

With the evolution of technology (Google Apps and Smartboards comes to mind) where students and teachers can share written work, comment on it, quiz, participate in classroom polls, and so forth, it is really only going to be a matter of time before copy paper in schools disappears just as chalk has.  Forward thinking and financially privileged schools (those two terms go together, no?  one can afford to be forward thinking) will soon find a better use for the money for kids and teachers...again further distancing the haves and the have nots.

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