After technology has become closely intertwined with human life and the advent of the internet era and the digital communication revolution, there has been an urgent discussion about the future of education and the role of modern tools in educational development. The conversation has even extended to considering abandoning old methods that require direct communication between learner and teacher in a traditional classroom, using paper books and writing tools. This certainly has an impact on the learning and teaching process. Will this trend lead to better results if everyone adopts e-learning? This is what this article attempts to answer.
The need for education arose since the beginning of human activity on Earth, aiming to transfer knowledge and learn skills needed by the young at that time, enabling humans to continue living, earn a livelihood, and meet their needs. As circumstances evolved and human settlements emerged and flourished, humans needed more advanced means to meet learning and teaching needs. This led to the establishment of Quranic schools, which later developed into formal schools as seen in ancient Egypt and Greece. In the East, Chinese philosopher Confucius developed his educational doctrine, which influenced educational systems and curricula in Far Eastern countries.
The technological revolution and the development of communication systems brought about a tangible revolution in the methods of communication between teacher and learner. With the beginning of the internet revolution and the expansion of the World Wide Web, access to information became easier than ever before. However, this did not eliminate the need for the continuation of the educational process with its basic components: the teacher, student, curriculum, educational environment, and home, even if methods and tools have changed.
Recently, the commitment to the style, systems, and form of traditional schools has been questioned regarding its feasibility and necessity. Modern communication systems have provided easy access to information and the ability to communicate with teachers without the need to leave home, saving a lot of money and effort, and reducing the need for buildings and transportation! Proponents of e-learning and distance education present these strong justifications to support the idea of a complete transition from traditional education to modern education, especially with the development of software and the quality of image and sound transmission provided by modern software such as (Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Educational Tools, and Blackboard), which have proven successful in environments with strong communication lines and where users have modern devices capable of high-quality access.
On the other hand, supporters of traditional schools maintain that schools in their old form are still an urgent need to create the necessary human interaction for learning required skills, and that teachers are able to bring about behavioral changes in children through direct interaction more than virtual education. Not to mention the many technical problems and weak communications in poor environments, and their absence in a wide geographical range that is not insignificant in the world.
When global lockdowns began with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019 and reached their peak in 2020, the world found itself facing a real test that everyone prepared for, but to varying degrees. Some countries were able to transition to e-learning and distance education without obstacles, as happened in Singapore, while some countries were unable to provide real solutions. Meanwhile, many countries were able to bridge the gap and conduct the school year as best they could, for what cannot be fully achieved should not be entirely abandoned.
At the end of the crisis, the results of the experiment were revealed, confirming that traditional education is indispensable for the human interaction it provides, which is necessary for learning skills and encouraging collective action. At the same time, humanity realized that modern technology is capable of providing qualitative solutions during crises, and that technology is a stimulator and supporter of the learning process in accessing knowledge and supporting skills. This is especially important as students will graduate from school and then university to deal with technological tools in the work environment inevitably, and that the lack of these skills will cause graduates to lose the opportunity to compete for jobs in a labor market that relies on technology and accessibility in all its sectors.
This leads us to conclusions that support the trend towards blended or hybrid learning, which the Oxford Dictionary defines as a type of education where subjects are taught in the classroom using various technologies, and learning through the internet. Blended learning gives teachers and students the opportunity for face-to-face learning where everyone communicates using all methods, including body language, which forms a large part of the communication process and understanding the other party. At the same time, students maintain a connection to the treasure trove of information provided by the World Wide Web and the ability to research, investigate, link data, and exchange it with students in the same class or school. Students are able to train on software and learn about the latest modern technologies that every educational system is keen to provide to its students. Content creators in the last two decades have contributed to producing interactive versions of the curricula they produce. Paper content is no longer dominant in the publishing market, as any book without an interactive electronic link for student use is not qualified for distribution within modern educational systems.