Going Green: Paperless Classrooms

The world is not dangerous because of those who do harm but because of those who look at it without doing anything. ~Albert Einstein

The use of paper is a direct contributor to the harm of the environment via the destruction of one of our most wonderful natural resources — trees.

• Paper is the number one material that is thrown away.
• For every 100 pounds of trash we throw away, 35 pounds is paper.
• Paper fills up 30-40% of American landfill space. Source1 Source2
• As paper decomposes in landfills or is burned in incinerators, chemicals from its inks are released into the environment. Source
• Deforestation is occurring at an alarming rate worldwide, particularly in tropical regions. The World Resources Institute estimated in 1997 that only a fifth of the world’s old-growth forests were undamaged, and almost half of these faced immediate threats from logging and development. Source
• Americans use more than 50 million tons of paper each year, consuming more than 850 million trees. Source

Get MORE great facts by clicking HERE!

Remember the 3 R’s:

• Reuse
• Reduce
• Recycle

There are lots of ways you can Go Green in your classroom to help save paper!

Digital distribution of instructional information.

1. Set a goal for paper reduction. Plan for it. Measure your success. Reflect, tweak, and improve it as the year goes by! Get your students, parents, and colleagues involved to help you stick to your plan and reach your goal! Use this goal sheet to get started. (You can alter it to use as a class goal if you’d like.) – Green Goal Sheet

2. Post handouts, presentations, worksheets, calendars, newsletters or permission forms to your website, blog, or wiki…and leave it up for 24/7 access for your students and parents or create a parent email list and send them digitally each week rather than printing them out.

3. Consider implementing the Classroom Rule of One (you get one copy of something. If you loose it, you must download and print it yourself).

4. Make class sets of tests, quizzes, worksheets, etc. This will reduce the instructional paper load.

5. Allow room on handouts for students to write – so they don’t waste MORE paper taking notes.

6. Use the email feature in Skyward to send home digital progress reports weekly, bi-weekly, etc….instead of printing them out.

7. Laminate paper items you use often in a class – so they last longer and will need replacing less often.

8. Don’t use an entire piece of paper to say what can be said on a 1/2 sheet or 1/4 sheet. A little cutting will save a ton of paper. And be sure to print front and back!

9. Check your work to avoid printing copies that have to be thrown away. Make sure to spell check your work, and use the Print Preview feature to preview your work to make sure everything lines up correctly.

10. You can use the Print range feature available in most programs to print only the exact pages or the selected text that you need.

11. Before you print off class sets of worksheets be sure to ask yourself…are they really necessary? What is the academic value of the worksheet? Is it drill and kill? Can your students demonstrate mastery by completing the worksheet in small groups (fewer copies)? Can you do it as a class with a document camera (one copy)? Can you use manipulatives or online activities (even if you just project them and do them as a class rather than reserving computer lab time)? Reevaluate every worksheet before copying…if you could only copy 2 worksheets per week…would this be one of them? If not…why not? And if not…why are you copying now?

Digital submission of student work.

1. Allow your students to submit their written work using word processing software and email.

• You can get free student emails at Gaggle.net
• Learn how to comment and grade with Microsoft Office Word 2007
  • Using Comments
  • Using Highlighting
  • Word Count
  • Add/Remove Line Numbers
  • Track Changes While You Edit
  • How to record audio in Microsoft Office Word 2007
• NOTE: These features all work in Excel 2007 and PowerPoint 2007 as well.
• Practice
  • Practice – Student Grading Example
  • Answer Key – Student Grading Example Answer Key
• Use Excel rubrics to grade with…print to pdf…and send to students via email.
  • Basic Rubric Template

2. Use Moodle – our online courseware software to put parts of your class (or your whole class) online! Students can:

• Read notes
• View presentations
• Follow web links
• Submit work (papers, spreadsheets, presentations, audio/video files, etc.) for teachers to collect, comment on, and grade
• Take quizzes and tests that are AUTOMATICALLY GRADED (with the exception of essay answers…you have to grade those)
• Experience real, interactive, online learning in a safe, password protected environment
• Access their class any time 24/7 from anywhere they can access the internet

Teachers can:

• Post notes, presentations, and web links into the lessons
• Embed audio and video files for students to watch/listen to
• Turn assignments on and off to control what’s visible and what’s not
• Collect work from students online, download it, comment on it, and assign a grade to it…all without printing anything
• Prepare quizzes and tests that will grade themselves (with the exception of essay answers…you have to grade those)
• Use the built in digital grade book to collect finished grades and enter them into Skyward
• Copy a class from year to year to prevent re-entering resources/recopying handouts etc. each school year
• See how often a student has been online, what they worked on, and what they have/have not turned in
• Chat with students while they are online in the class or leave them messages for when they log in.

Learn more about Moodle  - HERE.

3. Use student response systems to let your students give feedback, answer questions, and take quizzes and tests without paper.

4. Use online, collaborative tools to allow students to create, edit, and submit work…they allow you to view, comment, and grade their work online!

• Google Docs – docs.google.com
• Wikis – wikispaces.com

More Tips for Reducing Your Paper Consumption:

• For Everyone:
  • Have your class create their own Recycling Policy/Pledge. Post it on the wall as a reminder (using recycled materials of course)! Here’s a lesson plan to help you get started!
  • Print and laminate this recycling pledge (so you can reuse it year after year and save paper)…read Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax that corresponds with the poster and use these helpful discussion questions to talk about recycling with your elementary (or secondary if you’re feeling whimsical) students. – Want to bump this up for secondary…have students write their own “Lorax” stories (online or on recycled paper) about an environmental issue in a “Suess-like” style!
  • Use technology to administer tests, quizzes, etc. Allow for digital input with TMSDS, Student Response Systems (clickers) and Moodle.
  • Use interactive devices and websites for practice, quizzes, and tests. There are several available.
  • Make paper recycling in your classroom a non-negotiable…and model that behavior!
  • Reuse paper. Cut old worksheets into scratch paper squares. Print worksheets on the back of once-used paper.
  • Save all the old binders, tabs, notebooks, and loose paper students leave behind for use in your classroom. Don’t just watch it get thrown in the trash when they clean out the lockers.
  • Get your students email through Gaggle.net and email them messages, assignments, test reminders, reviews, and homework grades.
  • Reevaluate the value of your worksheets. Is there a better way to learn to tell time, do long division, show the life cycle of a butterfly, locate places on a map, or learn good punctuation?
  • Take advantage of district copier capabilities to scan paper into pdf and email it to yourself. Then you can distribute that document via email or post it on the web rather than copying it for everyone or mailing it.
  • Take PLC Notes or departmental documentation using Microsoft Office, Google Docs, a blog, or a wiki. Do it digitally and email everyone a copy or post it for all to see.
  • Get your parents, PTO, Administrators, Chamber of Commerce, or City Council involved in helping your class to Go Green!
  • Districts/Campuses can offer incentives (small gift cards) to the classes that use the least amount of paper (as determined by number of copies made, amount of recycling collected from class, reduction of paper waste in class, etc.). Help your school come up with an award for Green Classrooms and celebrate the teachers and students who participate!

• Math & Science
  • Print only 1 class set of tests. Students must show all work on their own paper. While it still uses paper, a 4 page test xeroxed front to back uses 120 pieces of paper for a class set.  The same test printed for all 150 students uses 600 pieces of paper. Yes, you’ll still have the notebook paper the students turn their work in on, but those papers can be saved as a review for later mid-terms and finals and reduce the need to print out a formal review (saving more paper).
  • Use small whiteboards for students to work math problems in class…teachers can walk around and check work and answers as students practice. Then students can erase and move on to the next practice problem. Whiteboards can also be used for quick checks for understanding, for a student to hold up and show that they need help, or poll the class.
  • Use a document camera to project a worksheet/practice problems up on a screen for group work, rather than printing one worksheet for every student. Again, while you still have student papers to collect, the amount of paper use by the teacher is reduced. (Combine this with whiteboards to double up on paper saving)
  • Use manipulatives whenever possible to teach concepts. Hands on activities generally use less paper.
  • Use TMSDS to do online tests, or to allow students to type in their multiple choice answers to a test. This not only saves on paper, but gives you incredible data about your kids’ progress.
  • Use lab templates in Word and Excel and allow students to turn in their work online.
  • Science logs or journals can be done online using blogs.
  • Check out mp3 recorders so your students can log observations orally and then even play back or share those observations online with others.
  • Use Photostory 3 and digital cameras to show progression of a science activity or project and allow students to turn in their videos online.
  • Instead of handouts on how to perform a lab, make a video to demonstrate the correct procedures and view them as a class. Then much smaller (six to a page) reminder lists can help refresh the kids’ memory.

• ELA & Social Studies
  • Use online games and activities like those at Sheppard Software and Other Sites to teach geography and mapping. Cut down on the number of hand drawn and colored maps to save the paper.
  • Use your document camera and one sheet of paper to create class maps as a group…then pdf (with your campus copier) or scan the maps on a scanner (for full color) and email them to your students.
  • Instead of posters, let your students create a Digital Story with images, music, and narration to demonstrate understanding.
  • Encourage students to find their novels online (if they are in the public domain try HERE and HERE) and read them there.
  • Edit work, show examples, and complete work using a document camera – one view for all! Then post on your site for review later!
  • Ask one student to be a scribe and take notes during lecture. Ask other students to help by recommending what should be saved in the notes. Then post the notes online in your blog, website, or wiki for all to use. (In elementary, the teacher can type the notes while students determine the content).

Start Slowly…Start Small…But START!

Small changes can make a big difference.  For example a 2001 Penn State study found that “by making the most of paper by reducing margins, font sizes and spacing, the school could reduce its annual paper consumption by 67 percent.”   Not only does this save paper, it saves money. (Source)

See how teachers are going paperless:

• In Kentucky!
• In New Jersey

Online Interactive Activities

• Interactive Maps
• Interactive Map Puzzles -  learn placement
• Make your own Heraldic Shield then save the graphics and post student work to your teacher website instead of printing!
• Instead of posters, let your kids make a Glogster! or an Animoto! (Both sites have educational programs to get you pro accounts for free…ask me if you’re interested!)