Digital classroom

When I was a kid, I went to school where the teachers used chalkboards and posters, crayons and paints, colorful shapes and blocks to illustrate the lesson. Despite the simple resources we had, my experience in kindergarten and primary school had been thoroughly enjoyable.

It was only during secondary school that my classmates and teachers began to use computers as a tool for learning. Soon, all of our research for projects and essays were conducted through encyclopedia software programs and the internets. During exam time, all the students went online to study.

Some of our teachers recommended websites and online texts to help us study for their subjects. One of these websites included a tutorial study guide with multiple choice practice quizzes, flash-animation flow charts and diagrams and other interactive stuff to help us understand the content.

This definitely made our lives (including the teachers') easier.

On the other hand, I really hope that people don't forget how to use a normal dictionary and encyclopedia--I must admit that I haven't borrowed a book from the library for over 6 years now...If people were to spend every living minute of their lives on the computer and electronic media, we would all become lethargic and obese. IF we were to exercise only our minds and not our body, the idea presented in the movie, Wall-E, might come true.

The convenience that computers and online information brings us is definitely an advantage to learning. However, we shouldn't be too dependent of it--there is a certain skill in utilizing the traditional classroom. Hopefully we won't lose it.