Digital Education a Disaster Towards Classroom Teaching?

Digital Education a Disaster Towards Classroom Teaching?

( By Sravani Gokaraju )

Image By:- Graphics (LDL)

The education system has always been evolving, especially in India. In the olden days, the disciples or students would go to their teacher's house called gurukulam. They would stay at the gurukulam with their teacher until their education is completed and only then, return to their houses. After many years, a new education system came into place. This is where the students and teachers would all go to a school. Different students of the same age would sit in a classroom where one teacher after another would come and teach their subject for an allotted time. Students go back home after studying for around 7-10 hours a day in school. This is the traditional classroom education. This kind of education is what, till date, still followed everywhere.

Since the past few years, technology has been evolving and becoming more advanced than ever, and schools and colleges are finding ways to implement as much technology as they can to not only make teachers' work easier but also to make classes more interesting and practical. Students are shown videos or presentations to make studies more understandable. Even students are asked to make presentations or in some places, even carry laptops instead of notebooks to take notes. Technology has become such an integral part of our lives that virtual learning is already followed almost everywhere, and understanding of the computer is now a basic skill to survive.

At this pace, it is not too long before instead of having to come to schools, students and teachers can study and teach from the comfort of their houses. This is called digital learning. In this type of learning, teaching is done online. All the students and teachers meet on an online platform where teaching and learning is done through a computer screen.

The recent pandemic has already forced schools and colleges to temporarily adopt this method of teaching until the virus subsides. But, is digital education going to be our children's future? Is it a disaster towards classroom teaching?

Though digital education has its perks, I would strongly say that it is indeed, a disaster towards classroom teaching. Digital teaching would require both the teachers and students to have some basic things such as a laptop or phone and

good internet access, without which, attending classes would not be possible. But not every family has the luxury to afford them. In fact, up until a certain age, students, and in some cases, even the parents might not even have the necessary computer skills to operate a laptop. Also, continuous exposure to screens from a very young age could be very damaging to the eyes and harmful to one's health in the long run.

There will also be no face to face interaction between the teacher and the students. This will automatically affect students who are not self-driven and who need extra help. Without the personal attention of the teacher, the student might not be able to grasp the concepts well or put in enough effort. Lack of a teacher's presence also means that it is very difficult to make sure students concentrate and pay attention to the teaching. They can get easily distracted and having a gadget with them to fiddle with does not make it any better. All of this will eventually lead to a fall in their grades.

Online classes can give some students the chance to hide behind the screen and do mischievous things. This would make it very difficult for the teacher to control the students and punish the ones who did something wrong. All of these ultimately lead to them becoming indisciplined. Also, online classes would be a lot of work for the teachers. Along with all the extra work and effort that the teachers need to put while the classes are going on, they would also have to prepare for their classes by making presentations for each and every topic, to teach.

Another drawback of modern education is that there will also be no interaction amongst peers. Having no exposure to any other people other than their own family from a young age could result in social anxiety and would become a huge problem in the future. Traditional classroom teaching allows students from different backgrounds, cultures, and genders to mingle with each other from a young age. This will not only give them exposure to all the cultures and heritages but also make them grow as individuals. They would have the opportunity to make friends, enemies, memories, and learn so much from each other that it will teach them many life lessons. These life lessons become survival skills which will be an integral part of their lives.

So, even though a little dependence on technology is helpful, replacing traditional teaching with digital education is only going to cause more problems if not help. Traditional teaching helps a child grow. The time during which a child gets his education is the prime years which make them who they are, later. These years are very important in a person's life as they can make or break them. School and college years are the times when students make mistakes and learn from them. They make friends for life. They create memories that will be cherished for the rest of their lives. Hence, traditional teaching is extremely important and must not be replaced.

Disclaimer:-

The opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Light de Literacy and LDL does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.