Since the pandemic broke out, learning online has become a worldwide phenomenon. The fact that one can learn from the comfort of their home is appealing for lots of people and poses a question whether it is the go to way of learning and teaching.
First of all, it is undeniable that learning remotely is more doable for everyone. Mothers on maternity leave, people infected by Covid, ill children to name but a few. They all have a chance so to have access to quality education. To illustrate further, children suffering from diseases have been hospitalized for months. Consequently, they cannot participate in lesson in the school. Thanks to the digital devices they can be connected to the lesson though. By doing so, they have a chance to feel a sence of belonging and once they recover they do not have to make up too much.
Secondly, in the Internet can be found a wide range of courses which would be impossible to find in a small remote town. For instance, wanting to learn Japanese or programming do not poes an extra challenge to learners anymore. Taking courses or hiring tutors, whatever one does, is still better than reconcile with the fact that those lectures are not available in one’s location.
On the other hand, studying in a traditional way is likely to be more efficient for those who are not so determined, have less willpower because by online learning a good deal of self discipline is required. My mentioned adjectives apply first of all to children. They need definitely some sort of supervision and guidance.
In conclusion, online learning is a suitable form of learning especially for busy adults and disadvantaged people. From experience, I can say that having a language lesson with a native speaker is gold. Without the online sessions I would not have had the opportunity to be corrected by a qualified tutor all the time. However, one thing has to be kept an eye on: children need somebody during the lessons who guide they and interact with them in person.
What about you? Do you prefer being taught online over traditional lessons? Have you ever taken an online lesson?
In my opinion, if a class is taught asynchronously (not live), then it behooves the class to be online and easily accessible for registered students. Since you're just watching lectures, and/or doing homework on the site, it makes it much easier to do since you can easily watch, re-watch, pause, write down notes, etc. However, online learning (both asynchronous and live sessions) feel a lot less personal than in person classes. You're missing the presence of other people and the energy of the room, and the possibility that if the teacher splits you up into small groups, that you and your fellow classmates can practice together, and fill in the gaps of each other's knowledge through practice. Zoom attempts this with breakout rooms, but they're sort of clunky and hard to navigate (or maybe that's just me with my 8 year old laptop :) )
Though I will say, I will posit that online classes can be sooooo much more convenient for the learner with different or odd schedules.))
Hi Tom, thank you for your opinion. Imagine that right now I am experiencing an interesting way of online teaching/learning. I teach 3-4 children online but they are in the same room and my face is projected. Well, I have to say, it works. I have to create for the lots of online stuffs (quizzes, learning apps) for the lesson in order to keep them engaged and of course this is my only way how I can control their work. Naturally, I have to face difficulties as well. Here and there we have technical issues, I don't hear them properly or they tend to misbehave and hide behind the camera :D. So keeping the discipline is not easy online but if your students are hard working I think learning online can be a great alternative option. Of course, teachers and students should be partners in it.