Online:

All together schools across the country consume as much as 32 Billion sheets of paper a year. That’s 768 billion trees that are cut down a year. The deforestation, along with the factory pollution, causes paper to be the third largest industrial air polluter. By making homework solely be online, a big part of paper production would be reduced. This reason along with many others is why homework online is the better option. Yes, homework online is better for the environment, but it also saves schools money. According to Science Education International, school districts spend around $25,000 a year on paper alone. By cutting paper out of the classroom, schools are able to put this money towards investing in their students, faculty, and facilities. Students, specifically at Memorial High School, also save money by submitting their assignments virtually because Memorial HighSchool provides their students with a free chrome book. Another reason having homework on a device is the better option is that kids today are a “technological generation.” Educators have noticed that when stopping the use of paper homework, and changing it to digital assignment, it has motivated their students. Many students feel more comfortable doing their assignment through the internet because technology has become a big part of their day to day lives. One study also showed that because when doing homework on a device, your research, spellcheck, and assignment are all in one, this has inclined students to further their research and give a more in depth assignment. As well as benefiting students, online homework also benefits teachers. Online assignments give teachers the opportunity to easily return feedback to their students. It offers them an easy organizational system. Students’ names are connected to their assignment making grading easier for teachers. Teachers are also able to see when students turn in their assignments and when they are working on it. Making it so students can’t use the excuse of ‘my dog ate my homework.’ Coming from a student’s point of view, online is better because it is easier to work with. Online assignments can be worked on by computer, phone, etc. Students are able to work on the assignment and research sufficiently from essentially anywhere. It is also easier to clean up mistakes online. With paper you either have to completely start over, erase, or cross words out. All of these solutions make things messy and hard work. However, with assignments being online all you have to do is press a delete button and/or rearrange your work. Overall, doing homework online is a more efficient and a more conscious way to complete assignments.

-Hayat Brahmer

Paper:

Homework, while not the best thing to look forward to, is something that is incorporated into a student’s daily schedule. Though it may be more convenient to do your homework online, it might benefit you more in the long run to do your homework on paper. 

First, paper is a more equitable option. Not everyone has access to high-speed internet or even internet at all. Setting the expectation that a student has to complete their homework online can make students fall behind and make their school experience more difficult. Since paper is a more manageable option, it would level the playing field if homework was completed on paper. 

Completing your homework on paper can also help you retain information better. Studies show that even while taking notes, although more information is written down by taking notes online, taking them on paper proved to be more effective for students in studying. Similarly, having assignments remain on paper can help comprehension because you can’t just copy paste answers or Google translate work. 

Overall, even though doing homework on paper can be difficult, it yields more rewards than doing it online. 

-Anvika Annyapu