Education has a great role on lives of people. A proper education method is as important as giving education on a subject. Usually people have education in schools. From past to now, schools have been very important in the area of education. By improvement of information technologies, computers and internet became crucial elements of education. As a result, internet organizations built virtual schools in order to give courses on the internet. Getting education at virtual schools is called “distance learning”. Şen (2003, p. 1) claims that distance learning is a kind of learning method, that is performed by teacher and student, who are separated by means of time and location. Many people refuse to get education via the internet. They think that unlike schools, distance learning does not provide social activities to students. A better alternative, for everyone, is distance learning for three reasons.
Firstly, distance learning via the internet is more economical than schools education. In school education, buildings, desks, blackboards and other needs of classrooms are necessary. Unlike school education, distance learning provides same education without these necessities. As a result, distance learning organizations do not pay for these necessities. As preparing a virtual school is economical, distance learning organizations provide courses with lower tuition fees. On the other hand, distance learning is also economical from the view of necessities of people who get distance learning courses. For example, they don’t need to buy books, school uniform and pay money for transformation, food and accommodation.
Secondly, distance learning satisfies us flexibility in setting our timetable and doing our job, other tasks and so on. As courses are performed by special software in distance learning, we can attend to courses whenever we want. Moreover, distance learning via the internet enables us doing our job and other tasks parallel to our education. For example, a doctor can attend to courses via the internet without hindering his/her job. And also a mother can go on her education with caring her children and doing housework.
Finally, distance learning is accessible from any where by connecting to the internet. According to McGuire, “The course is available at virtually any time or location and thus is accessible to a far broader range of students”(online, 1996). Accessibility of distance learning enable us attending to courses from home by connecting to the internet. For example, disabled people can easily get education from their home. In addition, people who perform their job in their offices, can attend to virtual courses from their office.
People who oppose to distance learning say that students became asocial by not having classmates. This idea can be seen reasonable at first glance but people who get education by internet, react with his/her virtual classmates by internet as sending e-mail, chatting, writing on forums and also do social activities with them in spare times as in schools. As distance learners save their times by not going to school, they prepare social activities with their friends in their leisure times.
In conclusion, there are many advantages of distance learning via the internet. Researches on distance learning show that it is more efficient than school education. Because of these advantages, distance learning via the internet will take place of school education in a few years.
References:
* Şen, N. (2003). An activity planning and progress following tool for self-directed distance learning. Ankara: Middle East Technical University.
* McGuire, P. (1996). Advantages and disadvantages of DL over traditional instruction. Retrieved May 3, 2004, from
http://www.lcc.gatech.edu/~mcguire/advantages_disadvantages.htm
Zeynal Zeynalov
10. 05. 2004
Firstly, distance learning via the internet is more economical than schools education. In school education, buildings, desks, blackboards and other needs of classrooms are necessary. Unlike school education, distance learning provides same education without these necessities. As a result, distance learning organizations do not pay for these necessities. As preparing a virtual school is economical, distance learning organizations provide courses with lower tuition fees. On the other hand, distance learning is also economical from the view of necessities of people who get distance learning courses. For example, they don’t need to buy books, school uniform and pay money for transformation, food and accommodation.Secondly, distance learning satisfies us flexibility in setting our timetable and doing our job, other tasks and so on. As courses are performed by special software in distance learning, we can attend to courses whenever we want. Moreover, distance learning via the internet enables us doing our job and other tasks parallel to our education. For example, a doctor can attend to courses via the internet without hindering his/her job. And also a mother can go on her education with caring her children and doing housework.
Finally, distance learning is accessible from any where by connecting to the internet. According to McGuire, “The course is available at virtually any time or location and thus is accessible to a far broader range of students”(online, 1996). Accessibility of distance learning enable us attending to courses from home by connecting to the internet. For example, disabled people can easily get education from their home. In addition, people who perform their job in their offices, can attend to virtual courses from their office.
People who oppose to distance learning say that students became asocial by not having classmates. This idea can be seen reasonable at first glance but people who get education by internet, react with his/her virtual classmates by internet as sending e-mail, chatting, writing on forums and also do social activities with them in spare times as in schools. As distance learners save their times by not going to school, they prepare social activities with their friends in their leisure times.
In conclusion, there are many advantages of distance learning via the internet. Researches on distance learning show that it is more efficient than school education. Because of these advantages, distance learning via the internet will take place of school education in a few years.
References:
* Şen, N. (2003). An activity planning and progress following tool for self-directed distance learning. Ankara: Middle East Technical University.
* McGuire, P. (1996). Advantages and disadvantages of DL over traditional instruction. Retrieved May 3, 2004, from
http://www.lcc.gatech.edu/~mcguire/advantages_disadvantages.htm
Zeynal Zeynalov
10. 05. 2004
Good blog :)
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