Advantages of Online Teaching

The Pandemic has taught us to accept many changes in our lives. Some are extremely painful, whereas some are pretty innovative and help make life a little easier. With the advent of the ‘new normal,’ education witnessed many changes. First and foremost, education was imparted in the online medium. 

Advantages

Many critics are strictly against this mode of education, but no one can completely ignore some of its significant advantages. So let us look at some of the merits of online teaching.

• Social Distancing ensured- The pandemic is such a socio-political villain that it has affected everyone irrespective of where they are in the social strata. The richer ones have had better equipment to cope with the situation. Educational institutions are always filled with students, and keeping them from one another is challenging. Therefore, the online teaching method has saved and is still saving thousands of lives.
• Accessibility- Online classes are accessible to all because any person with a smartphone will be able to join or record classes for them and their peers. The students do not have to miss out on anything essential to attend online classes. No matter where they reside, a smartphone is all they need to access education in this pandemic-ridden world.
• Convenience- Online teaching is convenient for both the teachers and the students. The pandemic has affected almost everyone and given health issues to one and all. Imagine being sick and having an important presentation! In such cases, neither the teacher nor the student must sacrifice anything. They can enter the online classroom, do their job, and be free for the rest of the day.
• A balance between personal and professional life- Online education or online teaching is quite an old phenomenon. Many universities worldwide have provided distance education, and that has helped people build promising careers for themselves while also not compromising on personal responsibilities or commitments. However, traveling to an educational institution every day consumes a lot of time. Hence, people can be forced to compromise on many other commitments and invest all of their time in education. Online education has removed the time factor from the equation, and people now have more time for themselves and their near ones.
• A step towards the future-  We all need to keep up with how the technology sector is booming and how new changes are introduced every day in the technology field. Online teaching has made us well versed with some of the applications and various other aspects of the technology we were primarily ignorant of.

With the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, schools all over the world have shut down for an uncertain timespan. Nearly 1.2 billion children have not been attending classrooms worldwide. It has given rise to a dramatic change in the education sector, with teaching being conducted on digital platforms and remotely. 

Now, let us look at how the pandemic has changed the way of learning.

• Digital classrooms- Nobody could have imagined that education would have shifted to the virtual model. Now, schools have developed the infrastructure necessary for online classes through Google Meet, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and so on. 
• Collaborative efforts of teachers and parents- Since classrooms have merged with homes, parents are actively participating in overcoming the limitations of online education. The younger ones who are not so adept with a technology need special attention during online classes. 
• The more prominent role of teachers- Besides imparting education, teachers also lend support to students through counseling during this challenging phase. It implies that even in the post-COVID era, educators will have to come up with innovative teaching-learning processes.
• EdTech firms monopolizing the system- The issue of private tuition centers dominating the educational sector stems from the unavailability of efficient teachers in schools. Since they are not well-paid in schools, prospective teachers find a better scope in coaching centers than teaching in schools. Are you wondering how to create an online course? Though many courses are available, it is challenging for a layperson to afford the expenses of those courses. Therefore, they fail to be the best option for schoolgoers. There is no point in opting for how to sell online courses that do not prove to be an economical option. 

Therefore, we need to acknowledge all the good things online teaching has done for us and diligently and collectively ensure that we all receive education in a manner we desire without sacrificing any of our commitments or equations. Therefore, to teach online is to save the careers of thousands of children from damage.