The pros and cons of online education for children and adolescents.

These are the positives and negatives of education in online format.

In the context of the COVID-19 crisis, one of the most radical changes that has occurred is the need for many educational systems to adapt, in a matter of weeks, to a situation in which contagion must be minimized.

And in many cases, such as in Spain, this means starting online classes. This is logical considering that our country is one of the worst off in terms of the number of infected people, on the one hand, and that the virus spreads rapidly in enclosed spaces where there are many people, on the other.

But what do we know about the effectiveness of teaching via the Internet? Let's see what are the positive and negative implications of using exclusively (at least for a few months) an online model of education.

Advantages and disadvantages of online education

Here we will review the possible advantages and disadvantages of the online education system applied to children and adolescents, especially in the context of the social and health crisis situation produced by the pandemic, and without losing sight of the fact that what happens in education is not disconnected from what happens outside the classroom..

First of all, however, it is necessary to clarify two things. First, it must be recognized that there has not been a great deal of conclusive research on all the positive and negative effects of distance education on people of all ages in a context of pandemic and general confinement measures. Thus, these are ideas about what is likely, not about what is certain to happen.

Secondly, it is necessary to point out that possibly the fact of using a face-to-face teaching model, or one that is online, is not as important as the fact of whether it has been possible to plan in advance what can happen during the course, avoiding interruptions and unnecessary transitions from one modality to another. It is very important that the education system is stable and everyone knows what to expect in the medium term; intermittency between stages of daily classroom attendance and others in which weeks go by without going to class may not be desirable..

That said, let's look at the pros and cons of online learning.

Disadvantages

In this section we will review several of the possible disadvantages of online classes in terms of education for children and teenagers.

1. A Barrier to Socializing

All human beings in general tend to need to have moments of socialization.In the case of the youngest members of the household, this is even more important, because play is their "default" way of interacting with the environment and with others.

Moreover, in the case of adolescents, the possibility of interacting in groups of friends on a regular basis is important for the development of their identity, given that their behavior is very much mediated by the feeling of belonging to groups and by referents of their age, and in some cases, a little older than them, but always outside the world of adults.

The fact of not leaving home implies assuming limitations in this aspect. And we must not forget that playground time and breaks between subjects are just as much a part of the educational process as the school sessions..

2. A context that does not prevent the emergence of distractions

As students, something as simple as being in class provides incentives not to be near distracting elements.

This is something that occurs to a greater or lesser extent at all ages; being in the teacher's view deters students from totally escaping and browsing their social media pages from their cell phones, for example. In online sessions, it is more difficult to self-commit to paying attention, since each student can do pretty much whatever he or she wants while the teacher is delivering the lesson.

3. Online classes can demotivate learners because they can no longer participate as before

Of course, nothing forces online classes to be sessions in which the teacher talks and the students are silent. But it is true that the change of modality can "dislocate" some students and make them and make them feel less involved in what happens and what is said during the lessons, resulting in an emotional disconnection.

Technically the content does not change much, but the feeling of "going to school" is no longer the same or familiar. As a result, some people may let go of learning dynamics that they had adopted and that were beneficial.

Consider, for example, a student who used to consult with the teacher. Given the change of scenario, this will no longer be so easy, since now he will have to contact the tutor by other means, which may cause him to become demotivated and, out of apathy, to give up asking his questions. Of course, in the online mode, you can also ask questions by raising your hand, but the change may be somewhat unfamiliar to you. the change may be a bit disconcerting for you, and possibly, may motivate you not to ask your question..

Advantages

Here are some of the potential advantages of distance learning for young people.

1. Provides security against the spread of viruses

There are more and more children with anxiety disorders, even with alterations such as enuresis, due to the anguish generated by the pandemic. The possibility of "going to school" without putting themselves and their families at risk acts as a psychological protective factor. acts as a psychological protective factor for children who are more likely to develop problems of distress and stress.

It is also a way of protecting older students, who are also the ones who tend to have more social contacts later on, both within and outside the family.

2. It opens education to a flexible and audio-visually enriched environment.

Online classes break with the idea that lessons are by default sessions based on speaking in front of a blackboard. This can be beneficial if you take advantage of the potential of the virtual world, which is full of teaching material.which is full of didactic material such as infographics, videos, and even simulations. In addition, the discussion forums also provide a space in which it is possible to review content through argumentation.

3. Predisposes to "learning to learn".

One of the fundamental aspects of education is to provide the tools to "learn how to learn".. That is to say, to develop the necessary skills to internalize knowledge in efficient ways and with guarantees.

The Internet environment is ideal for this, since getting used to surfing it makes us, without realizing it, remember "shortcuts" to reach relevant content when reviewing in study sessions, and also provides places where we know that, if we have a question, we will probably find the answer: scientific blogs, Reditt pages where experts in a subject answer questions, etc.

All this enhances learning even beyond the expectations set by the school, fostering a self-directed learning attitude.encouraging a self-taught attitude. It is the best way for students to realize that learning is not just about going over notes and reviewing the textbook.

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