Daily Times

Technology can play a vital role in the field of teaching.

This format precludes direct teacher-to-student interaction as is normally found in the classroom. Learning is completely self-motivated.

Students must manage their time and complete tasks on their own within the given time frame. Here, we analyze whether this method is helpful for students?

Is there still a need for classroom learning and guidance by teachers?

We also discuss the use of the internet and YouTube videos.

Prelude

Rosenberg defines learning as ”The process by which people acquire new skills or knowledge for the purpose of enhancing their performance.”

Information has been moving into the online environment, which can be updated continuously because everyone wants to learn anytime and anywhere.

E-learning is a form of training or teaching that takes place over the internet or intranet. There are many benefits to e-learning. These include cost-effectiveness, enhanced responsiveness to change, consistency, timely content, flexible accessibility providing customer value and improved performance.

There are several disadvantages to e-learning as well. E-learning requires a lot of patience, motivation, self-confidence, dedication and general knowledge of computer use.

Not all students are self-motivated and determined enough to handle online courses. The role of the instructor in e-learning is more than that of a facilitator who keeps the course moving and answers questions or handles conflicts.

Students learn independently and from others, who participate in the discussions. If students are not focused and willing to push themselves to do the work, they are unable to succeed in an online course.

Classroom learning still has a strong role. Without guidance from teachers, most students would not know the content of their course and fail the examinations.

In the classroom, the teacher not only guides or facilitates the students but also teaches every student according to the individual’s mental capability.

Furthermore, tests and quizzes in the classroom measure the knowledge gained from the classroom. There is no such way in the e-learning method. E-learning plays an important role in many fields, which include speaking English and improving writing skills.

YouTube videos are very helpful in developing a good understanding of electronic projects. Using YouTube videos to teach English classes provides learners with a good understanding and knowledge of their lectures. In addition, it is likely to make the learning process more fun and meaningful.

There is an increasing demand for the Internet, including websites and videos. Using the Internet in education has a positive influence on the learning and teaching process.

Research has shown that video applications have a positive influence on learners’ performance in social studies and science.

According to Bonk, YouTube is considered an attractive social medium that contributes to global education. YouTube is being increasingly used by instructors to teach English language.

Many researchers have tried to shed light on the vital role of YouTube videos for teaching and learning in classrooms. There are many advantages to using YouTube in the classroom. Using YouTube in the classrooms attracts students’ attention greatly and makes the classroom interactive for language learning. If a student finds a particular video on YouTube that is interesting and useful in English language learning, he can easily find more similar videos. However, its use in classrooms also has some drawbacks. There is no way to block inappropriate content on YouTube when you are using it in the classroom. Students can face problems in understanding the language in videos. YouTube can easily distract the students and get them off the topic.

If students are not focused and willing to push themselves to do the work, they would not be able to succeed in an online course

Another branch of e-learning is mobile learning. Mobile learning has proved more effective than any other form of e-learning because mobile phones are easily available. Another advantage is mobility; a mobile phone is available anywhere and everywhere. This opens a wide range of possibilities for distance learning. Thus, according to Keegan, mobile learning is best seen as a subset of distance education. There are some failures to mobile learning. One, learning and training mobile applications do not seem to be high on the list of applications receiving attention today because these are not a significant source of revenue for telecommunication companies.

According to Veen, the process of e-learning is highly dependent on teachers. They must teach the right thing at the right time. Otherwise, it could have a negative impact on students. While some teachers believe that use of computers motivates students to work independently, hence increasing their individual performance, others believe that using computer distracts teacher too much. It remains an indisputable fact that social media sites such as Youtube, Facebook and Linkedin enable teachers to share their lectures, study material, research and helpful references thus supporting and enhancing their learning.

Niess has highlighted the need for teachers to have the skills to integrate the knowledge of their subject matter with technology in such a way that one compliments the other. They must be careful not to let technology overwhelm the learning aspect of integration. Help is needed for teachers and students to make an informed decision on which application/technology tool is better suited for the subject matter. Teachers’ uncertainty and lack of knowledge are actual barriers to incorporating technology as a medium of education.

Safdar gives a new perspective to e-learning by mentioning how teachers can use technology to help teach large groups of students while focusing on targeted weak groups who need more time and specific attention. He also mentions that e-learning builds a collaborative, not competitive, learning environment by making children share their work and findings so that every student has access to a vast pool of knowledge.

E-learning is powerful when both training and knowledge management are integrated. It is even more powerful when integrated with classroom training in a ”learning architecture.”

E-learning is not the end to classroom training. In fact, classroom training will be redefined to focus on the aspects of learning that are best accomplished when there is a requirement for person-to-person interactions, identifying opportunities for improvement, team effort, evaluative tasks, and the participation of experts with the group.

E-learning doesn’t provide full knowledge and understanding. It cannot be used to completely eliminate classroom-based learning. If e-learning completely eliminates teachers, students will not understand their courses clearly.

E-learning has some advantages. It is a convenient way of gaining knowledge and information. It also helps many students complete their education when they have time because they can take courses whenever convenient. There are also some drawbacks. Some students need a teacher who monitors their work and stands in front of them. Such students need traditional classroom system for learning. Furthermore, students who are not focused and willing to push themselves to do the work will not succeed in e-learning. It is an extremely time-consuming method. Many students do not feel comfortable with e-learning. The method is clearly not suitable for all students. It will therefore not be able to replace classroom learning.

The writer is an assistant professor in English at Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro