A teacher in New York high school Cleveland Hill has adopted a totally paperless classroom, and says it has helped her students achieve better than ever before.

"In a paperless classroom, assignments are completed and submitted digitally. Students still read books. The content is the same. It’s just a different method of delivery. Students use laptops to complete assignments in class and out of class,” says The Buffalo News.

The ninth-grade English classroom led by Sarah Krajewski is the first classroom in the school to go paperless, and Krajewski told The Buffalo News the results have been overwhelmingly positive.

“'Right now I only have two students that are at risk of failing the year. Typically it’s about 15,' Krajewski said,” according to the article.

In order to make a paperless classroom possible, Krajewski utilizes numerous tech tools that facilitate collaboration among her students.

"She uses a program called Good Reads – a social network for readers – which gives students a structured space to discuss books they are reading or want to read,” the article said.

To keep her students digitally organized, Krajewski has them download the Google Classroom app to receive notifications about assignments and grades.

"Students are generally happy with the paperless system. You always have your school supplies, one said. You don’t lose everything, another said. If you have a phone, you have it with you at all times, said another. One didn’t like that the teacher is 'all up in my business’ and another said that they may not have a phone that’s compatible with the program,” the article said.

Indeed, this highlights the problems of initiatives that require students to bring their own devices, since different students have access to different resources depending on their backgrounds.

Either way, Krajewski is optimistic about the results thus far.

“The goal is not to go paperless. The goal is to provide the highest-quality education we can,” said the school district’s superintendent, Dr. Michael Vallely to The Buffalo News.

Read the full story.

Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

2/19/2016