Online learning is a phenomenal movement advocated for by many schools around the globe. However, why has it become so popular in the past years? Why not use a typical classroom? To answer this question, we need to travel back in time to 2019, The first outbreak of the Pandemic. Dubbed COVID-19, this disease spread rapidly across the globe, infecting every country and creating the most major problem to civilization for several years, causing economic disasters across the globe and brewing a worldwide panic. Due to this Pandemic, many schools were forced to shut down to prevent the Pandemic from spreading.

Furthermore, as many schools closed, parents and educators alike searched for a way to continue their children's education. Then Online learning was proposed, which is not a new concept. Online education was first sought after nearly a decade beforehand, in the 2010s. 

Additionally, it was agreed by thousands of schools that this was the way forward. Here is where the controversy begins. At first, many people were overjoyed to continue their education. Still, as time went on and no end to the Pandemic was in sight, some people began to resent online learning. Namely, the fear that children could not develop educationally and socially nearly as fast. So a rift was created on the one side where people supported online education for its usefulness and versatility. On the other hand, people opposed it and felt it was hindering the growth of students, depriving them of some much-needed experience.

As expected, many people hailed Online learning as a good thing. It was seen as flexible, useful, efficient, and modern. Now in terms of it being flexible. Online learning allowed for far more flexibility than any regular school ever could. Due to there being no physical limits to what one could accomplish, teachers could have students meet up and discuss the day's work, and the students would break up into different groups and complete the task. If done right, this is a highly effective way to get work done as students can work on what they feel to be done quickest and pace themselves.

Additionally, Online learning can be configured to suit your personal needs. An example of accessibility is that students can join the lesson from anywhere. If they wanted a change of scenery from their study to do some work, they could go to a garden or a park or a cafe to study. One can also join at any time, allowing for more rest and, in turn, giving them more concentration during lessons. 

Generally, the cons of online learning are centered around the feeling of isolation, the inability to focus, and the lack of technology. As time went on, the cracks in the system were beginning to show, 

Firstly Online learning requires special training, which most teachers do not receive as well as the fact that many students felt isolated in the sense that they had a hard time connecting with friends because of many restrictions imposed by governments around the world. The main issue was that online schooling did not require students to collaborate much. Another problem was the lack of social development. Many who came out of the Pandemic after doing online schooling were not used to a high level of social interaction. It is well known that "Young adults to socialize and children need playdates with others their age to learn how to socialize." (Kentucky Counseling Center).

Next, participating in online learning requires a form of screen, and with the majority of children in the US between the ages of 10 and 14 already spending up to nine hours a day on screens, according to the CDC, adding additional 3-5 hours approximately and they are spending half their day on screens. As can be expected, this can have detrimental health effects. "Excessive screen time not only strains your eyes and leaves them feeling dry and being constantly hunched over also affects your posture and can cause stiffness and pain both the neck and shoulder." (Dr. Swinbourne). Sleep deprivation is another negative effect of spending time on screens, especially just before people go to bed can impair your sleep habits as the "blue screen" on devices such as smartphones and computers used to keep one attentive to what is on your screen can interfere with the production of the sleep hormone, Melatonin (Dr. Swinbourne). Extended screen time and less engaging lessons with minimal interaction between people can lead children and adults to lose focus and fall behind on work. Some families, especially in specific households, did not have reliable access to high-speed internet or possibly even a quiet place to sit, causing them to view Online Learning in a negative light.

In many cases, children could not engage in online schooling practices appropriately because they did not have a device upon which to participate on. This leads children to fall behind in many classes. "Parents struggling to balance child care and work were worried that their child was falling behind in school" (Infobase)

As you can see, many people had a problem with online learning for varying reasons, but depending on the circumstances, would they have thought differently? I will leave you with my thoughts and opinions now so you can understand my views on the matter.

 When COVID first broke out, my family and I were evacuated from Rwanda and went to Ireland. Instead of going to the city, we went to the rolling hills and sprawling meadows of County Claire, a lovely change from the bustling city. However, when the time came to do online learning, we were stuck with little to no internet. I was reliant on a portable wifi router, which made my first few months of online learning a nightmare. More often than not, the wifi would not work entirely. Another obstacle I encountered when returning to Rwanda was that I had become socially inept and wanted to avoid new people whenever possible; this did not help a couple of years later when I moved to Kenya and had to begin at a new school which terrified me. 

On the other hand, I liked how I could manage my work. However, I had a very brief attention span, and I would leave work until the last moment. Thankfully, I eventually got over that phase and managed to keep up my grades, so I believe that in my experience, I did not capitalize on my time in online classes. When I came out of online courses, I did not enjoy my time, so I opposed online learning.

In summary, there are many differing views about online learning depending on the situations that people experience. Online learning is highly efficient and modern, but it is repetitive, like an algorithm. Still, to many people, online learning provides the efficiency that civilization has been striving for. However, there is one thing that takes the best of both worlds, called Hybrid learning. Hybrid learning is when one works partly in the office and partly at home and was a method implemented by many companies worldwide. However, what do you think? Will online learning be seen in a more positive light in the future? Furthermore, is hybrid learning better than regular school?

Works Cited

Dr Richard Swinbourne. "What are the negative side effects of too much screen time?" ActiveHealth.sg, 2021, activehealth.sg/read/screen-time/what-are-the-negative-side-effects-of-too-much-screen-time. Accessed 25,5,2022,

Gautam, Priyanka. Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Learning. Elearningidustry.com, 10 Oct. 2020, elearningindustry.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-online-learning. Accessed 13 May 2022.

University of Illinois-Springfield. "Strengths and Weakness of Online Learning." Strengths and Weakness of Online Learning, U of Illinois-Springfield, 20 Jan. 2022, www.uis.edu/ion/resources/tutorials/overview/strengths-weaknesses. Accessed 17 May 2022.

Infobase. "Online Education." Issues & Controversies, Infobase, 7 Feb. 2022, icof.infobase.com/articles/QXJ0aWNsZVRleHQ6MTYzMzg=. Accessed 12 May 2022.

Kentucky Counseling Center. Mental Health Effects of Online Learning kentuckycounselingcenter.com, 20 Apr. 2021, kentuckycounselingcenter.com/mental-health-effects-of-online-learning. Accessed 18 May 2022