I picked up my son’s backpack the other day, and the weight of it astounded me.
It was so...light. Empty even.
I remembered my school days. I didn’t just wear a backpack; I lugged it. I measured my progress in school by the physical weight of my assignments. I remembered how frustrated my mother would get when I home--yet again--with a broken arm strap or a ripped seam because I had demanded too much of it. After all, aren’t backpacks crammed with notebooks, worksheets, books, and scratch paper a normal part of education?
Not if technology has anything to do with it.
According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, technology--when appropriately used--can reduce paper usage by up to 30%. Take Bank of America for example (they did). When the largest bank in the country turned to online reports, forms, email, double-sided copying, and lighter-weight papers, it reduced is paper consumption by over one billion sheets of paper. That’s a 32% reduction--on internal operations alone.
And if Bank of America can do it, so can your school district.
There are several ways to save paper and money through the use of technology.
Use emailed school and class newsletters instead of sending home printed ones.
Direct parents toward a consistent website or web page for frequently asked questions, the latest news, or the most recent homework assignments.
Store documents in electronic archives for instant retrieval (rather than relying on file cabinets).
Encourage the use of on-screen editing features, instead of printing and editing by hand.
Share events on a shared calendar with reminders.
Use Google Forms instead of worksheets, quizzes, and paper tests.
Use Google Drawings for scratch paper.
Use OneNote for notetaking.
Embrace the cloud system for swift data recovery and increased collaboration and distribution of resources.
But it’s more than just paper schools are saving. Printing supplies--everything from copier purchases to toner to maintenance contracts--are expensive line items. With reduced paper comes reduced printing costs, and printing supplies--everything from copier purchases to toner to maintenance contracts--are expensive line items. Moving to educational technology also saves more precious resources: family time, patience, creativity, sanity, and wear and tear on a backpack you can keep for years.
How does your school save natural resources while unleashing productivity, innovation, and collaboration? We can always help you find more ways.