ONLINE SCHOOLING: THE FUTURE

N . SRIKAJANAN

With planet Earth destined for ever-increasing dependence on technology, should something that we have used over the centuries, since the time of the Saxons,

be changed? Schools have been instrumental in children’s learning; should we stop attending school and transfer education to the online world? Or should we

maintain our traditional system because it is has proved so successful?

The practicalities of online schooling are quite straightforward. Students can log onto their computer or device first thing in the morning and can receive their work via email; and if more support is required, certain online schools have FaceTime applications, which enable the student and the teacher to communicate face-to-face via webcam. Parents and teachers may feel that the normal school day is becoming increasingly hectic and tiring, with some students having to commute for more than an hour every day.

However, when being schooled online, students would be less stressed which could increase engagement. As mentioned earlier, commuting to school includes many forms of transport, which increase carbon emission levels and contribute to global warming, so online schooling would even help the environment. One of the main advantages for the student is the ability to study at home, in an atmosphere in which they feel comfortable. Moreover, students with physical disabilities may favour this form of learning because it allows them to study from the comfort of their own home, thus avoiding any accessibility issues that they may encounter when attending a regular school. In addition, this could attract more home-schooled students who prefer to be educated from the ease of their own home, but could progress further with the aid of a qualified teacher. When it comes to the advantages for staff, they could benefit significantly from online schooling, particularly, those members

of staff who have children; it could enable them to spend more time at home, working flexible hours and with parttime options available. It means that we are not alienating those teachers who have outstanding abilities but live far away from school or are unable to be on the premises 5 days a week.

Nevertheless, there are some disadvantages to online schooling and it’s important to recognise them. Students could be subjected to fewer social interactions. This could create a community of people who do not converse! Following on from this, students who take up online schooling have less access to practical activities such as reading in libraries, experimenting in science labs, PE, Music, Drama and Art, all of which develop important life skills. Students in Year 8, who have been experiencing online schooling for a few days, have mixed views. Some of them find online schooling interesting, but a few of them prefer conventional schooling. One student commented, “It’s hard to get used to, but you can get the hang of it.” However, he thinks that learning new topics is “extremely hard”. Another student likes it and said, “It is a good method to use”. However, he was opposed by a student who claimed, “School is better because it is an environment which promotes an understanding of discipline.” Online schooling is an extremely exciting prospect for the future. Could it replace the ‘brick and mortar’’ schools that we have been learning in for what seems an eternity? Will online schooling be engaging enough to enable us to learn effectively? Well, we will just have to wait and see!