Morales 1

Robert Morales

Mrs. Tubbs

ENGL-1301-147

04 April 2020

Online Learning Vs. Face-to-Face Learning

As technology advances, so has introducing technology into our classrooms. Many

classrooms today use the computer labs and also use iPads in the classroom to get the students

more excited about learning. Many parents, teachers and faculty are still unsure about technology

being this involved in the classroom though. Teachers fear the students could cheat or that

technology will soon replace the teachers. This is not the case though because with all these

technological advances teachers can check for cheaters, easier to help and teach students online

and there is less anxiety in the classroom.

In an article from the New York Times, Katherine Schulten talks about a student in high

school that was retaking a course online to earn credit to graduate that he previously failed. In

answering a question a online, “he pasted the question into Google and read a summary of a

Wikipedia entry, he copied the language, spell-checked it and e-mailed it to the teacher”

(Schulten, 2011). This is one of the many fears teachers have when it comes to online learning,

cheating. Many teachers have found a way around the cheaters though. As technology has grown

in the classrooms, so have the technology softwares to keep the students from cheating. There

are websites like turnitin.com and even other softwares that teachers have students download to

keep students from being able to cheat. Some of these softwares alert their teachers when a
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student goes onto another site that they could possibly use to cheat, especially when the students

could be taking tests at home. So with all these websites and softwares this alleviates the need or

want for students to cheat in their online classrooms.

With technology in the classroom it’s also made an easier transition of online learning

during this pandemic that no one was expecting. Many of the students were offered iPads to take

home or laptops to continue their education at home. Because many of these students were used

to using these methods in the classroom it made it easier for them to use at home. Many internet

companies like Spectrum and AT&T also made the internet free to these students so they could

still communicate with their teachers. Teachers also made Skype or Zoom appointments with

their students, so they could have that face-to-face time that some of these students need. Some

“say online education is really driven by a desire to spend less on teachers and buildings,”

(Schulten, 2011) but I would have to say in a time of need teachers were still able to help their

students through online learning and the students were still able to continue their education.

Students who are continuing their education at home, are also able to be able to do this in

the comfort of their own home. This is a benefit to students who have anxiety about being in the

classroom. Many students do poorly in the classroom due to social distractions, like their friends

talking to them in the classroom. They could also possibly do bad in the classroom because of

the anxiety of feeling “dumb” in front of their fellow classmates. At least with online learning

students can submit an answer anonymously. Their classmates would not know what answer they

submitted but their teachers would. This also helps with test taking in the classroom, though

many teachers are scared about cheating, this could alleviate the problem with many students

doing bad on tests because of the anxiety some students get. Many get anxiety due to the

environment they are in, so being able to take their tests at home, some students could actually
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do better on their test. Teachers could also feel better about the test taking with the softwares

available that keeps students from cheating as well.

So with all these advances in technology I think our society should adjust to more

technology in the classroom. There are many advantages to using our technology and if we could

embrace it instead of being scared of the consequences like the article Schulten wrote about I

believe our students could succeed more in their education. Students could have less anxiety

about their classroom setting, teachers could help their students and parents more at home when

they need it and there is plenty of softwares that could help teachers from keeping the students

from cheating.

Reflection

I hope what my reader takes away from my essay is that online learning is not as bad as

many make it seem to be. There are many advantages to online learning that I pointed out, like

taking away anxiety and teachers being able to help their students more at home. During this

time of need I hope the reader sees the advantage of how online learning benefited our society

today as well.

Citation

Schulten, Katherine. “Is Online Learning as Good as Face-to-Face Learning?” The New York

Times, The New York Times, 7 Apr. 2011, learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/07/is-

online-learing-as-good-as-face-to-face-learning/?searchResultPosition=1.