We all have faced the global pandemic caused by a deadly virus known as COVID-19. It affected more than 186 countries in the world causing people on different levels. It not only affected the older population but children also and around 1.2 billion children were affected by this deadly pandemic.
A large population of school-going children was affected and there was no other option but to close educational institutions and convert to digital learning to continue the learning process. Though digital learning affected children on different levels there was no other option but to pursue online education as the only means of education and learning.
Not only scholarly studies but religious studies were also conducted online, and parents hired online Qari’s for their children so that the religious education of the children would continue as it was before the pandemic hit the world.
We cannot say that there was no scope of digital learning before COVID-19, but it was an option available to students in addition to their educational on-campus learning. As soon as the virus penetrated various parts of the world digital learning became the only option available for students to continue their learning process.Â
How is the Education Sector Responding to COVID-19?
Many educational institutions have given open and free access to children where they can learn from watching tutoring videos on different platforms. Software like Tencent classroom, Google classroom, Microsoft Teams, zoom meetings, and many other such platforms was used by both teachers and students to conduct online learning classes.
What does this mean for the Future of Learning?
we implemented the online education system without giving proper training to teachers as well as students and at the start, most of the teachers and students didn’t know how to use the latest software to conduct online classes. This was the major drawback of digital learning and proper training was required before making it part of the education system.
No doubt digital learning is an integral component of learning and using the latest information technology in our educational institutions will boost the learning environment and will definitely affect our educational system positively and productively.
For universities and higher educational institutions, digital learning was nothing new because many universities were already conducting different online courses in different learning programs. But to schools and colleges, it was a new system, and it took some time for children to understand it and pursue it as their education means.
Many teachers believe that digital learning opened new ways for them to interact with their students. The connection was a not only quick but very efficient way for teachers to get to know every student in their classroom. Video meetings and digital learning made it easier for students to learn new things in less time.
This is how for some people this pandemic opened new ways of learning, but at the same time some people hated this method of learning and they want their on-campus learning back. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that both the traditional and digital methods of learning can go side by side.
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The Challenges of Online Learning:
Reliable internet connections and gadgets that support the latest technology and educational software run by the educational campuses were two of the main challenges for many students all over the world. These issues were seen among both developing and developed countries.
Is Learning Online as Effective:
People who have a reliable internet connection and have access to the latest information technology devices believe that digital learning is one of the best methods of education. Studies show that students learn more from digital learning in comparison to the conventional methods of learning.
The main reason behind this is that digital learning provides education in both theoretical, and practical ways as well as provides the latest information available, whereas the traditional methods use books that were written way before and most of the latest information is not available in our textbooks.
The effectiveness of digital learning is different for different age groups. Adults pick online education quickly and easily, but toddlers and teenagers need a structured learning environment to eliminate the factor of distraction.
The Importance of Disseminating Knowledge is Highlighted through COVID-19:
COVID-19 has affected people in multiple ways, but it has highlighted some major and important things as well. One of them is disseminating knowledge across many countries. Digital learning is one of those sectors where investment never dried. So, this is seen as one of the important points that were unveiled by the pandemic
There are different opinions on digital learning for those who have access to the latest technology, digital learning is a boon, but for those who do not have such privileges, it is nothing but a bane.