How to make online education fruitful considering its pros and cons?
In this article, I have discussed about the advantages and disadvantages of online education. So, considering these factors, the teachers should make online education fruitful. Every student should learn effectively online and study better.
This year, the schools are not likely to be reopened before August and hence many schools are conducting online classes. The children can study comfortably from their homes. They can complete their class assignment comfortably sitting in their rooms. They can submit their assignment to their teachers using the messenger apps or emails. The teachers can access the work of the students, use different options to rectify the errors and send notifications. However, online education is different from the regular classroom teaching. Let us see here the advantageous and disadvantageous of online education. Advantages of online education
Liberty to students
The students are not strictly supervised by the teachers and hence they feel liberal. Some students feel the joy when the parents are around them and understand the concepts even better. The students can study in a playful way even chatting with their parents. The students can even use links apart from classroom videos to understand the concepts better. The students can learn the concepts even precisely and deeply when they are alone. Some of the students are pressurized in the classrooms if the teacher is aggressive. Less distraction than in a classroom
Some students can complete assignments with ease when they sit alone in a room and are not distracted. The students do not indulge in activities such as giggling, speaking nuisance, playing pranks etc. Usually, the students get easily distracted when they sit together and form groups in the classroom.Learn to handle devices independently
The students can learn to operate the devices in a systematic way. Earlier, many students used these devices only to watch videos, chat with their friends or make a call. But today, they learn to use the devices to search for information, interact effectively with their class teacher and for timely submission of their assignments. Effectiveness of video classes
The students are attracted viewing the high-resolution videos with best picture quality. They can watch their teacher online delivering lectures to them and the smart board placed behind the teachers is even luring. Disadvantages of online education
Over-protective atmosphere at home
The teachers cannot interact with the students as effectively as in a classroom. When the children are away from home, they learn to handle many situations independently. But, the parents provide them every comfort at home and the children become overly protected. They can learn comfortably, but cannot speak boldly in a group. They do not learn the art of sharing knowledge with others. Lack of group activities
The students may learn individually in a best way, but cannot interact with the other students. They cannot view the other students online and hence cannot access their activities. In a classroom, a teacher usually forms teams and assigns the students some teamwork. But, online classes are conducted for an individual. In developing countries, the institutions cannot provide such sophisticated gadgets to the students to conduct teamwork. Teachers cannot easily discipline the students
The teachers cannot closely monitor every student and hence cannot access the behavior of every candidate. Some of the students do not complete the assignments on time because teacher is not strictly supervising them. The teachers cannot easily access the work of every student online. They cannot easily rectify their errors merely using some options. When a teacher corrects in a book with a red pen, the students become conscious. But online, as the teacher is not interacting with them orally, they do not take any comments seriously. Not effective for schools in remote places
In developing countries, many parents are not educated and cannot effectively use the gadgets. Some of them do not even possess a Smartphone and hence the teachers cannot interact with such parents. How to make online education effective
Training the teachers for effective education
The teachers should be provided with special training to teach the students effectively. Most of the teachers in developing nations, although possessing computer knowledge, are not able to use some features and options online. The teachers are usually using messenger devices to exchange information. They create a group, message the students to submit an activity and then access the work on the app. They can use some options to rectify the errors or to tick correct with the color tool box, but yet the students cannot seriously apply their efforts to improve their mistakes. So, the teachers should be trained to use devices such as laptops or PCs to record information of every student. They can use the spreadsheets to record information of every candidate that includes information about the timings for submission of a particular subject, errors they committed and if they rectified those errors etc. They should prepare various datasheets to record different information of the students and weekly review it. Preparing different styles of teaching
The students are bored after some days to view the video sessions. So, the teachers should sometimes arrange for audio clips also. Sometimes, the teachers should conduct online discussion along with hands-on-exercises etc. They should use different learning tools to make teaching effective. The teachers can also send some photographs or presentations so that the students can learn the concepts deeply developing interest. Conducting video conferencing sessions
The teachers can conduct video conferencing sessions to capture attention of the students. They can conduct video sessions for students in various batches for a subject. Nearly fifteen to twenty students can be invited for the session so that the teacher can focus on each student. The teacher can also view if the student is distracted and moving away from the window. For this, they should ensure for stable internet connections and should set an agenda before conducting sessions. Before starting any classes online, the teachers should be acquainted with the features.
Online education was already slowly creeping into our lives in the form of additional certificates or diplomas after completing our main academic courses. Now this pandemic situation has given it a big boost and in the aftermath of this virus threat, it would survive nicely along with the usual physical mode education. In all possibility, the percentage of online education is going to increase in the near future. There are pros and cons of both the systems but it depends mainly on the need of the individual that one would select the appropriate mode suiting to oneself. For example, a working person would always search for good online courses to increase his skills in a particular field for growth and progress in his career in his present organisation or to switch over to some other position in a different company. Online education would have that edge always in our lives as it can be pursued while working and that is one of the biggest advantages to the people in this competitive and cutthroat world of making a successful career.