ONLINE LEARNING DURING COVID-19 Kylie Chan, Year 12, Anderson Amidst
Covid-19,
we
often
find
ourselves
The use of online platforms such as Zoom has
confined to the small spaces we have at home.
drastically increased, especially in school settings.
Everything has been digitalised, from online
This has had a detrimental effect on the majority
lessons to fundraising events. Although the idea of
of the population, most significantly on mental
staying in bed all day on our laptops and phones
health.
is tempting, this could prove detrimental not only
communication of nonverbal body language (e.g.
to our mental health but also to our physical
mannerisms,
health. Laptop screens emit blue light, which can
something that could trigger around 7% of the
significantly affect the quality of sleep, especially
population who have a social anxiety disorder.
Online
learning
gestures)
makes
harder
to
the
interpret,
when used before bedtime, often leading to sleep deprivation. This could, in turn, have other
It is also widely agreed that online lessons have
consequences such as a shorter attention span and
been detrimental to our learning. Without the
reduced focus, as well as negatively impacting
presence of others and the lack of a classroom
healthy growth in children and adolescents.
setting, students often feel demotivated to work hard and focus on their studies. Although we have
Experts suggest that excessive screen time could
swiftly returned to face-to-face lessons, zoom
also result in difficulty reading emotions and
lessons still remain a big part of our lives. Below
increased suicidal behaviour. Furthermore, a
are some helpful tips that may improve your
study by the United States National Institute of
online learning experience:
Health revealed that children who spent more than two hours a day on electronic devices
Firstly, use the chat feature on Zoom to ask
generally scored lower on thinking and language
questions. Asking questions in an online setting
tests.
may be daunting for some students, especially if they may normally be reluctant to raise their
According
of
hand during normal lessons. Using the chat
Paediatrics, no more than two hours of screen
function allows you to privately ask questions
time daily is recommended for teenagers and
without letting other students know.
adults,
to
while
the
American
absolutely
no
Academy
screen
time
is
recommended for kids under the age of two;
Secondly, email your teachers. If using the chat
however, the challenges brought about by the
function may still be too daunting for you, don’t
Covid-19 Pandemic have made this increasingly
be afraid to email your teacher for a private
difficult.
online call. Often you will receive valuable
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