The world is evolving at an incredible speed rate. Everything is changing; the market, the technology, the mentalities, and the people. Smart devices have already replaced many human needs and continue to evolve as the time passes.
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In today’s society, it is extremely rare that a person doesn’t use the internet in his day by day life. Social media networks are everywhere, search engines are the best way to find information, and the communication between persons happens instantly.
A recent study reports that the global E-learning market is supposed to reach $107 billion dollars by the end of 2015. That’s not something to neglect.
How is Technology Influencing Learning?
Here’s something else that changed: learning. We now call it “E-Learning”. Here is a short definition provided by Virtual College: “Quite simply, e-learning is electronic learning, and typically this means using a computer to deliver part, or all of a course whether it’s in a school, part of your mandatory business training or a full distance learning course.”
The definition is a bit outdated, as now all the smart devices (not only computers) can be used to create an E-learning experience.
Why do we use it?
There are a lot of comparisons between the old traditional learning (which is still popular) and the new E-learning trend.
As children grow up in a digital world, surrounded by smartphones and an Internet connection that gives them access to anything, it’s absolutely logical that their tendencies lean towards innovation.
We use E-learning because we’re already used to do so many other things online. We use our devices in order to spend time on social media, to order products and services, and to play online games. Why wouldn’t we use it to educate ourselves?
What are the PROS and CONS?
Here’s why E-learning can work better than traditional learning:
- E-learning can be done anywhere, at any time. It’s extremely convenient to study from your own place using your own methods. Following online classes allows you to save a lot of time and pursue something else in the meanwhile.
- E-learning brings more diversity. If you want to find something, I can promise you that Google will lead you to the best courses available.
- E-learning is affordable. Compared to the money you have to pay in order to go to a US college, enrolling into different online courses is much cheaper.
- E-learning gives you the possibility to learn without having to keep up the pace. That doesn’t mean that you won’t have assignments deadlines, but still…it is way more flexible.
Now let’s take look at the most common disadvantages:
- Person-to-person communication is non-existent. Some students may have trouble learning if there’s no one to guide them around.
- Personal motivation and organization are harder while following an E-learning education. You have to create and strictly follow your own schedule.
- There’s no face-to-face socializing with fellow colleagues. The only persons you’ll be speaking with are your online teachers.
- Some employers don’t treat E-Learning seriously. It’s still the world in which college degrees are a requirement.
E-learning can take many forms. One can educate himself by reading online forums and articles, by joining special e-learning groups, and also by enrolling in online courses.
Online Courses – An Efficient Education Tool
As I mentioned earlier, there are many ways in which you can follow an online education. One of the most efficient strategies that lots of people use is enrolling in online courses.
Here’s something great about online courses: you can find everything you want on almost any given subject. Do you want to learn how to code in JavaScript? Take a JavaScript course. Do you want to learn geography or biology? Go find some online courses on those topics – they’re out there.
Did you know that there’s a website that provides over 1000 online courses from top universities? And it’s also mainly free. Check out Coursera for more information.
Udemy is another great digital media platform which focuses on a lot of topics. Mainly, Udemy provides personal development and education courses. If you never used it before, you’ll be surprised to see how big its marketplace is.
Have I mentioned that these courses are pennies compared to the fees you have to pay for college? Many of them are even free, and the information you get could be even better than you expected.
People prefer enrolling into these types of “classes” because the flexibility and convenience they get are more often more preferred than a strict and regular schedule.
To tell you the truth, it all depends on you. If you’re a hard-working person, you can make it everywhere. College or online, it doesn’t matter. As long as you remain ambitious, things will go well for you.
Learning Foreign Languages through E-Learning
The traditional way of learning a new language is pretty straightforward: you either learn that language in school or with a private mentor, or you don’t learn it at all. At least that’s what things looked like fifty years ago.
All the coaching that there is today was not available in the past. In the present moment, we can find every possible language online, and we can easily begin to learn it.
There are a lot of specialized online courses and online coaches that provide amazing services. For example, if you want to learn Chinese, you should scout for the best resources available on the internet. Make a list, and choose the best option.
Another important aspect is the fact that the dictionary book is no longer needed. Nowadays, you just have to type a keyword into a search engine and boom…thousands of relevant results pop up. You are saving a lot of time.
But still, reading an online course may not be enough to learn a language. That is why tools such as Skype can help with the communication between more people. In our case, the person at the end of our line is an online tutor.
If you do the math, acquiring professional resources such as reading material, videos, audio segments, and a specialized coach is really worth it. Yes, you will have to pay like for everything else; but it’s totally worth it.
Learning New Skills through E-Learning
Knowing how to speak different languages can be considered a skill. How about other skills? For example, you can learn how to write properly. Australian Writings is a professional writing service that specializes in essay writing. Ordering their services and analyzing their work can turn out to be extremely beneficial for your upcoming assignments.
E-learning brings a huge advantage. Compared to the traditional learning, e-learning allows you to choose from a big variety of sources. When you want to learn a new skill such as web designing, you have a LOT of available options.
Because you’ll usually see reviews and testimonials, you can make a decision and choose what suits you best. Learning new skills online is quite fun. Here’s another great company that provides bite-sized lessons on every possible topic.
Even though I haven’t mentioned it until now, learning new stuff while watching how-to videos is extremely popular among teenagers. You don’t know how to do something? Search for your issue in the YouTube search panel and find a quick solution.
Conclusion
The new tendencies may seem like they’ve reached a top point, but they really haven’t. The E-learning industry is still developing, and it will develop continuously. Maybe its name will change. Maybe the virtual reality medium will take over, so then we will name it “virtual learning”.
Either way, everyone has options. You can choose to follow a traditional learning route, or do exactly the opposite and follow the trends. It’s really up to you. What type of person are you? Do you like personal freedom and flexibility? Then E-Learning is for you.
Are you a disorganized person and have trouble learning stuff on your own? Then maybe traditional schooling works better for you. Oh, and by the way, you can do them both!
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