That 14.4 modem you bought a couple of years ago is now pathetically slow, especially since so many Websites now feature graphics that take all day to download through a slow modem. Since many creators of education resources have the latest technology and the fastest connections, they may design their materials as if everyone else were equally up to date. So if you can't afford to upgrade, your access to materials is going to be limited. Even with fast connections, online education can be a time sink. Teachers who grade e-mailed assignments often find that it takes far longer to insert corrections and comments than if they were scribbling on paper.
Physical hazards are real.
Too much time at the keyboard can result in various kinds of repetitive stress injury, including carpal tunnel syndrome. Such injuries can keep you from using your computer for months or even years. In addition, staring into a computer monitor puts both teachers and students at a special kind of disadvantage. So teachers and students alike may not catch mistakes unless they print out every assignment. Even for experienced Web navigators, it isn't easy to find everything that the search engines turn up.