SALEM – A desire to reduce the amount of paperwork in his classroom has led to state-wide recognition for government teacher Barry London of Mt. Abram High School.

London was recently honored as runner-up in the statewide Technology Teacher of the Year awards by the Association of Computer Technology Educators of Maine.

London was nominated by Darcy Pray, SAD 58 technology integrator, who recognized his innovative style in the classroom. As a part of his curriculum, London holds mock sessions of Congress in the classroom, which in the past has meant 500 to 700 pages of documentation. Now, all that work is contained on a computer CD that is all technology and no paper.

“In government and in the classroom, a lot of paper work is generated,” London said. “In past years, my classes would fill a three-ring binder just on the Congress segment. Now everything is integrated onto one CD. To have that technology at our fingertips is a real paper-saver.”

All high school students in SAD 58 have a laptop computer that each student uses every day for homework, research, checking their grades, touching base with teachers via e-mail and more. London hopes for a completely paperless classroom one day. Right now, his students can check their homework assignments online and will often receive e-mails from him that are relevant to what’s happening in class. In addition, London is always looking for additional ways to use technology in the classroom. Digital photos documenting a recent Maine guide class he conducted are contained on a computer CD, which he can make copies of to give to students.

“We use a lot of paper,” London says. “If I can, in some small way, reduce that and still teach my kids to be more responsible consumers, well then that is just good for everyone.”