Can online education methods replace traditional education methods?

    "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world"(1)

                Modern societies are characterized by rapid social, cultural, political, economic, and technological change. Education is a key element for our society's progress, development and advancement. Traditional education methods have been proven to have many problems and issues. Are modern methods such as online learning going to replace traditional methods as our technology advances?

                Online education has both advantages and disadvantages. In order to determine which method is more suitable for our society we need to examine the positives and negatives of both methods. Firstly, online education is not limited by location or time, since anyone from any place in the world at anytime can access the internet. Secondly education can be offered for free since there are other ways to gain money online without students having to pay any tuition. Advertising online is a great way to finance teachers. Lastly, serious issues such as bullying, inequality and financial difficulties, will no longer exist in this new educational system. 

             On the other hand, there are some issues that will arise if online education replaces traditional education completely. One of the issues could be that some students might need a more structured environment in order to focus and be motivated to learn and study. Furthermore, if students no longer need to leave the house to go to school, they will end up all alone for hours, since their parents need to go to work. And finally, socializing will become more difficult. Going to school "forces" students in a way to come in contact with other people, study with them, play with them and that makes socializing come naturally. 

                  Traditional education methods have been criticized over the years, there are however arguments that support them. For example, in school, students have the opportunity to learn how to work with and respect others. Also, students can ask their teachers, questions directly and even begin a discussion about a subject that would help them understand it more in depth. And lastly, school offers a variety of physical activities and games, such as exercising, playing football, basketball etc, that benefit the students physically and mentally. 

                  The disadvantages of traditional education include, large number of students in each classroom which results in teachers neglecting the unique learning abilities and needs of each student. One of the biggest problems that students have to face in schools is bullying. Because of the large population of students in schools. teachers are not able to respond to these issues and resolve them successfully. Also the strict timelines and schedules turns learning into a chore instead of being something that students can enjoy and appreciate. Therefore a percentage of students show lack of interest in lessons, fail their tests and even drop out of school.

                In conclusion, both methods have positive and negative aspects. Online education has issues that could be resolved if other aspects of society changed, such as the working hours of parents or if other institutions were created that can resolve some of the problems that we present in this essay. While it is very difficult for online education to replace traditional education methods, a combination of the two would be a good choice since both have valid points.

(1) Nelson mandela

World Wide Web – Is the information on the web valid?

“The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents

 that are accessed via the internet. With a web browser

, one can view web pages that may contain text, images, videos,

 and other multimedia and navigate between them via hyperlinks” (1)

There are several types of webpages and sites that share information,

Such as blogs, news web sites etc. “A blog is a discussion or informational site published on the World Wide Web and consisting of discrete entries” (2) Blogs are a very popular means of sharing Information. This type of webpage is usually used by amateur writers who share several types of information and content such as personal opinions, beliefs, views, pictures and videos. There are also various types of website or news sites that share information about a variety of subjects such as economy, politics, art, science etc.

In order to identify which information on the web is valid we need to examine the source of the information the site is sharing. Most of the times the sources are not mentioned due to the fact that people tend to share opinions and ideas more than facts or scientific data. Even in the case where scientific data is presented and the writer mentions their source, we still need to examine that source in order to be certain that we can trust the information presented to us. For example, we can’t trust a news magazine as easily as we can, a scientific research center.

There can be several reasons for sharing invalid information. Usually the motive behind it is financial gain, such as from selling a product, increasing a website’s traffic to gain more from advertisements or even to attract followers by sharing false information about movements, ideas, ideologies or religions. Firstly, when it comes to selling a product, advertisements and reviews are very critical, therefore the information that is shared about a product is sometimes controlled by the producers. for example, milk producers funding scientific researches to prove that milk has many health benefits. Secondly, increasing a websites traffic can come easily by sharing false or invalid information that might contain a few real facts. Usually the facts are exaggerated or presented in such a way that a simple detail sounds very important and critical. Thirdly, sharing information to attract followers, is very common and it also often includes exaggerated facts and invalid data in order to impress and capture the readers.

Identifying valid information and facts on the web can be difficult. However by having a few things in mind while reading and receiving these information can help significantly with this matter. Always remember to check the sources of the information- be aware of the kind of text that you are reading (diary, opinion essay, news, academic paper etc)-, consider the motives behind sharing said information and data and finally have a critical mind and don’t accept any information passively without consideration and assessment.

Note:

This essay is an example of sharing information that contain valid and reasonable points that are however used in such a way that is favorable to the writer's opinion

about this particular subject.

(1) Wikipedia “World Wide Web”

(2) Wikipedia “Blog”

Globalization- Economic and Cultural Change

  "Globalization is the process of international integration arising from the interchange of world views, products, ideas and other aspects of culture. Advances in transportation and telecommunications infrastructure, including the rise of the telegraph and its posterity the Internet, are major factors in globalization, generating further interdependence of economic and cultural activities."(1)

 The economic consequences of a “global market” can have both negative and positive effects on a country’s economic system. An economic consequence that can benefit many companies that sell specific products is the opportunity to sell its products in many countries thus expanding the clientele list and increasing its income and profit. The internet can be a very powerful tool when it comes to advertising a product globally. It can also serve as a means of finding an online job which can be offered by any country in the world, therefore providing an income to people who otherwise cannot find a job in their country.

 Globalization can also have negative economic consequences when it comes to sales and the market in general. Locally produced products have to compete with imported products that have lower prices and are more widely available to the public thus more popular. This has mainly affected small businesses that have failed to adjust to the new economic conditions resulting from the globalization of the market. The global market has brought a lot of competition to all countries, leaving some unable to keep up with it thus falling into economic crisis. On the other hand this has benefited countries with very cheap manpower and mass production of products such as China. China produces a vast variety of products in very low prices that other countries cannot compete with.

 The process of globalization also had cultural impact on the countries around the world. Through transportation and telecommunication the interchange of ideas, traditions, habits and other aspects of culture became very easy thus began the process of culture exchange and influence. This, can be viewed as both negative and positive. The positive aspect of this process could be the idea that by experiencing and learning about a different culture can help people understand more things about the world and even help us discover more things about ourselves. A negative aspect of this cultural influence is the idea that the individual traditions and customs of each country will slowly deteriorate and fade away, leaving behind a mixture of cultures that cannot be defined as unique and original. This belief is most popular among conservative people who fear that their values and beliefs are in danger of being replaced by “foreign” cultural systems.

 Globalization has both positive and negative aspects. It is up to each country to find ways to deal with the negative impact on its economy and culture and to take advantage of all the new opportunities presented to them and help its people adapt to the new conditions through education and socio-economic reform.

(1) Wikipedia "Globalization"

How to write an article

Part 1: Start by choosing your topic and conduct a bibliographic research to gather as much information as you can about your topic.

Tip: Scientific and statistical researches are always a great choice for articles.

Part 2: Create bullet points that sum up your bibliographic research and then decide the order in which you are going to present and analyze the points.

Tip: Always mention your sources, for copywrite reasons.

Part 3: Write your intro. Make sure that its interesting and that it gives enough information about the topic and what its referring to.

Tip: Don’t reveal any specific information about your points but make sure you mention whether the subject of your topic is controversial or universally accepted as a fact.

Part 4: The main body of your article should consist of the presentation of your points or the summary of your bibliographic research as a whole.

Tip: Always present more than one perspective on the topic or argument.

Ex.  1. Dr. Jacob claims that vitamin C can prevent people from catching a cold.

       2. Dr. Steve argues that there are no evidence to support that claim.

Part 5: Conclude your article by summing up the points.

Tip: In the conclusion you can add questions that your research did not answer or asking the opinion of your readers about the matter. Asking the right questions is a great way to indirectly express your personal views on the topic.

Ex. “Is the pharmaceutical industry trying too hard to convince us about the benefits of taking vitamins daily? Are there any valid evidence or data proving the benefits of vitamin C?”

Underemployment among graduates

  Underemployment is prevailing among graduates today, for several socio-economic reasons. Graduating, does not guarantee employment in a chosen field or any other job position, due to the lack of job opportunities- as a result of the global economic crisis- and overeducation in fields that are not profitable or successful therefore have limited job positions.

   The Economic crisis is probably one of the major reasons of underemployment. The most recent financial crisis began in the late 2008 and 2009 by bank runs and stock market crushes ¹ around the world. The countries affected by this economic depression were mostly developed countries in which the percentage of university and college students and graduates is quite high in contrast to underdeveloped countries. It is therefore expected that graduates will struggle with acquiring a suitable job position after their graduation.

     Another very important factor which resulted in the underemployment among graduates is the “mismatch between the aspiration of graduates and employment opportunities available to them” ². This phenomenon is caused due to the fact that students are not properly informed about job opportunities before they make a decision about which field of study to choose, due to the rapid change and transformation of the labor market and lastly because most students make choices about their studies based on their personal preferences without considering their post-academic future.

     Overpopulation has also played an important role in the “employment crisis” since the increased amount of workers and demands for jobs have resulted in the saturation of the labor market. As the population grows in the developed countries more and more overeducated graduates struggle to get a permanent job suited to their skills and knowledge.

     The underemployment rising among graduates is a very serious issue that needs to be resolved as soon as possible. The consequences of this phenomenon are affecting the economy and society as a whole. A solution to this problem could be the thorough briefing of students before they make decisions about their studies so that they are informed about the current status of the economy and how it affects the labor market and also which fields are the most promising and most likely to show development and progress in the future.

¹Wikipedia “Economic Crisis- Wider Economic Crisis”

²Wikipedia “Graduate Unemployment”

Essay Topics

You are welcome to suggest any essay topic that you would like to read.

How to write an essay

PART 1: Start by discussing the topic (Ex. "Should student's textbooks be replaced by tablets") of your essay with someone (a friend, parent, etc). create bullet points with the most important arguments made in the discussion. Try asking questions associated with your subject and answering them.

Ex. Questions:
       >Will the tablets cause any problems to the students? such as distracting them, hurting their eyes with their light
       > Will all the students know how to use the tablets?
       > Is it a problem to carry textbooks to school?
       > Will the usage of technology offer more to the students as opposed to plain textbooks?
 
  Answers:

     1.Tablets can store many textbooks in their memory. No need to carry heavy textbooks to school everyday.
     2. Some students might not know how to use them. That is an issue that needs to be solved, by teaching the students how to use tablets.
     3.Tablets have features which can simplify studying such as note taking, bookmarks and internet connection for instant web search of any subject.
     4. Some students might be distracted by the tablet or have problems with reading texts for many hours.

PART 2: Then decide how long your paragraphs should be and which points are going to each paragraph. Make sure you don't exceed your word limit. This part is for creating a structure for your essay.

Ex. Point 1 ---> 1st paragraph, 100 words
      Point 3 ----> 2nd paragraph, 100 words
      Point 2 ----> 3rd paragraph, 100 words
      Point 4 ----> 4th paragraph, 100 words
   
     Intro -----> 50 words
     Conclusion----> 50 words

 ( For a 500 word essay )

PART 3: Your intro should always prepare the reader of what is going to follow in the rest of the essay, while presenting the topic.

Ex. Students have always had problems with carrying several, heavy textbooks and stationary supplies to school everyday, Maybe its time we used technology to relieve students from this burden and to solve all the problems caused by textbooks. Are tablets a right choice as a replacement of textbooks?e

PART 4: This is the part where you have to develop your points in each paragraph. This is going to be the main body of your essay.

Ex. (Point 1, paragraph 1, 100 words)
Tablets can store many textbooks in their memory therefore it will no longer be necessary to carry any heavy textbook to school. Furthermore, tablets have various applications in which a student can edit or compose a text, memos and essays thus there is no need to be equipped with pens, pencils and notepads. With this use of technology we relive students from the need to carry each individual textbook to school and at the same time the usage of pages will be reduced significantly along with the overall expenses a student has to make each year for stationary and school supplies.

PART 5: In the conclusion you should sum up your points. (*Depending on the topic, you could finish your essay with a question.)

Ex. Overall, using technology in schools can benefit teachers and students allowing them to access information instantly, relieving them from the weight of textbook and school supplies and offering them alternative education through various applications. Surely, there are some issues that need to be solved concerning the use of tablets however the future is looking bright for the usage of tablets in schools as a replacement of textbooks.

Television a blessing or a curse?

      TV or not TV? That is the question. .Television is one of the greatest and at the same time worst inventions of all times. . It is true that television can inform, inspire and create. But it can also misinform, deceive and destroy.

      Firstly, watching television makes people depended on laid-on entertainment. That makes them lazy and unoccupied. People used to have hobbies, read books, listen to music, go outside for walks now all of these have been replaced by television.

      Furthermore, our communication with the members of our family can be affected by television. Being glued to the “box” for so many hours can be really unsociable as you can’t talk and communicate with others while you are watching TV.

      Added to that, television promotes a fake lifestyle, which is totally irrelevant to real living. Children can easily be affected by that, as it is possible that they believe in fake life situations which can even lead to death. For example, a young child jumped off his window, believing that he could fly just like superman.

      However, TV is not always a bad influence to us. Without television, we wouldn’t be able to experience the “visual travelling”. We can watch the Eifel Tower, the Great Wall of China, the Colosseum of Rome, the Sydney opera House in Australia and many other great buildings by just turning the TV on.
     Also, the information that television offers, can sometimes be vital as we need to be informed about the climate changes, the earthquakes, the wars, and a lot of other events which could lead to destructions.

     Moreover, there are enormous possibilities for educational programs on television. Since children love watching TV it can’t be that hard to convince them to learn through a television program. The lesson will be a lot more amusing and not so tiring as school lessons. Considering the audiovisual perspectives that TV can offer, teachers can easily be replaced by televisions!

     In conclusion, the question “TV or not TV?” still remains unanswered. The negative points are as many as the positive ones. It’s up to us, then, to decide whether we are going to be watching TV or not.