Can distance education replace school?
All schools are closed, and all classroom lessons have been transferred online, as part of measures to contain any danger of the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, online education is an important precaution to ensure that the possibilities of transmission of the virus are limited. It is home school time for many children. That is to say, each family has access to online resources: exercises and even “virtual classes” in video conference.
We will present in this article the advantages and disadvantages of distance education and traditional education:
The Benefits of Online Education
More flexibility
Online courses allow them to fit where they want in their schedule. Normally, those who work and want to take courses in addition to their work find it difficult to manage their time. Online training allows them to decide when to study. They can take their courses by traveling by bus, car, train, or plane. This is not possible in face-to-face teaching which requires a predefined timetable and a fixed place. But online courses give you time to manage yourself to learn.
Suitable for all rhythms
Each learner works at their own pace. In case you are faster than the others, there is no need to wait for them. The reverse is also true: if you are slower, you can take your time without disturbing anyone. Training can also be tailor-made according to the level of learning.
Convenient
Distance education, unlike face-to-face teaching, provides training in asynchronous time and place.
Learners no longer need to travel, and to comply with timetables. We train where we want, when we want. All you need is a WI-FI connection and a laptop, tablet, or smartphone.
E-learning allows learners who want to stay at home, for example for family reasons, to use their free time to continue to learn and grow at a professional level. With distance education, there is no need to travel or ask a teacher to come home, the courses will have the distinction of being carried out online. You can work in a familiar environment that allows you to work easily. In addition, considerable time savings are to be expected.
E-learning, when well designed, is now based on a variety of fun media: videos, interactive formats, podcasts, forums, questionnaires, slide shows, etc.
Choose the training of your dreams
Taking a dream training often requires traveling to another city or to another country. Online training makes this task easier for many students.
The disadvantages of online education
Less interaction
Online education facilitates remote access to a classroom at a time convenient to the learner. The latter may experience a feeling of isolation. This is because this type of learning is an individual act, which can give him a feeling of loneliness. Now, technology is advancing and learners can engage more actively with teachers or other students using tools such as videoconferencing, social media and discussion forums.
Health problems
Learners taking online training spend too much time on computers and other such devices; this means that visual fatigue, poor posture and other physical problems can affect the learner.
Fewer commitments
Younger learners often have problems with self-discipline. So they will be less motivated to complete their online training, because there is no physically present teacher to motivate them to study.
The emergence of online learning
To mimic the social aspects of a traditional classroom, it is best to use tools such as message boards, and Facebook groups. They give students the impression that they are not only looking at an empty bulletin board, but that they are talking to real people. Of course, this does not replace class peers.
Students naturally learn from each other while solving problems and working collaboratively in a traditional classroom. They are encouraged by a teacher who does not come from a recorded video. Online learning has yet to find ways to mimic life in a real classroom.
Online learning provides teachers with precise and clear feedback on how a student interacts with the material. They can see where students find difficulty and homework at the click of a button. A reduced workload allows teachers to adapt their skills by other means, which are more advantageous for the students and the class. Fewer hours spent filing files means more time spent hiring each student on an individual level. It is this combination of personalized content and resource management that will allow teachers to steer our classrooms into the future.