Online or Offline? My opinion on online learning

I believe that education should be both accessible, and multimodal. What does that mean for my opinion on online or offline education?

For me, I think a blend of online and offline learning is helpful and more well-rounded to all students. As someone who has a shorter attention span, I empathize with learners who need constant different stimulation to succeed in education.

FOR EXAMPLE:

When the pandemic first started I really enjoyed being able to learn from home. I was able to navigate and try new things, and I didn’t have to take the long commute to school each day. As time progressed, I struggled to focus online, felt lonely, and wouldn’t even bother to change my outfit. I found myself to be less productive, and it was hard to navigate online ed with roommates around me!

HOWEVER:

I see the perks of online education. I myself am privileged because I am able to get myself to school. I have access to a bus near my house, and I could drive (if I wanted to pay insane parking fees, but that’s another problem). I do find connection with others to be more effective, and it does not add to my anxieties. Yet, I cannot assume that everyone has the same privileges or ease to in-person education as I do. This is why I believe blending the two, or even just simply giving an online option to join into a classroom is the best option for education! Some courses (like a tech course) could be done online as it makes sense to have a class based on learning digitally to be digital.

At the end of the day, the things we do as teachers (and as teacher candidates) are SUPPOSED to be student-centered. My opinion doesn’t really matter once I’m a teacher, because we should be focusing on the students we have and their needs first. Education is not a selfish career, and we must keep our students at the forefront of the things we do!