As we have grown up, changed, and developed, technology has done the same. It started with the computer labs of elementary school, to laptop carts in middle school, to now having our own personal laptops in high school. While many prefer this “new school” way, some people miss the days of the pencil and paper.

Student Natalie Ellerman brings up some excellent points regarding the advantages of paper. She says she likes to “have something tangible.” She also mentions “it helps [her] remember better when [she] actually writes things down.”

An anonymous student takes the same stance as Ellerman, stating, “With paper I feel more connected with my work than I would with a computer.” They also add, “I don’t like staring at a screen all day; with paper it’s harder to zone off and much easier to stay engaged.”

However, this opinion isn’t unanimous. Students Paul Kvech and Kylie Dwarte say they preferred digital copies. Kvech takes a pro-environment stance, mentioning that using our computers drastically decreases the amount of paper we use, and therefore trees we use. He also says, “It’s just easier with less papers to carry around.”

Dwarte talks about the convenience of computers compared to writing. “My hands hurt less typing than writing, and computers have tools like grammar and spelling checks to make sure my work is even better,” she comments.

Overall, Fallston seems pretty divided over this issue. According to a survey, 60% of students prefer paper over digital, while 40% prefer the latter. But whether you like paper or digital, we can all agree that there should just be way less work.