The Importance of Online Learning
Why online learning is so important & why it is essential for today’s youth
When I think of the internet, I think of it as a virtually shared network with an infinite amount of space. It’s a place where anyone with a connection to the world wide web can come and share ideas and information. In the moment, I think that the purpose of sharing and spreading the information is unknown… There are too many factors as to who gets to digest the information and when that it is impossible to tell what the lasting impact that information or ideas will have. Not to mention the fact that the internet really is infinite! People will say, myself included, that it’s easy to go down a rabbit hole on the internet.
Humans have always been curious and the internet makes it easy for us to continue to click on new tabs well past our bedtime. Because of how infinite the internet is, I think it can be dangerous and overwhelming for those with little experience with it … cough cough, youth, cough cough… At the same time, I think the internet can harness that dangerous and overwhelming feeling to educate and teach us of all the capabilities the internet has. As a student, I find the internet to be helpful when I most need it yet intense when I could otherwise do without. Regardless, the internet has certainly become necessary for us all in the day and age we live in. With the recent events and effects of Covid-19, the internet has become even more valuable since so many of us, students and working adults especially, rely on it to get through the day. Instead of all education coming to stop, countless schools across the nation have moved to online or distance learning. Never before have so many students and teachers had to rely on online learning. While Covid-19 has disrupted our lives in more ways than any of us can count, it has not stopped us from ensuring that our youth are able to continue their education. Online learning is important to understand for all of us, no matter what stage of education we are in, and it is vital that we do our best to continue to improve it for generations to come. After all, the internet is not going anywhere and neither is the chance for our students to receive the education that they deserve.
Since many people view today’s youth as digital natives, sometimes I think that it is easy for us to assume that youngsters don’t need any guidance when it comes to the internet or online learning. Focusing on digital natives and their intimacy with technology should therefore be looked upon cautiously. It is easy to think that just because a good majority of young people are savvy with technology, it means that we don’t need to teach them critical digital literacy skills since they have essentially grown up with technology. The thing with technology, however, is that it is always and forever changing! Learning is not finite here, and it will never be. It is dangerous to assume that we should not be focusing our efforts with digital literacy on younger generations simply because they are young. They may be natives, but they are not safe from their own naivety. I am a young adult, but I am old enough to remember the start of YouTube and owning the first ever IPhone. I am still learning every day how to interact with the internet… And sure, I may be uniquely savvy with technology but that doesn’t mean I’m an all knowing genius. Far from it! This is just another reason why it is important that we keep educating ourselves and our youth. If they are expected to learn all online, then we better be confident that they have the right tools and resources to strive in their online learning. Otherwise, what is the point of knowing so much without being able to understand and cultivate from it?
If I am a student and I am struggling with my world history homework, I should be able to come up with a list of resources that can help me outside of the classroom (whether that classroom is online or in person). The first place I would go would be YouTube, because I am an avid visual learner and being able to watch a video and take notes is really helpful to me. CrashCourse World History would be my number one pick to help me with homework and the fast pace and quirky, goofy, nerdy way that John Green teaches World History is enough to keep me engaged and intrigued. CrashCourse may be my favorite online learning tool, but there are so many more out there that do a fantastic job of teaching whatever subject they are passionate about enough to share their expertise. I am just a huge fan of John and Hank Green (I absolutely love their Vlogbrothers channel) and will do anything to support their projects, not to mention the fact that the majority of the money that their company Complexly makes goes to charities like Save The Children and Partners in Health. The point is, however, is that there are countless good educational videos and companies out there if one only knows where to look. Some other platforms that come to mind are Khan Academy, Codeacademy, The YouTube University and the Art of Problem Solving, but there are so many more small niches online that are just waiting to be discovered. All students need are the right tools to access them, and the knowledge to protect themselves from cyberbullying and online predators. Which brings me to another important aspect of online learning and teaching students what it means to be a respectful digital citizen…
I’m sure that many young adults around my age can remember the talk that all my middle school and high school deans would inevitably take the time to call us down to the auditorium or gym to discuss. It usually started around the lines of “Remember, whatever you post your future college, university, employer or spouse will see” or “Think before you post”. Of course, I still think about what my advisors told me long ago but now I have more of my own thought process that I go through before posting content. Now, I think more about my identity as a young adult and I’m more creative and thoughtful in my curations. I always think about how I want to be seen in person and try and implement that into my online identity. But my middle and high school deans would also be sure to touch on cyberbullying and warn of the consequences should any of us become online bullies.
Cyberbullying is any instance of bullying that happens online and sadly, according to data procured from the Cyberbullying Research Center, a study done in 2020 found that more than half of all tweens in America had experienced some form of cyberbullying. I am lucky to have never experienced any forms of online information or hostile communication. The most that’s ever happened to me is having people try and follow their spam accounts on Instagram. Other people, though, have had worse experiences and I can only imagine how awful that must have been. Women, especially young women, seem to have it the worse. As a young woman myself, the best advice that I can give is that all your accounts need to be password protected and switched on private. Only share what you feel comfortable with and never post anything too personal. If it does happen, reach out to a trusted adult and have them help you deal with the circumstances. Since the ownership of mobile phones has only grown in the last decade, it makes sense that more and more children are exposed to cyberbullying, but that does not mean that we should be more lax on teaching our youngsters about the importance of being kind to everyone online. After all, if students can’t access a safe space online, how are they supposed to willingly participate in online learning?
Not only is it important for us to teach our children and students about being respectful and responsible digital citizens, it is also important that we teach them to be smart about what they believe on the internet. Giving them all of the online resources and tools is one thing, but if students are continually turning in work full of misinformation and inaccurate facts, then what is the point? The internet is full of articles and posts and hundreds of thousands of people who publish that so-called news. Unfortunately, there are way too many articles and posts out there that are also filled with information that has not been fact checked. Not only are there articles and posts floating around the internet with misinformation, there are people in this world who also wish to spread hate, hostile communication and even enable trolling. In order for the internet and social media sites to be as friendly and accessible as possible, especially for our youth, it is important that we take the steps to dismantle the misinformation and stop the spread of hate and hostility.
In terms of fact checking, one reliable website that students can use is called “Snopes.” Basically, all you need to do is copy and paste the url in and you’r e good to go! Another website that you can use is Canada Fact Check. Even if you don’t live in Canada, everyone and anyone can use it. As a college student, being able to find reliable sources for writing papers is super important. Using these two websites will be helpful and I know that they are easy enough that even young children can use their sites effectively. If students want to learn more about navigating digital information, than I would also recommend this CrashCourse channel linked below:
While all of us can hope that the 2021–2022 school year will be, for the most part, in person learning, the events of this year have told us to be prepared for anything. I hope that all of us, students and teachers alike, have learned from this year and have realized just how important online learning is. There are so many resources and tools for teachers and students online, but it is important that students understand the dangers of just jumping in with no prior knowledge. Teaching everyone how to be responsible and respectful digital citizens, how to fact check, and how to be aware of privacy and security while online is just as important as online learning. Together, with all of these resources and knowledge at our hands, I am hopeful that online learning will continue to improve and be useful for us all.
