During the Covid-19 Pandemic, schools shut down all across the world leaving over 1.2 billion children out of the classroom and having to resort to online school. Due to school closures education has changed dramatically with the rise of online learning on digital platforms such as Zoom, Google meet, and Microsoft teams. For some people, Online learning was great however others found it hard and challenging. I as the writer have had to experience online learning during the lockdown and I will discuss how I found my experience. Online learning has also increased in popularity with technology and user experiences improving

Looking at online learning positively Online Learning has provided students with more control over their learning as it gives students independent learning and more control over their own education and their work environment. Online learning also allows students to go at their own pace more as they have more time by themselves to build a better understanding of what they are doing, for example, the call is recorded they can always watch over the call again if they didn't understand something

Online classes allow for a more personalized work experience anywhere and anytime as the is no teacher constantly around which allows more independence and freedom to choose when they want to do certain tasks and allows for a more quiet workspace so students can really focus as they have fewer distractions

Another great feature of online learning is all of the resources used by teachers remain online for students to look at in their own time making it easy to locate any type of work handed in and just if you wanted to brush up on any work. A useful feature I have used is the assignment feature of Microsoft Teams where you can keep track of any work, see the due date and the instructions and it helps manage all your work in a simple way so you don't forget

Online learning has also benefited teachers as well as students as they have grasped a better understanding of technology and used more online features within the school such as Onenote where all information and work can be stored easily

However, some people feel as if online learning means they are isolated, not very interactive, and almost as a social disconnect. There can also be the problem of wifi issues and in some cases a lack of technical knowledge. 

Online learning can become monotonous and boring as you just stay focused on a screen and it can be hard to concentrate and be engaged in lessons with many distractions at home such as social media and background disturbances like pets and family members. You also don't move around much just sitting watching a screen for the whole day

People feel upset as online learning is different from school life as it excludes extra activities and simply just chatting to friends. 59 percent of students reported lower test results which show they might not be getting the help they need online possibly due to less interaction

Overall, In my opinion, I think online learning benefited and was a success as it was only temporary however it allowed me to be more independent and more organized with my work and worry less about getting to school. It also allowed many more features as teachers and students become better at using technology. I do prefer however to be in school as the atmosphere is better than staying at home on a screen constantly