The last few weeks have been disrupted again by the Covid19 emergency. With the restrictions that were put in place Tesla, like thousands of schools had to turn to online learning. I just wanted to take a few lines to explain what we know about the advantages and disadvantages of online learning. It is suggested that online learning has four major advantages:
1. Efficiency – Online learning offers teachers an efficient way to deliver lessons to students. By extending the lesson plan beyond traditional textbooks to include online resources, teachers are able to become more efficient educators.
2. Ease for time and place – Another advantage of online education is that it allows students to attend classes from any location of their choice. It also allows schools to reach out to a more extensive network of students, instead of being restricted by geographical boundaries.
3. Improved student attendance – Since online classes can be taken from home or location of choice, there are fewer chances of students missing out on lessons.
4. Suits a variety of learning styles – Every student has a different learning journey and a different learning style. Some students are visual learners, while some students prefer to learn through audio.
But, the disadvantages are significant with the:
1. Inability to focus on screens – For many students, one of the biggest challenges of online learning is the struggle with focusing on the screen for long periods of time. With online learning, there is also a greater chance for students to be easily distracted by social media or other sites.
2. Technology Issues – Another key challenge of online classes is internet connectivity. Without a consistent internet connection for students or teachers, there can be a lack of continuity in learning for the child.
3. Sense of Isolation – Students can learn a lot from being in the company of their peers. However, in an online class, there are minimal physical interactions between students and teachers. This often results in a sense of isolation for the students.
What is most significant is that online learning will grow and I can almost guarantee that Tesla students when they graduate and attend college or university they will be doing some courses online. The pandemic speeded up this development and we will see incredible growth of online courses and teaching.
We sincerely thank you for your support during the past week!
Robin Klymow
Director of Stuidies