Why Do People Turn to Online Schooling in the First Place?
The pandemic ushered in the age of so many students needing virtual education overnight, but the need for online schooling goes back much further than that. It’s easy to try to put everything into a tidy container called the global pandemic, but there’s more to the story. COVID hasn’t been the primary motivator for parents and students. The future of school must adapt.
By The Numbers: In Person Education is Lacking
Here are some shocking statistics for you – as of March 2021, a whopping 168 million students globally do not have access to in-person learning.
Studies have shown repeatedly that bullying keeps students wary of going back to a physical environment. Nearly 1 in 4 students experience bullying at in person school.
60% of Americans are saying that traditional schooling is failing the students of today. We can do better.
Online Schooling Has Been Tried Before: Here’s What’s Missing
It’s time for a skillset shift of focus in education. With the world’s knowledge at anyone’s fingertips with Google, Siri, and smartphones, education can no longer be focused on rote memorization and repetition. The skills of the next generation are clear: it’s time to focus on analytical thinking and innovation, active learning and learning strategies and creativity. It’s now a cycle of learning, unlearning, and relearning.
Deeper learning occurs when there is a goal of mastery instead of just trying to ace a test. If a student puts in just enough effort to get their desired grade, how does that prepare them for success in all the areas of their life? Instead, it’s time to focus on learning how to actually learn.
Additional benefits of online learning done right include greater flexibility, improved memory, enhanced performance, and a better use of time, as online learning often takes 40-60% less time as compared to traditional in-person education counterparts. Online learning is adaptable and has mentorship components that benefit the students for a lifelong journey.
Today’s Generation Wants an Online Platform That Matches the Times
More and more, the youngest generation turns to Discord. I’ve often wondered why so many online components of school technology focus on out of date, out of touch tech, when there are much better alternatives that students are embracing while gaming and socializing with friends.
Discord isn’t just a replacement for another messaging app – what gravitates Gen Z (and others) to it is its sense of community. You can start a server on the most niche interests, and know that you are not alone. This is especially true during the pandemic which has been crushingly isolating for us all.
Bringing it All Together
All in all, school can – and must – improve. We may be wandering into an uncertain future, but education does not need to take a back seat. It’s time to innovate – embracing culture, community, and technology and a more immerse online experience.
For more information on how education can and must adapt to the virtual world and the future of school, see the infographic below:
