The pandemic made online classes popular since it was the only option there was for remote learning. Online schools were very useful when public schools were hard to function with the requirement of social distancing. Is online school better than public school?
It is not possible to come to a conclusion about which type of school is better. Both online and public schools have unique features and cannot be neglected. There are several aspects to consider before deciding which one the better school is.
This article is a comparison between online schools and public schools. Both types of schools are important as the sole purpose is to teach students in the most effective way possible.
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What is an online school?
Reasons why online school is better?
Online school vs. public school
Why do parents prefer online education?
What is an online school?
Online schools are virtual classrooms that can be held from the home, library, office, or anywhere with the required devices and an internet connection. Teachers and students can work remotely and the teaching-learning process is continued via online software like Zoom. The interactions between the teacher and the students or the teacher and learners are done online but almost like in a real classroom.
For the past few decades, the internet has become a major part of education. From the home pc to the mobile device, there are many opportunities for online learning. The development of online communication, web-based technology, audio-video communication, and online interpersonal interactions have paved the way for online education.
Reasons why online school is better?
Online education has many benefits. Students with special needs can study remotely than in a physical classroom. It is important to have comfort at home and study freely. Online education has more flexibility as it provides students opportunities to self-learning and be creative. Since online schools can function with minimum resources, they have become popular over time. College students can make the best use of their time and take the classes they missed. It is possible to re-watch the online sessions they had and get further clarifications on the subject matters from the lecturers. Online schools enable students to get the maximum use of their time and save long hours of traveling time from one place to another.
Online school vs. public school
Both types of schools have advantages and disadvantages. Online schools mainly focus on individual learning. Though there is group work, still not the best way to cooperate as a group and learn as a group. Online education can limit interactions and can result in a lack of social skills. Still, public schools have traditional classrooms but online education is a few more steps ahead of it.
Online schools can be conducted with minimum resources. If there is a device, a working internet connection, and a resource person, it is more than enough to get things started. But the public school requires many resources to get things going.
Public schools are time-consuming as the students have to allocate time for traveling. There can be interruptions if the weather gets bad. But when it comes to online school, there are fewer interruptions. And public school times are limited to a specific time but an online school can be conducted almost anytime. Such flexibility has made online schools more appealing to students.
The flexibility of online schools allows students to learn at ease at their choice of pace. They can take time to get the subject matters within a comfortable environment. Peer pressure is also minimum in a virtual classroom. Students’ creativity also increases with the freedom to think in an online school. Such creativity can lead learners to many great things and innovations. Students come up with brilliant ideas when they feel at ease.
Why do parents prefer online education?
Parents have many advantages when it comes to online education. They don’t have to bother about taking their kid to school and from school. It is easy to keep an eye on children as they stay at home, considered the safest place to be. If the parents have extra time, they can assist the students during the learning process. Therefore, parents prefer online schools.
We cannot rule out the public schools as they still are necessary for students to work in a peer group physically and build social skills as human beings. But apart from such benefits, online schools have proven effective as a mode of teaching and learning recently.