Online Education: Pros and Cons

Introduction

The author of the web-quest: Usatenko M.A.

The name of the quest: “Online Education: Pros and Cons”

Subject: English

Grade: 10

The continuation of the web-quest: 2 weeks

Goals:

·     To develop information activity skills;

·     To form an interest in regular reading of scientific, popular science, fiction (including those published on the Internet)

·     To form an interest in global issues as "Online Education"

·     To form critical thinking, the ability to establish logical connections between phenomena;

·     To learn to analyze various ideas and events, make reasonable conclusions;

·     To learn to analyze materials from various sources;

·     To foster a culture of communication

Introduction

Education is an important part of our life. Educated people have more chances to have an interesting life and to be more successful. Nowadays, online education is becoming more and more popular or even vital due to the coronavirus pandemic, the availability of modern resources and gadgets. A student can attend classes without leaving his house, can take some courses on the net and there is no need to go out to school or university. The same applies to teachers, armed with ICT technologies, they can present students with the material in a versatile way. However, opinions on this issue are divided. There are people who claim that studying via the Internet is rather practical, while others argue that it can be it is harmful and leads to the degradation of students.

Task

You are to divide into small groups (3-4 people each) and take on certain roles, on behalf of which you are to analyze the question "Online education: pros and cons". The task must be done in the form of a report in English. The answer involves an oral presentation followed by discussion in the class.

Internet resources

The list of roles:

·     Experts

·     Teachers

·     Students

Process

Instruction for completing the task

1) Experts

You have chosen the role of experts to perform a report on the topic "Online education: pros and cons". Who are the experts? These are people who are keen in this issue impartially. Your task is to

a) Define the term "Online education";

b) Study the history of this phenomenon;

c) Distinguish Online education from Traditional education; 

d) Analyze a number of articles and highlight the main pros and cons of Online education;

e) Summarize whether Online Education is important today.

Internet resources:

·     https://www.indiaeducation.net/online-education/articles/what-is-online-education.html

·     https://thebestschools.org/magazine/online-education-history/

·     https://kitaboo.com/is-online-education-better-than-traditional-education/

·      https://owlcation.com/academia/Online-Education-vs-Traditional-Education 

·     https://bohatala.com/advantages-and-benefits-of-online-education-essay/

For d)

·     https://www.classgap.com/en/blog/online-education-traditional-education-which-one-better-for

·     https://www.ies.ncsu.edu/resources/white-papers/pros-and-cons-of-online-education/

·     https://helpfulprofessor.com/pros-and-cons-of-online-learning/

 

2) Teachers

You have chosen the role of teachers to perform a report on the topic "Online education: pros and cons". You are to consider this issue from the side of a person who, using ICT technologies, provides educational material. Your task is to

a) Tell us about popular Internet platforms for Online Education;

b) Give examples of tasks that can be performed on Internet platforms;

c) Tell us about the concept of "m-learning";

d) Analyze a number of articles about the pros and cons of online education for teachers;

e) Summarize whether Online education is useful and convenient for teachers.

Internet resources:

·     https://www.learnworlds.com/online-learning-platforms/

·     https://www.teacheracademy.eu/blog/online-education-tools/

·     https://blog.futurefocusedlearning.net/25-great-education-tools

·     https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/23/education/learning/coronavirus-teachers-students-remote-learning.html

·     https://www.easygenerator.com/en/blog/learning-approach/what-is-mobile-learning-and-why-do-you-need-it/

For d)

·     https://myownconference.com/blog/en/online-education/

·     https://environmental-conscience.com/online-courses-pros-cons/

·     https://owlcation.com/academia/distance-education-colleges_online-undergraduate-degree_pros-and-cons

·     https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/views/2020/06/10/online-learning-not-future-higher-education-opinion

3) Students

You have chosen the role of students to perform a report on the topic "Online education: pros and cons". You are to consider this issue from the side of a person who needs to get certain knowledge. Your task is to

a) Distinguish between the concepts of "Online education" and "Remote education";

 b) Analyze the pros and cons of m-learning;

c) Give examples of useful training programs;

d) Analyze a number of articles about the pros and cons of online education for students;

e) Summarize whether Online education is useful and convenient for students. Give your own opinion.

Internet resources:

·     https://www.idtech.com/blog/types-of-online-learning-differences-definitions

·     https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-distance-education-and-online-education

·     https://blog.neolms.com/7-pros-and-cons-of-m-learning/

·     https://www.softwaretestinghelp.com/online-training-software/

·     https://digitaldefynd.com/best-free-certification-course-training-online/

For d)

·     https://opentextbc.ca/studentsuccess/chapter/pros-and-cons-of-online-learning/

·     https://vittana.org/20-pros-and-cons-of-online-high-school

·     https://www.tun.com/blog/pros-cons-online-education/

 

Instruction for all students

You will have 2 weeks for making your reports and then you will have a final presentation of them. You should present your report in the form of a Power Point Presentation. Be ready to discuss your reports and to share your opinions about this web-quest. Good luck to everyone!

Evaluation

Your work will be evaluated according to the scheme:

1.   Students analyzed all the Internet sources, fulfilled all the points of the plan according to their role, prepared a Power Point presentation, presented a report in English with a minimum number of pronunciation and grammar errors (3 pronunciation errors, 3 grammar errors) – 5 points

2.   Students did not analyze all Internet sources, did not fulfill all the points of the plan according to their role, prepared a Power Point presentation, presented a report in English with a minimum number of pronunciation and grammar errors (3 pronunciation errors, 3 grammar errors) - 4 points

3.   Students analyzed all the Internet sources, fulfilled all the points of the plan according to their role, prepared a Power Point presentation, but presented a report in English with an average number of pronunciation and grammar errors (4-5 pronunciation errors, 4 grammar errors)- 4 points

4.   Students did not analyze all Internet sources, did not fulfill all the points of the plan according to their role, prepared a Power Point presentation, and presented a report in English with an average number of pronunciation and grammar errors (4-5 pronunciation errors, 3 grammar errors) – 3 points

5.   Students did not analyze all Internet sources, did not fulfill most of the points of the plan according to their role, prepared a Power Point presentation, and presented a report in English with an average number of pronunciation and grammar errors (4-5 pronunciation errors, 3 grammar errors)- 2 points

6.   Students did not analyze all Internet sources, did not fulfill most of the points of the plan according to their role, did not prepare a Power Point presentation, and presented a report in English with a large number of pronunciation and grammar errors (6-7 pronunciation errors, 4-5 grammar errors) – 1 point

7.   Students did not fulfill the report at all or did not fulfill it according to the plan – 0

Conclusion

This web-quest is dedicated to Online Education and its pros and cons. You have learned many useful and interesting information about this type of education. You have had a great opportunity to consider the issue from different points of view and analyze its advantages and disadvantages. I hope you have had a nice time making your reports. Thank you for participating in the web-quest!