COMPARISON ESSAY: ATTENDING SCHOOL VS REMOTE LEARNING

In this ever-changing world, people have to adapt to state-of-the-art technology

and rapid advancements. Especially in the Covid-19 pandemic, digital learning has
become such a growing trend around the globe. However, teenagers still hope to
have an opportunity to go back to school. Both methods of studying aim to
provide students with curriculum-based education, help them develop new
knowledge, and yet offer different experiences and outcomes, in terms of
location, learning tools, and engagement.
In both ways of learning, teachers give lectures according to textbooks. The scope
of knowledge students gain does not vary greatly as both methods follow the
same program. This ensures that students know the lectures in advance, gives
them time to prepare, to delve deeply into the context and background, and
avoids passive learning. For instance, at the end of every lesson, teachers inform
students about their next session, allowing them to self-study and think critically.
Nevertheless, it is undeniable that there are an array of differences between
attending school and remote learning.
The first dissimilarity is the destination where students study. While offline classes
require location-specific learning, online classes are more flexible, allowing
students to learn from anywhere. The locations can vary from at home, in a café,
in the library to even on the bed. Thus, by learning digitally, students no more
commute a long way to school, get stuck in traffic congestion and wake up early
every morning getting ready.
Secondly, attending school involves face-to-face activities, whereas digital
learning includes high-quality technology and a variety of platforms. Studying is
no longer writing on a blackboard but making use of graphical elements, visuals,
and videos. There is no doubt that meeting friends and teachers is exciting but
partaking in lessons via different apps and engaging in many visual learning tools
can also attract students’ attention. For instance, outdoor activities and
entertainment at school can be replaced by mini-games from websites such as
Blooket, Quizizz and Kahoot, boosting students’ energy and creativity.
Last but not least, the final difference between these two methods of learning is
the engagement students have while studying. In offline classes, teachers can
observe and capture every gesture and behavior of students. They can remind
students to focus on the lectures, call on students to speak and solve exercises,
and punish the ones who are distracted. On the contrary, when studying via
technological devices, teachers have almost no control over what their students
are behaving, fail to make sure everybody is concentrating, and can not confirm if
all students are doing assigned tasks. Sometimes, even the internet connection
and the distractions from surroundings prevent students from fully engaging in
the lessons.
To sum up, attending school and remote learning share a similarity, which is
providing students with curriculum-based education. However, there are
numerous differences between the two systems, including destinations, learning
tools, and concentration.