What’s The Point?
What activity is so well suited to face-to-face contact that it can’t be replicated online? This question was asked by Ben Wilkoff, on his Discourse about Discourse blog and eventually teachers and adults involved in the field of education will need to face it. They’ll face a major decision sooner or later: Do we continue having our students come to school, or do we teach online? On Ben Wilkoff’s blog, I left a comment.
“You ask what it is we learn in school that we can’t learn through a computer. Yes, it is true that we can gain all the knowledge of school subjects online, but what about human skills used in every-day life? What about meeting new people and developing relationships? School has brought most friends together, and without it there would be so many people we don’t know. Through school, you build relationships. I think without face-to-face contact conversations are less personal and meaningful. Seeing the person I talk to lets me know the words they say to me have feeling. No computer can demonstrate feeling. Basically, school lets you learn the social skills you need for communication in the ever-changing world. You can’t replicate emotions and a meaningful conversation.”
