China - Part Two.

Of course, as with pretty much any form of education and technology in todays world, there and advantaged and disadvantages with distance learning. An advantage which you cant find in schooling is that is it flexible and there is no centralised resources. Also, so many people can be educated this way as messages can easily be delivered and recieved by so many people at one time, which of course is a massive convinience. However, with the advantages come disadvantages, such as lack of face to face interaction and active learning with other students, which you do find in the classroom, which in my opinion would slow down and decrease the effectiveness, as if someone doesn't understand something or struggles, they can't just ask their tutor for help, as they are learning via a television. The audience aren't seen as individuals with their own interests and preferences, they are simply seen as a group. Surely this reflects the quaility of learning?

In theory I think distance learning is a great thing as it is an effective way of reaching the masses and offering so many people an education, but are these people at disadvantage compared to those who have class room schooling? "Students having access to better-equipped laboratories may perform more experiments than those who have no well-equipped laboratory at their disposal". I find this point quite interesting and fitting, as basically it says that students who have access to practical equpment (in science for example) perform more experiments than those who have less access. This must mean that education isn't equal? To me, this just suggests taht depending on where you live, you have a better chance of education and better oppurtunities.

I can see how distance learning works in China, it is such an impressive technological advance, but personally I can see quite a few "cracks" - problems and issues which may not seem a big deal, but can effect the students, education systems and in the long run.