A World Of Everything, In Just One Click (Benefits of Online Learning)

All photos from @Pixabay

Hello Naija Hivers.

Imagine that in this 21st century we still don't have computers or the internet. Imagine that you have to travel a long distance to a public library just to go search for a book or material you're not even sure would be available, so you can do your school assignment or project. Well, I cannot imagine, and I don't want to imagine either. This isn't the Stone Age. 😂

One of my lecturers in school once told us how he was given a project during his own time in school. The book he was to purchase was no longer in print, as he couldn't find a single copy in all the libraries he visited in Nigeria. He was told that he could only get the book in South Africa. He had to gather money by all means and travel to SA to get the book. He stayed and did the project in South Africa before returning to Nigeria to complete the rest.
He would always threaten to do the same to us anytime he wanted us to behave or comply with his instructions. 9ja lecturers ehn.. 😂

Today, we don’t have to go through all that just in search of information. Online learning was made possible ever since the inception of computers, and has evolved greatly. We're already familiar with the word internet —the most common network we use for online communication. We're in an age where we've seen scientific and technological inventions and innovations that are nothing short of unbelievable. Almost anything or any information can be done or accessed by just a click of a button or tap on a screen.
Although, one should be aware of how dangerous unrestricted use of the internet can be, and thanks to developers who have put in, and are still putting in the effort to ensure privacy and security of users.

Some years ago, when most young people didn't really have access to phones as it is today, during song rehearsal in church, we had difficulty learning the lyrics of a particular song. We just couldn't get the right wordings of the song, and we were stuck. Fortunately, someone got a phone from somewhere and “browsed” the song. There, we got the lyrics! Everyone was excited, but I was particularly wowed at how something as minor as a song's lyrics could be found via the internet. From that time, I started believing that anything can be found online, as long as there's power and data connection. Later on, Facebook became popular. Then 2go and so on. It felt really exciting when I met and connected with my old friends and primary school classmates on Facebook. Today, we can form a community or group online where we connect from different parts of our respective locations. It's so amazing.

You can learn almost anything online, in the form of webinars, video tutorials, masterclasses and so on. You can even get a college degree.
Here are a few benefits of online learning:

1. Flexibility, and self-paced learning: In order to be able to balance work and school, or if we simply don't want to commit to a full-time program which requires your physical presence, an online program allows you to juggle between school and work while also leaving space for us to grow professionally. Plus, you can learn at our own pace and time.

2. Convenience and Comfort: Online learning is an alternative way to study without going to a physical school or classroom. You study at the comfort of your home or wherever you choose. Classes, lecture materials, assessment, as well as learning support are all delivered online.

3. Improved Virtual Communication and Leadership Skills: Many functions are moving online, this makes it a necessity to be able to communicate virtually using online mediums. Learning online will help you be able to create and manage the process of working and communicating with others in a virtual environment more efficiently and effectively. You also get to learn leadership skills as you participate in virtual group activities or board discussions etc. You might get the opportunity to host and moderate such meetings, how to make strong, clear and professional arguments, as well get to know what is known as netiquette rules as you engage more online.

4. Broader Perspective: Online learning exposes you to a broader perspective. This is because you are going to meet people from different parts of the world; people who have different ideas, views, experiences and knowledge that will impact you. You'll become more open minded, empathetic, and innovative in your profession.

5. Updated Materials: Online contents and learning materials are updated from time to time. So you can get updated versions of courses or information on topics of your interest. You can even receive notifications depending on which platform you're subscribed to.

6. Reduced Stress: The stress of learning online is greatly reduced compared to physical learning because it is flexible, convenient, and even less costly. You don't have to worry about being late, held up in traffic, skipping classes and so on.

There are many online platforms for learning, some are paid, some are free. We have YouTube, Instagram, Tiktok for mostly video content. There is Facebook, Threads, Twitter, which are popular for microblogging and so on. There are others like WhatsApp and Telegram which are preferred for chatting. There are others which are designed for business, LinkedIn, WhatsApp Business, Fiver, Upwork, etc.
There are sites where you can enroll for professional courses such as Udemy, Coursera, Alison, Google etc.
There is also Chat GPT. This one is my PA. Whenever I am stuck with my writing projects and need quick help, I just open my chat bot. 😂

I may not have to recommend anyone's handle for you to follow or look up, just go and search. You can find anything online. The internet is a world of everything in just one click. 🙂

Posted Using InLeo Alpha

Posted Using InLeo Alpha

Posted Using InLeo Alpha

Posted Using InLeo Alpha