With the increasing use of technology in our modern society, we are able to communicate with people all around the world and create a united global community.

But with all the technological advances in today's society we often tend to stray away from our more traditonal practices. One example that comes to mind is school, with technology and the internet becoming more accessable to others, schools are now considering offering online classes that students can take at home. While some might support this idea, arguing that the comfort of home creates the perfect environment for students to learn. I have to disagree.

I feel that distance learning would not benefit students. While I do agree that a home setting would make students feel comfortable, it can be argued that comfort was never a necessity when learning. We come to school to be in a learning environment full of discomforts that keep us on edge and focused, we are rarely ever relaxed. As I am writing this right now there is a student next to me who keeps chewing very audibly on his finger nails. It is in this situation that I am more motivated to finish my work and to get out of this room, as he is making me very uncomfortable.

But to only base my argument on one aspect of my learning environment would be foolish. We must also consider the distractions we may have at home. While our schools and classrooms are designed to have minimal distractions in them, our homes are not. Often times I find myself sitting in my room trying to do my homework, but more often than not, I am distracted by objects that are cluttered on my desk. Now you could say that this argument is very situation based, but there are plenty of other things that I can list off. Things like family, friends, pets, and cell phones. There is also the fact that there are no teachers at home to keep us in check so that we don't get distracted. As a student with a learning disability, I often find that my ADHD pulls my attention away from my work. But never in my twelve years of being in the education system, have I found myself more distracted in a school setting, than a home setting.

There is also a problem with the way of learning that online classes mandate. By looking at a screen and reading or watching videos, students aren't as engaged as they would be if they had a class discussion or socratic seminar. Students learn not only by teachers, but also by sharing ideas with each other and building upon what their peers say. One of the best ways of learning is through communication and sharing ideas. I specifically love learning this way as it is what a real world setting would look like. A group of minds that either agree or disagree on a topic all coming together to rationalize and create one centeralized idea. The kind of learning where all a teacher has to do is stir our minds so that we may learn on our own. A computer can't do that, all it can do is collect information, not create. We do not learn from computers, all we do is relay the information that is given to us, that isn't learning, it's just memory. Online classes do nothing but exchange the experience of learning and coming to school for the comfort of staying home.

While I do feel that technology has tremendously improved the learning experience for students, I feel that too much of it could end up hurting more than helping. The problem with computers is that they all "think" the same way, while students evidently do not. You just can't replace the learning relationship between a student and teacher, or a student and their peers, with something that is artificial. You cannot replace the perfect learning environment filled with simplicity, for one that is littered with distractions. Finally, you cannot recreate the discomfort of audible chewing noises, in an environment that was tailored specifically to comfort you.