Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Who Benefits from Online Education?



The question needs to be asked, who benefits from the online education system? The answer is simple the  underprivileged children and children with learning disabilities. Children should have the right to be able to become educated and expand their knowledge. However, some children do not have the means to go to school. These children may have to work for the family or may have a learning disability which makes it difficult even impossible for a child to learn. With the online education programs, the child now has the ability to learn on its own terms. The child who works a full time job to assist his/her family can now learn at night. For the child with the learning disability a slower pace is now offered.

All a child needs to take advantage of, this free education is a way to access the internet. Most countries have online cafes or libraries that can be used. The child then has the advantage of opening up a whole new world with a click of the button. Imagine being a child living in India and having to work to support the family. This child thinks about all of the "child like" experiences it is missing. Once that online education is available at its finger tips it becomes a whole new child. Now this child can explore all of its interests and begin learning new subjects. Not only is this beneficial to the child but it shows the child it is not alone. With these courses being offered free of charge the child will have access to communicate with others in his/her same position. This child now has a general knowledge of new subjects that not only brighten him/ her but the family as well. The child can take its newly found knowledge and educate the rest of the family. It becomes a ripple effect in the community.

The child with learning disabilities now has an education on his/her terms. A child with a learning disability has a difficult time keeping up with a regular or standard classroom. The pace of the classroom may go too quickly for the child. Thus the child becomes frustrated and upset and falls behind. This is not the child's fault nor the teacher's fault. The online education now eliminates this issue. The child can now access the subject matter online and work at his/her pace. This does not only help the child receive a better understanding of the subject matter but also gives the child more confidence. Thus children can also choose subjects that interest them and will keep their attention.
Some institutions use both methods of education. The school will hold regular classes and have the child work with the online classes at home. I have seen this take place more and more. As I have two nephews in the school system. They both received a Chrome book at the beginning of the school year to work on and are no longer using textbooks. After school the children log onto a website to complete their homework and receive more online education assignments.

I believe this system of online education is an exceptional idea for underprivileged students. Every child worldwide should have the tools to become educated. Each child should have the choice to decide which subjects it wants to explore to become a well educated professional. You never know, that child in India could become a doctor just by logging on to the computer.


By: Elizabeth Klein 

No comments: