E-Learning- Is it a substitute?

With the rapid pace of technological advancements, the field of education also could not remain untouched and unaffected. The technology had cast a revolutionary impact on the way education could be imparted and also made available to the millions of students across the globe.

E learning is considered the next big revolution and IT holds a big promise in the way education can be made available to a large number people, thereby overcoming the barriers of language, nationality, distance and time.

With better study material, better teaching techniques, efficient and cost effective means of imparting education, e learning is fast catching pace. More and more nations are investing in technology to significantly increase the rate of Literacy and provide more avenues to people to enhance the knowledge base and skill sets. IT companies are investing in softwares and more and more focus is given to make people competent to learn the basics of computers and harness the benefits of IT.

E learning no doubt has been fast catching pace with growing sections of society but my opinion is that the real time class room education can never be substituted with e learning. The one to one interaction with the teacher and interactive class room sessions with peers, go way beyond in influencing the over all growth and development of an individual. The chanellizing of ideas and direction given by a teacher is incomparable to any IT solution that can be provided. Even in the words of Henry Brooks Adams- A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell, where his influence stops.The type of atmosphere that is provided by the regular teaching and the exchange of ideas and inculcation of values and team work that happen, go way beyond in shaping the personality and intellect of a person.

In my opinion e learning can be a supplement to teaching and to an extent, a necessity for the ones for whom education is a distant dream, but it can never be a substitute for regular education. Some argue that present day teaching is below standards and class room sessions are boring, but this does not effectively substantiate the argument in favor of IT learning.Even today the very first option should always be regular class room teaching and efforts should be made to improve the standards of teaching.