The Education Revolution Via the Internet

George Schultzel is a certified teacher, supervisor and principal and the co-founder of WebPREP LLC, a company that prepares students for the SAT online. His interests primarily lie in advancing and innovating the field of distance education. You can visit his company online at www.mywebprep.com

In the early 19th century, America was profoundly and irrevocably changed socially, culturally and technologically. The Industrial Revolution rang in an era of convenience, quality and accessibility to the people of our nation that was beyond the imagination of even its most forward minded citizen.

This type of revolution is upon us once again, coming in the fantastic pace of progress brought about by innovations in communication. In a seemingly infinitesimally small period of time, one can log on to a computer and have a fully interactive conversation with another person who is quite literally on the other side of the world. These two can enjoy all of the conventional circumstances of person to person communications such as listening and speaking with their own voices and seeing and partaking in non-verbal forms of communication or body language via webcams.

There are so many advantages to communicating in this virtual space which could not possibly be realized in physical space. Two people can pass digital documents, media files and other pertinent information between them instantaneously with the ease of a keystroke. The speaker can also very simply enhance the effectiveness and retention of the lesson by including interactive media and illustrations directly to the screen of the participants.

Educators and students are now benefiting from this revolution in communication. Teachers are providing their students a means for learning that extends well beyond school hours and the confines of the traditional classroom. In this high paced, multimedia world where children are growing up not knowing existence without the internet, the new generations have come to expect that their needs be fulfilled quickly, efficiently and that they be entertained all the while. This is achieved readily at the hand of the educator empowered by technology and this revolution in communications.

Because so many homes and the vast majority of schools across our nation are connected to the internet, the convenience of just logging on and going to a website to be tutored is a reality. A student does not have travel long distances, worry about strangers coming to their house and the lives and schedules of the family do not have to be disrupted by these conventional inconveniences.

Much like the advent of locomotives, which allowed for cheaper delivery of goods and thereby made these goods less expensive, so too we see the internet creating more accessible price-points for traditional methods of tutoring and education. The cost of doing business on the internet is much less in comparison to that of providing the service at a physical location and the educator is able to pass these savings on to the student. More students can now take advantage of the opportunities that were once reserved for the wealthier of their peers.

The quality of education has risen online as well. Professional educators, who previously could not afford the time to travel or tutor students, have found an avenue in the internet that is both viable and convenient. Also, students can now afford to be more selective in finding and engaging a quality tutor as a result of the loss of geographical dependence.

We live in an exciting time. This Educational Revolution has once again provided us with the means to advance our lives. Educators and students alike can now meet, conveniently and inexpensively, allowing for a greater sharing of knowledge and experience.