In an increasingly online age, many schools are making the jump from physical documents, Google Docs, cardboard to motherboard, and paper to online. While technology has been on the rise for decades, the pandemic catalyzed the exponential growth of technology in the school system. While computers were used in schools before COVID-19, now, at Blind Brook, even our math packets are digital. Does paper still have a place in our classrooms? Or should Blind Brook continue to make this leap fully?
Blind Brook Senior Bridget Zelin says, “Absolutely!” Zelin remarks, “Utilizing online resources has helped me organize not only my academic activities but also my extracurriculars. Since the Pandemic forced our school to go fully online, I’ve had time to assess the pros and cons of going all online. It is nice to keep all of my documents and work in one place, and to keep all of it in the same device as my planner. When I’m communicating with peers about debate tournaments or with my teacher about a test, having access to email on the same device as my work makes organization a breeze.”
Senior Daniel Greenspan has more mixed feelings on the subject. “While I appreciate the choice to use Google Classroom or Google Drive, I think that I am becoming more forcibly dependent on my device to get schoolwork done. I much prefer taking hand notes in class, and while I still can, our school’s dependence on technology has made it harder to do so. In certain classes, I find myself switching between 4 or 5 different apps to get all of my work done, and it honestly defeats the organizational purpose that these devices are supposed to provide.”
Will we end up living in an age where paper is obsolete? How far will technology take us? The question remains: how much longer will paper be prevalent in the schooling system? Should we embrace the push for technology or shy from it? Whether you want to take all of your notes on a Google Doc or prefer to scribble them in your notebook, both may have a place in our school’s curriculum. The question is, for how long?