Toal 1

Grayson Toal

Dr. Hallenbeck

ENG 300-800

29 May 2020

Education: To be Online or Not to Be Online

The average 8 to 12-year-old American spends around 5 hours gazing at the bright,

addictive screens placed in front of them. Even scarier, the average American teenagers and

young adults spend upwards of 7 hours looking at a screen, not including time spent for

education. Due to COVID-19 classrooms are closed, coursework is moved online, a loss in

interpersonal communication exists, but what does all of this mean for students’ education, and

more importantly, livelihood? Online school ambassadors rave about how the future of education

is online, and all the wonders of what creating an online interface for all educational levels

means. What they fail to acknowledge is the challenges of a drastic switch can mean for students

and educators. A push towards a continuation in online school for schools that were offline

before COVID-19 is a push towards allowing technology to once again have further control in

leading our lives.

Online media coverage is exploding with articles on whether online school should stay

following coronavirus distance learning. It’s the burning question the teachers, parents, and

students want to know. The New York Times published an Op-Ed by an eighth-grade student,

Veronique Mintz, which details her personal growth with education at a distance. Mintz prefers

online school because she doesn’t have to deal with the class clowns, slowpokes, or teachers who

let students walk all over them. She’s hitting at the point that there are fewer distractions when

she learns from a distance. Plus, she gets to facetime her partners. But is that a good thing?
Toal 2

Shouldn’t we be missing those face-to-face conversations that gear us up for the real world? Or

have the social barricades that addictive phone culture has placed upon us made us want to

remain at a distance in fear of social awkwardness?

So how do we bring these two educational worlds together to meet eye-to-eye? The

choice of whether a student wants to learn online or face-to-face, disregarding times of crisis like

the current one we face today, should always be a decision they and their provider makes

themselves. Something must be said for the younger ages who are in critical moments of

emotional growth and need to remain off the screen as much as possible. Colleges and

universities seem to be the best level of learning where online school wouldn’t take as big of a

toll.

Considering higher education institutions, a system where virtual classes preside over

face-to-face education is no doubt a cheaper option. If a student decides to attend a 4-year online

college versus an on-campus college, they save an average of $12,000 for all four years

(Vosganian). One would guess that that huge monetary advantage that comes with online

education is the main reason why students choose that route. The other main advantage of

attending an online school, kindergarten through higher education, is that the student has more

liberty over their learning pace and they do not have to deal with in-class distractions (Education:

To be Online or Not To Be Online

The average 8 to 12-year-old American spends around 5 hours gazing at the bright,

addictive screens placed in front of them. Even scarier, the average American teenagers and

young adults spend upwards of 7 hours looking at a screen, not including time spent for

education. Due to COVID-19 classrooms are closed, coursework is moved online, a loss in

interpersonal communication exists, but what does all of this mean for students’ education, and
Toal 3

more importantly, livelihood? Online school ambassadors rave about how the future of education

is online, and all the wonders of what creating an online interface for all educational levels

means. What they fail to acknowledge is the challenges of a drastic switch can mean for students

and educators. A push towards a continuation in online school for schools that were offline

before COVID-19 is a push towards allowing technology to once again have further control in

leading our lives.

Online media coverage is exploding with articles on whether online school should stay

following coronavirus distance learning. It’s the burning question the teachers, parents, and

students want to know. The New York Times published an Op-Ed article written by an eighth-

grade student, Veronique Mintz, that details her personal growth with education at a distance.

Mintz prefers online school because she doesn’t have to deal with the class clowns, slowpokes,

or teachers who let students walk all over them. Plus, she gets to facetime her partners. But is

that a good thing? Should she be missing those face-to-face conversations that will gear her up

for the real world? Or have the social barricades that addictive phone culture has placed upon us

made us want to remain at a distance in fear of social awkwardness? These futuristic-sounding

questions may seem out-of-sorts at first read, but they should take serious thought in answering.

So how do we bring these two educational worlds together to meet eye-to-eye? The

choice of whether a student wants to learn online or face-to-face, disregarding times of crisis like

the current one we face today, should always be a decision they and their provider makes

themselves. Something must be said for the younger ages who are in critical moments of

emotional growth and need to remain off the screen as much as possible. Colleges and

universities seem to be the best level of learning where online school wouldn’t take as big of a

toll.
Toal 4

Speaking of higher education institutions, it is no doubt a cheaper option to take virtual

classes rather than face-to-face classes. If a student decides to attend a 4-year online college

versus an on-campus college, they save an average of $12,000 for all four years (Vosganian).

One would guess that that huge monetary advantage that comes with online education is the

main reason why students choose that route. The other main advantage of attending an online

school, kindergarten through higher education, is that the student has more liberty over their

learning pace and they do not have to deal with in-class distractions (Kintz). Not every student is

on the same level; some need to rewind and pause the session in real life. Online schooling offers

special functions and additives that wouldn’t exist within the four-walled classrooms.

Considering all the positives online school offers, what is to be said about students who

do not have a computer, internet access, or the household where learning is prioritized? What is

to be said about the students who need hands-on teaching and face-to-face lectures to be

successful in school and not endless screen time and technology overload? Will an online system

benefit students with learning and social disabilities? And what is to be said for the tired eyes,

minds, and mental health of students who are chained to the desktop?

The latter question which delves into the mental and physical wellbeing of students’ is

one worth shedding extra light on. A study observing the effects of screen time on young adults

shows that only after one hour of screen time, a decrease in psychological wellbeing, self-

control, emotional stability paired with an increase in ability to finish tasks and stability arises

(Twenge & Campbell). On top of that, the online world is a place where self-comparison

raptures the minds of young and old alike, distractions lead users down wrong paths, and

dopamine-driven notifications lock us into the cycle. While all of these dangerous factors play
Toal 5

into our entertainment screen time use, adding education into this a world only brings on more

challenges.

The separation of education from the online world is what makes face-to-face classes

refreshing and real. Although, many may argue that online education helps students obtain a

better understanding of technology and it’s cruciality in today’s society. But don’t students

already get enough in-class education on the screen as is? The classroom is generally equipped

with smartboards, computers, tablets, projectors, or some sort of digital object. As of 2017, 94%

of American school districts meet the federal internet connectivity target, 100 kilobits per second

per student (Herold). How much more technology should we be feeding students?

With all of the differences between offline and online schools, there is one main

similarity. Education in general exists to offer a place to grow, understand, and challenge our

knowledge. If both offline and online education supports can agree on one thing, I think it’s the

fact that every person is deserving of a wholesome, fair, and uplifting education to support their

future. The differences in the educational routes they both offer exist, and it's solely up to the

students and providers to make their choice: To be Online or Not To Be Online.). Not every

student is on the same level; some need to rewind and pause the session in real life. Online

schooling offers special functions and additives that wouldn’t exist within the four-walled

classrooms.

Considering all the positives online school offers, what is to be said about students who

do not have a computer, internet access, or the household where learning is prioritized? What is

to be said about the students who need hands-on teaching and face-to-face lectures to be

successful in school and not endless screen time and technology overload? Will an online system
Toal 6

benefit students with learning and social disabilities? And what is to be said for the tired eyes,

minds, and mental health of students who are chained to the desktop?

The latter question which delves into the mental and physical wellbeing of students’ is

one worth shedding extra light on. A study observing the effects of screen time on young adults

shows that only after one hour of screen time, a decrease in psychological wellbeing, self-

control, emotional stability paired with an increase in ability to finish tasks and stability arises

(Twenge & Cambell). On top of that, the online world is a place where self-comparison raptures

the minds of young and old alike, distractions lead users down wrong paths, and dopamine-

driven notifications lock us into the cycle. While all of these dangerous factors play into our

entertainment screen time use, adding education into this a world only brings on more

challenges.

The separation of education from the online world is what makes face-to-face classes

refreshing and real. Although, many may argue that online education helps students obtain a

better understanding of technology and it’s cruciality in today’s society. But don’t students

already get enough in-class education on the screen as is? The classroom is generally equipped

with smartboards, computers, tablets, projectors, or some sort of digital object. As of 2017, 94%

of American school districts meet the federal internet connectivity target, 100 kilobits per second

per student (Herold). How much more technology should we be feeding students?

With all of the differences between offline and online schools, there is one main

similarity. Education in general exists to offer a place to grow, understand, and challenge our

knowledge. If both offline and online education supports can agree on one thing, I think it’s the

fact that every person is deserving of a wholesome, fair, and uplifting education to support their
Toal 7

future. The differences in the educational routes they both offer exist, and it's solely up to the

students and providers to make their choice: To be Online or Not To Be Online.

Toal 8

Works Cited

Herold, Benjamin. “Analysis: 94 Percent of School Districts Nationwide Meet Federal High-

Speed Internet Access Targets.” Government Technology State & Local Articles -

E.Republic, 19 Sept. 2017, www.govtech.com/network/Analysis-94-Percent-of-School-

Districts-Nationwide-Meet-Federal-High-Speed-Internet-Access-Targets.html.

MacKay, Jory. “Screen Time Stats: How Your Phone Impacts Your Workday – RescueTime.”

RescueTime Blog, 20 Feb. 2020, blog.rescuetime.com/screen-time-stats-2018/.

Mintz, Veronique. “Why I’m Learning More With Distance Learning Than I Do in School.” The

New York Times. 5 May 2020.

Twenge, Jean M, and W Keith Campbell. “Associations between screen time and lower

psychological well-being among children and adolescents: Evidence from a population-

based study.” Preventive medicine reports vol. 12 271-283. 18 Oct. 2018,

doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2018.10.003

Vosganian , Ed. “How Much Does Online College Cost?: Affordable Colleges Online.”

AffordableCollegesOnline.org, AffordableCollegesOnline.org, 17 Dec. 2019,

www.affordablecollegesonline.org/financial-aid/online-college-degree-cost/.