One-Year Of Lockdown: The Pros & Cons Of Online Classes

One year ago, on March 23, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the first lockdown in the country which lasted for 21 days. As we complete one whole year of the restrictions in the country, one thing that children and parents got used to is – Online education. Academic classes online have both pros and cons, but we are left with no other option in order to maintain social distancing and avoid getting contracted with the deadly virus.

Online classes are like exponential growth which has ensured that no aspect of our life remains untouched by technology. The method had saving travelling time and being easy on pockets as two main perks. At the same time, not many people can afford gadgets like laptops and smartphones is the foremost disadvantage of this new concept. Also, full concentration has no room for young kids, making parents go anxious.

Before the coronavirus, many international schools were proud of their innovative teaching concepts, role plays, gaming consoles, collaboration and communication, etc. As online classes emerged, schools were quick to adapt and transform the same concepts virtually. But, it is students who had to spend enormous time in front of the screen. And this is both mentally and physically straining.

And the major issue is when students get tempted to use social media sites and browse the internet as they sit hours together in front of laptops without a time limit. Parents are concerned about children being exposed to inappropriate or upsetting content in the name of technology. When personally interviewed a few students who are attending online classes, a student of class 4 said that having only one laptop at home was an issue as she and her sister have classes at the same timings.

Another student of class 6 said that there was a poor internet connection in her area and therefore, she prefers regular classes over online ones. Also, there are more activities and we can meet friends, she added. All said and done, ‘half a loaf is better than none’. The same is with online classes – something is better than nothing. The only choice left for parents is to re-discover the joy of learning by joining their children in online classes and this might outgrow the fear of syllabus volume and depth.