Salaam dear young friends, how are you all today? Hope you are all fine by the Grace of Almighty Lord.
Summer vacations have started for those who are in schools and those who are studying in universities are busy with their exams (online).
As you all are aware, due to COVID-19 pandemic, the current academic year in most of the countries was online and students had to be active via their gadgets.
Online or virtual studies has totally transformed the concept of schools and physical learning in the entire world.
Online learning is famously flexible and when we think of learning online, it’s usually the asynchronous activities such as presentations and quizzes that spring to mind first. There is another important element to online learning, though, and that’s the live, synchronous element.
Learning online increases engagement by adding a human element. It is especially beneficial for learners who are not so self-sufficient or who are used to the traditional teacher and class model of education.
In some ways, live online lessons are similar to traditional face-to-face classes — a teacher can present information and interact with a group of people.
The anonymity of not being physically present in a classroom can also be a benefit to learners attending online sessions. Learners who feel afraid to speak or raise their own issues in a physical classroom may often feel braver when they know they can’t be seen by other members of the class.
Likewise, learners with a physical disability which limits their participation in traditional classroom activities are at no disadvantage in a virtual classroom where all participants are equal.
Well, friends, these were some benefits of online classes, but now as the summer vacations are near, how should we spend our leisure time, should we be still online, watch TV programmes, watch online movies? Can we achieve our goals by just spending (wasting) our useful time on these things?
Studies shows that the brains of the infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers are genetically programmed to develop most effectively when exposed to an environment. During this period of our evolution, early childhood was characterized by specific types of social interaction, including language exposure, social experiences leading to an understanding of self-awareness and one’s role in society, as well as virtually limitless opportunities for physical play, imaginative play and creativity.
We now live in a society where these types of experiences, so critical for appropriate brain development, have been usurped by television and other electronic media. Watching too much television can change the structure of a child’s brain in a damaging way, according to a new study. Researchers found that the more time a child spent viewing TV, the more profound the brain alterations appeared to be.
Insha’ Allah, we will continue this topic in our next week’s chat and will explore the negative aspects of time wasting. Goodbye till next week.