Impact of Virtual Learning on Young Minds and How they are Coping up: Pros & Cons from Industry Experts

Attending school, dealing with my teachers face-to-face, asking my questions upfront, avoiding procrastination, and getting my answer right on time is something I miss when I’m at school. However, I love that I’ve become more productive and outperformed in school in less time. I don’t have to wake up early or rush to school”, says Abhinav (student), and I enjoy delicious meals while I study.

Impact of Virtual Learning on Young Minds

There is nothing more common than teens in school or the college environment feeling this way, whether they live in metropolises or tier 2 cities like Jaipur or Chandigarh. While some students enjoy studying in their homes, others find it frustrating to go to school, and some even attribute their frustration to the fact that children are not being vaccinated.

The COVID-19 outbreak led to global school closure. At present, around 1.2 billion children are not attending school. Consequently, e-education has evolved substantially, and e-learning, compared to long-established teaching methods that rely on digital and remote platforms, has gained considerable traction.

Despite the rapid shift away from classrooms, there are some who question whether online learning will survive post-pandemic. Moreover, they ask what impact such a shift would have on the world’s education market. We can expect e-learning to remain dominant in the near future, and offer many benefits including enhanced retention and less time commitment, suggesting the effects of Coronaviruses may not be reversed and will continue to be felt. With today’s technological solutions, students can attend lectures, hold video conferences, and exchange opinions in multiple ways. Additionally, teachers can communicate with their students and assess their progress without the risk of infection.

Moreover, thanks to virtual education, contemporary students become accustomed to living in a modern world. The latter has undeniably changed since 2020, and it will not look the same after the pandemic. In other words, youth will learn how to organize their schedules and remain effective without someone standing behind them on a regular basis and reminding them.

Consequently, remote learning allows youth to become more independent. Technology will be incorporated even more into education, leading to online learning becoming a significant part of schooling. The use of technology has transformed how teachers teach. In this pandemic, I have been able to communicate better with my students with the help of chat groups, video meetings, and voting, as well as document sharing. I think both offline and online learning can coexist peacefully.

In addition to highly individualized learning programs, online learning can provide students with the opportunity to explore real-world topics through hands-on exercises and activities, as well as a thorough assessment procedure, which can be extremely beneficial in their academic progress. We must encourage students to pursue online courses rather than keep them from taking them, rather than hinder their ability to pursue them. Online learning platforms can help these students become independent learners before they enter college…

Children from low-income communities will also benefit, as online education offers accessibility to teachers, textbooks, and infrastructure for learning. In addition, it will provide them with the opportunity to acquire ideas and experience different perspectives beyond the classroom so they can expand their knowledge.

Schools are devising new ways to make e-learning more engaging 

While schools are taking extra measures to keep the children motivated, there has been an increasing trend for them to incorporate and embed games during school lessons to improve engagement and motivation, especially among children adding typical elements of gameplay to school lessons to make them more engaging, and effective, for students is the idea of applying elements of game playing (e.g. scoring points, creating competition, following a set of rules) to a particular subject matter to make it more engaging.

A lot has been written about the power of technology in helping schools to achieve a sense of normalcy and bridge the learning gap. Adaptable ways to learn are needed in these times of radical change.

 

The classroom advantage 

Yet, we still have struggles to overcome. Across countries and income brackets within countries, some students struggle to access reliable internet connections and technology, making digital learning problematic. People from disadvantaged backgrounds and those from privileged backgrounds tend to have different experiences as for underprivileged children it is still a dream to have access to the internet or a computer. A number of other problems and challenges exist, such as e-learning technology issues, broadband problems, and child-friendly controls, to name a few. Learn8 Problems and challenges of digital education in India

Despite using technology to connect students and teachers, there is little interaction and little communication between them. Students are not given enough information, which adds to their stress. In order to groom students, schools provide structure, support, and a reward and punishment system.

In traditional classroom education, engaging with peers is facilitated by a teacher and offers the benefit of face-to-face interactions. These environments help children develop interpersonal skills such as boundary setting, empathy, and cooperation, and they cultivate a stable environment in which children can form social connections. Furthermore, it allows for a greater degree of spontaneity than virtual learning has.

 

Artificial Environment

It is the task of every institution to make students enthusiastic about their subject. It is impossible for virtual education to accomplish this. The atmosphere at home is not conducive to young people’s love of their major discipline, since they cannot feel it. The theory will not be of any interest to them even if they are able to learn it. In turn, this will negatively impact the quality of education.

It is not just the lack of interaction between students and professors that leads to poor education. There is a lack of social activities for students and they have no chance to work on projects. Their motivation may be affected by the absence of their friends.

It’s appropriate to implement virtual learning during a health crisis, but it’s still worth considering going back to the previous education model once the pandemic ends. Otherwise, serious consequences may follow. Learn- Set up your own Home Classroom: Tips and Ideas 

 

Authored By – Mr. Vimal Daga, Technology Expert & Educator

Vimal Daga Technology Expert Educator
Vimal Daga, Technology Expert & Educator

Vimal Daga, Technology Guru, believes that no technology can be as challenging or complex as the World suggests or presents to us. He believes that It is merely a matter of knowing the right path and taking it forward as per one’s requirements”. The right way of thinking or the belief that “Yes, I Can Do It” can change things in a dramatic way for you.

Beyond being a technologist, technology guru, start-up mentor, World record holder, and TEDx speaker, Vimal Daga possesses many talents, roles, and accomplishments.

Besides being the founder of Linux World (P) Ltd, He also heads Arth School of Technology and IIEC ( Indian Innovation & Entrepreneurs Community ) through which he is making aspiring entrepreneurs realize their startup dreams. These verticals are working towards achieving his motto of Making India Future Ready.