Within several decades, the rapid developing technology
enables almost every family to get access to the internet
at home. Educational television programs were introduced
to families for their convenience and vividness. It seems
natural that people would gradually switch from traditional
schools to internet based or television based education.
However, this never happened. Why? Because traditional
schools possess many essential qualities for more effective
education which can hardly be replicated by internet and
television. For the better-being of the students, I prefer
traditional schools as the ideal mean for education.
　　
At first glance, internet and television seem to provide
much more flexibility on time for the students. The fact is
that this flexibility might just inhibit the process of
effective learning. At such young ages, self-control is
quite limited in students. Even at schools, students often
disobey the rules and disregard the schedules. It is not
difficult to conceive that most students, at home, would
indulge in the freedom and never follow the schedule, if
they have ever bothered to make one. While at school, from
morning to evening, students are constantly under
supervision of teachers who play an active role in
transmitting knowledge, thus students are more likely
to absorb information in a school environment.
　　
Second, traditional schools are far more interactive
in teaching than internet and television. No matter how
vividly today's technology imitates the interactive
environment, internet and television are still too rigid
and unrealistic. For instance, in traditional classrooms,
when listening to a lecture, students can directly ask
questions if they don't follow and immediately receive
feedback. Teachers would also be able to observe the
students’ behavior in order to adjust the pace and
content. Meanwhile, on the internet, students can hardly
have the opportunity to raise questions which they might
just forget eventually because of procrastination.
　　
Last but not least, traditional schools guarantee the
students a social environment full of peers. From the very
first day in kindergarten, children are forced to socialize
with other kids. Years of schooling will help students make
friends, learn to cooperate and deal with people they do not
like. Such a learning process is a necessity for their future
working and living. We have learnt that students who were
home schooled, often turned out to be lacking of social skills
and friends, let alone studying via cold computers and televisions.
　　
In summary, even though computer and television provide
us with an alternative way of studying, the status of traditional
schools cannot be replaced. Students will surely benefit more from
traditional schools both academically and psychologically.