By Alleen Erchoff-Costet
Do you think online classes are beneficial? There are many arguments on this topic arguing whether students should be able to take online classes or not. Some people think that it’s a beneficial way to learn while managing modern technology, while others think that students won’t be able to learn as effectively from these classes and that they’ll take away socialization skills from children who are still growing.
Online classes have many advantages and disadvantages. In my personal opinion I think online classes are beneficial. As a student who has taken online classes, I prefer taking them over in-person classes. As long as you are responsible enough to manage them with timing and planning out when to do your assignments, they aren’t as difficult. It’s extremely easy to stay on track and to work ahead. Online classes allow students to manage their own time, and work at their own pace. I find this nice because I always have work to do from other classes, so it’s nice to be able to balance my course work.
Sometimes if I have downtime during school, I can just work ahead on my online class. It’s nice to go somewhere quiet like a library or cafe to focus on my work without any distractions. I find it extremely hard to do my work in a classroom, because of behavioral issues or distractions from friends. A lot of kids work differently, but it all just depends on personal learning styles.
As someone from a small school district, we don’t have very many class options. All of the elective options are either something I’ve already taken or something that doesn’t interest me at all. Online classes give me the opportunity to branch out and explore different things that I would prefer to learn about. For example, I took an online French class instead of Spanish so that I could learn the language that my family speaks. It also gives students a broader range of career options to explore. How are you going to know what you want to do in the future if you don’t look into different careers? I am currently taking an archaeology class, which is something I have been interested in for my future. This is not a class that would be offered at my school. I am still learning things, but it’s more suited towards my interests. Students will be more willing to learn and do their work if it’s something they are interested in, and it sure makes learning much more fun.
Although my personal opinion is leaning towards online classes being beneficial, there are also many problems associated with them. One issue would be the amount of cheating that goes on. This isn’t just a problem with online classes, but all work. Of course it’s okay to look something up for guidance, but cheating overall is not something you should be doing. As easy as it is to work ahead, it’s also very easy to fall behind. Some students can be a irresponsible and don’t turn in their work on time. If you aren’t going to try, why even take a class? With an online class, your teacher is not in the building with you to monitor you and correct you if you fall behind. A lot of kids will take advantage of this, and will just cheat or mess around while not putting any effort into anything.
So, what do you think? Online classes can be beneficial, but depending on your personal learning style they might not work out for you. As we move more toward using technology more and more in everyday life, not just in school, online classes might end up being the option in the future. Unfortunately, students need to learn how to manage their time as avoid distractions to be successful in an increasingly online and technological world.
Alleen Erchoff-Costet is a Spring Grove High School student, one of 10 area students participating in the Journal Writing Project, now in its 27th year.
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