Can We Go Paperless

* Weekly Reflections of My Flipped Math Class (February 4 - February 8, 2013)

As I continue to revamp, redesign, and rethink about my Flipped Classroom, I am continually brought back to the idea of going paperless. The tools, apps, and means of going paperless are too many to list. From interactive whiteboards, online file storage programs, video software, and even online notebooks, education has an opportunity to contribute the wellness of our environment and go paperless.

I am a perpetual photo copier. I must make close a 1 million copies throughout the school year. At a simple cost of 3 cents per copy (estimate), I have cost my district around $30,000 to make copies. And I am only ONE TEACHER. Why shouldn't I make the move to go paperless and encourage my students to do the same.

As I began to outline the process, I became in love with two apps that I really think will be beneficial in this process. The first was Evernote, an online note taking app that allows users to organize notes in a clear, concise manner. It was only after further investigation that I became aware of sharing notes/notebooks. Talk about euphoria - students and teachers can share their ideas with out every wasting a single piece of paper.

The second app that I quickly became attached to was Educreations White Board. This app allows students to record their work and voices on an Interactive White Board, and even share the video with others. Now students do work on a piece of paper, turn the paper in only to be thrown away when done. With educreations, students can record and share what they've done with teachers, students, parents, and the world. All the while, no paper is ever used.

As my math department colleague and I begin to plan for Team Teaching, we have dug dig into going paperless. We are sure we  have missed many apps/programs that would aid in this tool. We look forward to insight, feedback, and even comments/concerns that would help us in our path to becoming environmentally friendly!