Technology Changes Affecting Education

When I missed my junior year of high school because of health issues, I was given the chance to take classes online. I was pleased with this opportunity; however, I found out it was harder than I expected. I found it difficult to learn with no one to go to for answers, except my parents and friends. I was used to asking my teachers for help, but this time, I was all alone. So I fell back on the internet.

Many times, it was a reliable source; however, sometimes it was difficult to find what I was looking for, and sometimes I was given the wrong information. While taking classes online, I also found it difficult to keep myself motivated. There were no deadlines, except the final date. I struggled with procrastination, so I found myself doing almost all of the assignments the night before they were due. And this caused additional stress. In the near future, I can only assume schools will slowly eliminate books and ordinary classroom assignments and replace them with online books and electronically assigned work.

Further into the future, schools will no longer hold regular classes. Instead, classes will be online. Although I do see advantages to these changes, it is not a good fit for every child. Some children will take these changes as an opportunity to do more; but, others will find themselves falling behind. When put to this test, I did not have a lot of success. I find it much easier to go to an educational environment to learn, where I am surrounded by people who use their intelligence to better mine.

I hope when changes are made the advantages, as well as the disadvantages are considered, and I hope online school remains an option rather than a requirement.