Two Schools Take Steps into Paperless Education

Education has been attempting to go paperless for quite some time. Although slow, schools ranging from primary to higher learning – such as two schools in Nevada – have worked toward using document management software.

The Gannon Knight reported that students at Gannon University would begin using an entirely paperless billing method in 2015. Students will no longer receive paper statements but will be capable of assessing their payments and bills online and through email. The Gannon Knight explained that this option has been available to students in the past, but the university is doing away with paper altogether in the billing process.

Some seemed unsure of the process, but student Emily Gibbs told The Gannon Knight about the environmental advantages of going paperless, wondering what took the school so long to invest in electronic document management.

Paperless document management has also made its way into Sheldon Middle School, according to the Nevada Daily Mail. The middle school has found ways to create a paperless math classroom, and a grant is making the switch a reality. The classroom will feature laptops for the students, an interactive projector, and document management software specially designed for children to be engaged while learning through technology.

Assistant Principal Carolyn Compton and math teacher Amie Breckenridge wanted to find the best way to get technology to their students while giving them a better opportunity to learn.

“Our middle school students will have the opportunity to use technology every day in their math classes. They will learn math through new innovative ways, moving away from just working out problems on paper,” Compton told the Nevada Daily Mail. “We worked through the details and logistics and came up with the idea of the paperless math classroom.”

The Nevada Daily Mail indicated that the grant for the paperless math classroom was given to the school by an advisory of leaders in agriculture and education when the school made it as a finalist for the grant.