Digital Learning: Analyzing the Benefits Brought to a Classroom in the Age of the Internet

The typical school day consists of 7 hours a day, Monday through Friday, for almost three-quarters of the year. When students find themselves absent for any multitude of reasons, they may face difficulty in learning any missed material and effectively completing given outstanding work. Recently, by utilizing the potential benefits of the Internet, a massive technological advancement within the Education sector is observable; digital learning. From apps to message teachers, online work organization, and catalogs abundant with free education material, the change can be visible every day. I personally think that distance learning will greatly benefit the student and open the door to educational opportunity to more, allowing them to remain productive and engaged in learning new material, regardless of their location across the world through its instant speed, timing flexibility, and large access base.

Rewind the clock to the twentieth century when lectures were held in large, crowded halls, classwork was turned in through towering stacks of papers, notes were taken from textbooks, and long commutes to and from school; the process of grading and teaching was inefficient when comparing it to the digital classroom today, where interactive activities, online collaboration, and instant transfer of files takes place. Pushing that boundary even further by allowing classes from home and elsewhere through the Internet can eliminate the need for a commute, allow students to collaborate together through innovative software such as the Google Education Suite, and allow teachers to communicate with students regardless of location. Everything can happen at a great speed, no need for travel. By allowing more opportunities for people to learn, everyone can be given a chance to obtain an education, because while one 7 hour block of learning may work for most, digital learning opens the door to opportunity for thousands of others who find themselves unable to attend a school without instant communication.

Backtracking to the 7 hour school day from morning to afternoon, many may find that certain timings may not work for their schedule. What type of learning experience offers content 24/7 from anywhere in the world? Distance learning can solve this problem because while a typical lecture is a group of teachers lecturing at a specified block of time, posting learning material online can be accessed at anytime by any student. By missing a lecture, the student need not worry about missing any learning material, as online lecture videos and assignments can help bring them back up to speed.

Since the development in the mid twentieth century by the United States Army, the Internet has become a staple of modern life on this planet. From our cars, phones, and even light bulbs, the presence of the Internet is in all corners of the world. In the United States, the number of people per capita utilizing the Internet is increasing every year. This widespread increase allows for a large access base of people present on the internet, meaning through digital learning, an educational institution can reach a wider audience of students than previously thought possible. An example of this is Khan Academy, an online learning database consisting of thousands of mini-lecture videos and hundreds of thousands of practice problems and tests, all available for free on the Internet. A shift to digital learning would benefit students because people who may not have access to a solid education in a physical location now have the opportunity to do so using the Internet, something which is become increasingly available throughout households all across the globe.

While an argument could be made that students may be unable to stay focused and on track when learning from their home, a reasonable counter-argument of self-discipline follows that. Throughout life, there may not be always someone readily pushing a person to stay focused and disciplined on their education and work. Digital learning, while allowing teacher-to-student educational communication, benefits students by allowing them to to self-discipline themselves to their work and teaches them independence in a way different than other forms of education.

Digital learning is a powering a new age of education previously never seen by mankind, putting the power of education in the hands of billions of people across the world. The benefits given to students, instant speed, timing flexibility, and a large user base, are shaping the next generation of innovators. Through the ability to attend classes from home, students can obtain a quality education without any hurdles that may come with a physical educational institution. Many say that "Education is the power to change the world" and digital learning is powering just that, from the comfort of your home, and almost anywhere on Earth.