Which is the best place for education, in a school or online? In the modern world, many schools offer students the ability to attend classes that can be done online or by a video conference; an idea called "distant learning." However, while an intriguing idea, some people will ask whether or not students would actually benefit from doing schoolwork outside of school. Due to its unique advantages, distant learning can offer benefits for students because it is more convenient for students and it has more tools available to make learning easier.

While some will say distant learning has its advantages, others will be quick to point out the disadvantages as well. One such disadvantage is if students take classes online, they can easily get distracted by something else. It would be relatively easy for a student, especially teenagers or preteens, to move away from their classwork and go to websites or games that are not related to education and completely disregard their schoolwork. This will inevitably cause students to fall behind on doing their work or do poorly on the work. As a result, the student may end up failing the class. While there are more reasons why online classes do not work as well as regular ones, the greatest reason distant learning would not benefit students is the potential distractions students may face while doing it.

On the contrary, distant learning does have its benefits for students who want to succeed. One of distant learning's benefits is its overall convenience. Many students will say that trying to catch the bus, walking to, or even driving to school is a tedious task to complete just so they can learn something. Adding to their concerns, problems can occur for students as they try to get to school; such as a car accident, bus breaking down, poor weather conditions, and even traffic in some cases. Distant learning enables students to stay home and just log into their classes via a computer, a lesser amount of work to do in the morning. Staying home also means students have less problems to worry about when it comes to attending their classes. Making classes more convenient for students to access is a great way distant learning benefits education.

Another benefit distant learning has is its connection to the Internet, which has plenty of tools students can use. In a regular classroom, students have two things to rely on for their education: the teacher giving lectures and textbooks to read from. Those things are reliable, but it may be too difficult for some students to understand or stay with their teachers. If students use the Internet, they have access to websites, educational activities, videos, and many other tools that provide accurate information and help a student gain better understanding of the material at hand. The activities may even be fun for students to accomplish while obtaining knowledge. The tools provided by distant learning is yet another benefit for students wishing to participate in them.

Despite its clear disadvantages, distant learning can benefit a student's education thanks to its convenience and access to educational tools. It can be considered a good first step in making education much easier for students not just in the United States, but all over the world. Distant learning is definitely a beneficial way for students to get their education in the distant future.