Importance of Internet in Education  

The internet has managed to creep into every aspect of life. And while we might scoff at Tik Tok obsessed teenagers from time to time, we can’t deny the many possibilities it has opened up. Education had already begun to move to a digital space but the coronavirus pandemic accelerated the process. Today, schools and colleges have online lectures, digital libraries, and web portals for coursework. This works especially with great super internet deals.  In fact, a large number of academic spaces don’t see the point of a physical space for education anymore. Thus, they exist only in a digital form now. But the internet’s role in education is vast and not as linear. Here’s a simplified list of reasons why the internet benefits academia.  

Cost Reduction  

Education is mostly imagined in terms of money. This is because it is very costly and requires huge sums of money. So, unless you belong to an upper socioeconomic class, chances are you won’t be able to afford it. Because of this, a lot of young adults don’t even attend college. That, or they decide to drop out before graduation.  

Higher education is especially expensive in America and access to scholarships is limited. But with the internet, all these costs are reduced. If classes are online, students don’t need to rent or buy an apartment. Moreover, they save on fuel and public transport if they can just take classes from home. Previously, expensive books needed to be bought with different courses but today, this isn’t the case. Digital libraries provide students with the required books online, free of charge. And while some course books need to be paid for even if online, the costs are visibly reduced.  

Greater Access to Resources  

There was a time when research for school or college meant hours and even days in the library. Even looking up words was a lengthy process with manual searches in large physical dictionaries. Not only was this exhausting for students but also frustrating because of limited sources of information. But the modern age has changed this. Today, students can research anything on the internet with a single click They don’t even need to get up from bed. Moreover, hundreds of resources exist on the internet since a lot of information has been made public. Old records, numbers, biographies, almost everything is pubic knowledge on the internet today. Thus, students save more time and energy.  

Self-Studying  

A lot of schools and colleges have teachers that aren’t the best. They forget their lectures, don’t come on time, or are just straight-up uninterested. With instructors like these, it is easier for students to suffer academically. They fall back on classes, get poor grades, and don’t learn as much. This is where the internet comes in. With access to the information-rich web, students don’t need teachers to teach them about math or science, or philosophy. They can just play a lecture on YouTube and get all the information they need. Moreover, students don’t even need to attend all classes to get a perfect grade. They can easily catch up with the classes they miss by studying through online resources. This is why, today, it is easier for students to take days off.  

Increased Discussions 

The internet contains a large number of chatrooms and discussion portals. This means that students can actively discuss and share ideas and strategies. Moreover, the internet has allowed globalization. For education, this means that students are exposed to people and ideas from all around the world. Thus, when they interact with different people, their horizons broaden and their experiences widen.  

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