With the rise of technology, the attention span of students has decreased to eight seconds. The average attention span of a goldfish is nine seconds. Whatever the benefits of technology may be, raising a generation that is less focused than a goldfish is not justifiable. Students already have difficulties focusing in school and online learning will only provide more opportunities for straying from the topic being taught. Pairing this low concentration rate with distance learning, including the use of online or video conferencing, further worsens the issue. Although it may be said that distance learning provides accessibility or efficiency, these factors compromise the quality of education that students receive. Long distance learning would not benefit students because of the low retention capacity caused by technology as well as the fact that computers and other devices have a high chance of malfunctioning.

Video conferencing devices are prone to break, be hacked, or even stop working completely. This unpredictability poses a threat to students' ability to listen to lectures or complete any other online tasks given. Simply put, long distance learning is too risky in terms of technical issues and is not best used for an educational platform. If a device used for distance learning were to malfunction, it would need to be repaired, which can cost up to hundreds of dollars. Many students, especially people completing their tertiary education, may not be able to afford these expensive repairs. Long distance learning creates many ways for students' to miss a class or not fulfill a due date because of technical issues, which can only be harmful to their education. Attending school in person, however, does not require being dependent on the functionality of an electronic device. If long distance learning is meant to be more efficient, the extra time and money put into repairing a device in time seems counterproductive; clearly, this is not beneficial. Furthermore, it is extremely well-known how easily a technological device can be hacked. With one click on an email, a whole device can be infested by a digital virus. Obviously, the financial implications of this problem are a burden to students' as well as the possible missed content. Because of the lack of security and the fragile nature of video conferencing devices, long distance learning proves to have more risks to a student's education rather than advantages. Some people may say that cybersecurity measures maybe taken to prevent this from occurring, however, they fail to consider the fact that with new protection measures come new ways to surpass them.

Undoubtedly, people retain more information in person rather than over a video call. Being taught something when someone is physically speaking or being shown something in the same room as the teacher is far more efficient than an online system. Long distance learning deprives students the chance for hands-on learning and interacting with other peers along with the teacher. Multiple studies have proven that students learn better when performing interactive lessons or investigations related to the topic. On a personal level, I remember something that was taught to me through an experiment of hands-on lesson as opposed to a video or online notes. Being in a classroom with the teacher engages a student more and can even provide motivation to learn, compared to sitting at home and trying to absorb information through a video call as a part of long distance learning.

Consequently, there are countless distractions in the comfort of one's own home, while in a classroom students are forced to stay focused and complete all tasks at hand. In an educational setting, the environment is everything. On a psychological level, individuals have a relaxed and comforting connotation associated with their house, and long distance learning at home creates a environment not suited for education. On the other hand, a classroom setting is ideal for focus and attention. Long distance learning is detrimental to an understanding of the topic because of the conditions students attend the class in. Some may say that we live in an age of digitization, and education must keep up with technological advances, however, this development should not come at the cost of students' ability to comprehend their lessons.

After considering the claims made, it is clear that long distance learning does more harm than good in terms of an environment that allows students to understand the topics without distractions as well as the tendency of video conference devices to break or be hacked. In an age of technology, is is almost too easy for a device to malfunction, be attacked by a virus, or simply break. This is a waste of time and money that takes away from the purpose of long distance learning. Not only is attending a class online unreliable, but it also provides distractions and compromises the retention of information taught. Going to a class in person is unarguably the most effective way to gain a full understanding of the lesson. However, sitting at home while being taught an online lesson invites distractions, which decreases concentration. After all, no one wants to be less focused than a goldfish!