Technology is only becoming more and more prominent in daily life and has affected schooling in many ways, whether it be studying with Kahoot or using Google Drive to store documents. While a transition from cluttered backpacks filled with bulking folders to having everything stored online is underway, we’re currently in an awkward middle grounds. Some classes may do almost everything online, but others remain rooted in the older ways of pencil and paper.

Preferences aside, one of the main differences between the two is the amount of space taken up by paper and related school supplies. Having folders, pencils, paper, and anything else that might be necessary can very quickly fill a backpack, and lightening the load without losing important supplies is a difficult task. If the digital-everything approach was taken, this would be lessened to a laptop, an optional mouse, and any other supplies that might be deemed necessary.

While some students may prefer being able to do their schoolwork on paper, the pros of having everything online tip the scales in online learning’s favor. The sheer convenience of not having to sort through a backpack to find papers from weeks ago can be traded for a search bar, letting you organize your documents much more easily. Typing out essays can often be quicker than handwriting, and with the internet so easily accessible, students have countless resources at their fingertips. In this digital age, students are becoming more and more accustomed to working on computers and typing up their schoolwork, and this transition to online work is nearly inevitable.

Although schooling on computers is quickly taking over, there is still a definite place for working on paper. It’s much easier for the average student to solve a math problem on a piece of paper instead of on their computer, and students who prefer pencil-and-paper should be able to have that option. However, if everything is streamlined into Google Classroom and Drive, students will be able to stay organized much more easily.

Putting more schoolwork online would allow for a more organized learning experience, and prevent losing papers and having to lug around a heavy backpack for the whole day. Students already spend lots of time on their computers and phones, and if schoolwork was integrated more into this network, students could greatly benefit.