ONLINE LEARNING:

 

If someone were to go back in time to 1988 & ask if online learning was possible, the answer would have been NO. Now in 2018 (30 years later) 15% of all college classes are completely online & 90% use at least 1 aspect of technology, from emailing assignments to an online database. Professors can record their lectures through audio or video for the students to listen to any time they want. Students can research information for papers. With the computer, what used to takes hours writing by hand & editing can now take 30 minutes (unless doing high quality research then much longer) to type & edit. Through the Internet more learning styles can be reached, assignments can be turned in outside of class with an electronic record system. Practicing/Studying for Foreign Languages & History has never been easier thanks to high speed internet & Youtube videos. You can now watch shows of any foreign language presently spoken or a History Channel Documentary. Under the projected trend, by 2025 over 40% of all College Classes will be 100% online.

 

Systems such as Black Board, Canvas, D2L & Moodle are becoming increasingly popular & more user friendly than ever before. Online allows students to take learning at their own pace. While I support & call for the continued advancement of online classes in addition to pushing for further use in High Schools, I also realize that it puts the poor & lower class at a disadvantage because of how much Internet costs, thus becoming a financial burden on the family. To the student with constant internet access, online learning is the best thing to happen in education. However, for the student with limited access at the school or public library only, online learning is the worst thing to happen in education, which contributes to part of the increasing gap in education that we see today furthering opportunity inequality at younger and younger ages.

 

Society should continue to progress further and embrace technology, however given its increasing role in education combined with education being a basic human right that all should be entitled to, we must make sure that every student has constant on demand internet access so all of society can benefit with an educated workforce.