If I had a choice between studying at home using computers and television or studying in a traditional school setting, I'd choose the traditional setting. Maybe it's just what I'm used to, but I don't think that technology can replace teachers and classrooms.
After all, technology can fail. Computers go down and computer programs crash. Televisions break, and the electricity can suddenly go off. In those situations, who's going to teach me? If I'm at school, and the television or the computers stop functioning, there's a teacher to step in and change the lesson plan. Teachers can draw on their teaching experience and be creative. Computers and televisions can't.
I'd also miss the chance to interact with other students if I weren't going to school. I think learning to play and work with other people is one of the most important lessons we learn in school. It prepares us for life, and for working with other people. Being with other people also helps us discover who we are.
Another concern I have about studying at home is getting distracted. It's strange, but I think being home alone is more distracting than being at school with a lot of people. At school, we're all focused on the same subjects. At home, it would be so easy to turn off the computer or the television and go do something else. I might tell myself that it's okay to play a computer game now and make up the study hours later. Chances are, I'd never make up the study hours.
I'm all in favor of using technology in the classroom. I think computers and television are great ways for students to have access to a lot of information. I just don't think they should be the only tools I have as a student. I also need teachers and other students to help me get a complete education.
Different persons will have different opinions about studying at home or studying at school. I will prefer to go to traditional schools because schools provide disciplined learning, experienced teachers and good facilities.
Although learning from computer and television is comfortable, it is void of disciplined learning environment provided by schools. Schools provide balanced atmosphere where each subject is given equal importance and is taught on a regular basis. This leads to an overall development of children. This discipline is absent in learning through computers and televisions at home. We are inclined to subjects which appeal us. Some children finds art and crafts as interesting and devote most of their time in them, while others find math and science more interesting and avoid reading books on social sciences. This erratic and unbalanced reading inhibits overall development. Moreover children are too young to decide what they should learn or should not. At this situation schools prove to be beneficial where teachers knows their students and give individual attentions to improve their skills.
Not everybody can afford the best equipment and technology available in the market. At this juncture schools provide best-experienced teachers and best facilities available. Schools invest on these instruments that students can use while it is difficult to buy each and every piece individually by yourself if you are learning at home. Also there are instances where students are required constant vigilance. For example while performing experiments in chemistry, which involves lots of dangerous chemicals, an experienced adult such as a teacher or a lab technician must present. In these labs children are in habit of messing with things. They try to experiment mixing every solution they can find. So regular vigilance is required on each student. Similarly while doing dissection of rats in biology labs, from time-to-time guidance is required by students to understand and complete the experiments successfully. No television or computer can give such attention to each individual.
While studying at school, children get to know each other. They learn to work in team when they are given group assignment. They learn to distribute tasks among themselves according their strong points and complete their tasks. Therefore a feeling of compassion is developed among them, which is not possible in television learning.
Keeping all these benefits in mind, I would like to go to a traditional school for my learning.
