Shannon KeoughSeveral colleges around the country have decided to go green and are cutting down on their use of paper by using CDs, having students turn papers in electronically and having PowerPoint presentations online instead of taking notes.
This is such a great idea for so many reasons. First of all, it cut downs on the amount of paper used, which is beneficial to the environment and it is extremely important to help the environment as much as we can right now because of the global warming effect.
Cutting down on printing paper saves so much money as well. College students are usually tight with money as is, but with the current state of the economy college students are on even more of a budget than usual.
Having a printer requires paying a lot of expenses. You have to buy your paper, which is not cheap, as well as ink and when your ink cartridge runs out, then you are in trouble because it is expensive to replace it.
Turning papers and homework assignments in electronically eliminates a lot of the reasons why you would need to purchase a printer. I think all assignments should be turned in electronically because after you get a graded assignment back, you’re not going to save it as a souvenir, chances are you are going to throw it out, which is a waste of paper and money!
It makes way more sense for teachers to use PowerPoints, then put the PowerPoints online, because then students save paper by not having to use a notebook.
You can just study the notes on your computer. If you really need to print out the notes there are several ways you can print them out without using a lot of paper. For example, you could just copy the important notes, or use a smaller font.
Also, some professors require their students to turn papers and other assignments in on CD instead of using paper.
Teachers who decided to go green and have all their assignments online have found that their students are actually more engaged in their work when it is online because it is more interesting. Some teachers have actually seen an improvement in grades since switching to electronic assignments because it is easier for students to focus.
There are only positives when it comes to going green with schoolwork. It helps the environment and it doesn’t hurt your budget. So if your professors are still making you print out 10 page papers and hand them in, explain to them about all the benefits of going green!
