Even through the toughest of times, with a state of utter chaos and disarray, when getting any aily task done seems beyond us, humans never fail to adapt with what life hands them. It is surely impressive, but at the same time it is imperative to establish the mindset that not everything will take place the way we wish for it to. With that in mind, learning to cope with whatever awaits us is just as essential. Just like that, with the ongoing pandemic, humans have yet again come through with revolutionary ways of getting through it. The pandemic has brought along its incessant list of problems, one of them largely impacting the education sector of the world; students and teachers are both at high stakes, especially with the strict lockdown laws. Students are restricted from receiving education, and teachers risk not getting paid. If it weren’t for the invention of technology and the introduction of online classes a couple of years ago, the situation would’ve been really unfortunate for all of us. There you have it, an advantage of online classes.
If you think about it deeply, online classes are more convenient than we could ever imagine. There are a number of tools that add to the efficiency and effectiveness of the online learning model. As an illustration, allow me to describe some instances where online classes could come in handy. Say, you are agitated at not only having to maintain a dozen copies worth of classwork, but also carry them around with you wherever you go. Sure, it can be a fair workout for those who are lazy to actually exercise, but it also gives you unimaginable arm and back aches. With online classes, small issues like those are eradicated. Instead you could opt for any device which has the google education suite application installed on it. That means all that work could be saved in one place, and you don’t have to deal with a pile worth of books.?? There are an abundant number of other pros, such as not having to wake up extra early at the crack of dawn to get to school on time, and also getting to eat in class without the teacher calling you out- Come on, you have to admit that’s like every student’s dream! Another beneficial outcome of these classes would be that each student has the opportunity to receive individual attention.
Since most of the time, or at least in my case, each grade level is divided into sections, it makes it easier for each child to input his or her own views in a class discussion.
Just like everything has its own fair share of pros and cons, there are quite a few negative sides to online learning as well. First off, not everyone is fortunate enough to afford the necessary tools required for online learning, such as a laptop or a stable Wi-Fi connection.
These students are at the risk of suffering a major setback in their learning. In addition to this, kids who infact do have everything needed for online learning might also miss out on some education, in case their wifi or electricity decides to disappear on them at unwanted times.
After having experienced online learning myself, I do find it sort of distracting due to a number of reasons. Since teachers have limited control over each learner’s screen, pupils are more prone to get sidetracked by other means of entertainment, like checking notifications on their devices while attending class. After all, working in isolation is indeed tedious, so you can’t blame
students for wanting to use social media.
Furthermore, procrastination is made easier, too, when no one’s keeping a close eye on your progress. Online classes may be convenient when it comes to content learning, but one can’t quite say the same for practical learning. For instance, science lab experiments tend to stay in the science lab! And watching them on youtube is simply NOT the same thing!
Given the current situation, however,, I think it’s safe to conclude that online classes, or at least the use of online tools in a classroom is here to stay. The pros surely do outweigh the cons. We’ve always heard people bragging about online classes, but we had never even
bothered to try it out for ourselves, until now. Now that we are aware of its convenience, I believe most of us have developed an appreciation for the efficiency and flexibility that technology brings with it – it is indeed like a superpower and it is up to us to use it for positive
gains!
Nimra Khan – Year 9