Many people feel that students should learn from online materials while others feel that it is better to use printed materials. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

Sample 1:

There have been recent calls for schools to phase out printed materials and take better advantage of online resources. Although printed materials enable important cognitive returns, schools should adopt online materials almost exclusively to protect the environment.

Printed materials encourage children to develop good thinking habits. Children and teenagers will of course spend an outsized amount of time on the internet, through smartphones and computers, as they grow up. This not only impacts their attention span and brain chemistry but also makes them susceptible to worryingly unreliable online information. Printed materials, on the other hand, are written by well-regarded authors, thoroughly researched, and students cannot get distracted by the lures of the internet while reading a physical book.

Nonetheless, online materials present an opportunity to protect the world’s trees at a time when they are under great threat. Take the typical lifecyle of a school’s coursebooks for example. Hundreds of students in a single grade are given a dozen books for various subjects every year. The books tend to be reused for several years but they later must be replaced with newer editions, necessitating more trees to be cut down. Using online materials does not entail the same level of environmental costs. Textbooks can be easily updated, and no trees have to be chopped down to create the devices in the first place. Over time, this will have a dramatic impact on tree populations around the globe and help mitigate the looming damage of climate change.

In conclusion, administrators should make every effort to replace the outdated medium of paper with their electronic equivalent. This is merely one step, but a still crucial one, in saving the earth from imminent catastrophe.

Sample 2:

With the advancement of technology, many people think online materials are sufficient for teaching, and printed materials have no place in schools today. I believe this matter depends on both the subject taught and the level of education of students.

Online materials are the solution to protect the environment while still providing convenience for both students and teachers. This type of learning material usually appears in higher education because there are lots of students in courses that require a heavy load of materials. If they are all printed, it would be a considerable amount of paper waste, so online materials are the solution. Another benefit is that online materials come in many forms, such as audio, interactive diagrams, or graphs. It will be more helpful than printed ones for engineering courses and graphic design ones. Also, it is easier to store and share online materials with your peers because it can be done on a laptop and takes up no physical space.

However, that is not to say that printed material has no place in modern education. This type of material is especially suitable for classes that require memorization and annotation. Many subjects, like maths or physics, are hard for note-taking on laptops because they involve various scientific notations, which is why maths is taught by strictly printed materials. Studies also show that memorization is more efficient when students read from printed materials rather than digital ones. Another reason is that printed materials are more user-friendly. This advantage is significant because many teachers and students are not tech-savvy enough to work with digital materials. For example, many underprivileged students in middle and high schools still struggle with using computers due to not having prior exposure.

In conclusion, I think that online materials are suitable for higher education, or for courses that require perusing lots of materials. On the other hand, printed materials are user-friendly and suitable for classes with lots of memorization and annotation.

Sample 3:

The debate over whether students should primarily learn from online materials or printed materials is ongoing, with valid arguments on both sides.

Proponents of online materials argue several points. Firstly, digital resources offer unparalleled accessibility and convenience. Students can access a vast array of information from anywhere with an internet connection, which can enhance their learning flexibility. Moreover, online materials often include multimedia elements such as videos, simulations, and interactive quizzes, which can make learning more engaging and effective. Lastly, digital platforms allow for immediate updates and revisions, ensuring that students have access to the latest information.

On the other hand, advocates for printed materials highlight their unique advantages. Printed materials are perceived to be less distracting than online content, as they do not feature pop-up ads, notifications, or other digital distractions that can divert attention. Many students also find it easier to concentrate when reading from physical books or printed texts, as the tactile experience of turning pages can enhance focus and retention. Furthermore, printed materials do not require electricity or internet access, making them reliable in situations where digital resources may be inaccessible.

In considering my own opinion, I believe that a balanced approach is ideal. Both online and printed materials have their strengths, and the choice between them should depend on various factors such as the subject matter, individual learning preferences, and the specific educational goals of the student. For example, subjects that benefit from frequent updates and multimedia content might be better suited to online resources, while subjects requiring deep focus and uninterrupted reading could favor printed materials.

In considering my own opinion, I believe that a balanced approach is ideal. Both online and printed materials have their strengths, and the choice between them should depend on various factors such as the subject matter, individual learning preferences, and the specific educational goals of the student. For example, subjects that benefit from frequent updates and multimedia content might be better suited to online resources, while subjects requiring deep focus and uninterrupted reading could favor printed materials.

Sample 4:

Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, we must reevaluate what is normal and what is not. We saw a need for resources that can be easily accessible for them to obtain, given that students cannot receive instruction from teachers in person, as most educational institutions throughout the world had to transition teaching in the year 2020 to the online form. This has undoubtedly raised concerns about the types of learning that we should prioritise. Some people support using printed hardcopies while others are in favour of learning with internet resources. Both obviously offer advantages and disadvantages, so a decision must be taken after careful analysis.

Reducing our consumption of paper and printed materials seems like a reasonable choice since we're becoming more aware of our impact on the environment as a result of the escalating effects of climate change. Reducing our consumption of paper is one approach to lessen our negative environmental effect because trees are felled to create paper. It is more practical to use internet resources instead of printed ones. On the whole, it is pretty cost-effective. Given that the majority of pupils or their parents would have technology like mobile phones, tablets, or computers in this age of rapid technological innovation, resources made available online can be quickly accessed. The resources available through the online method can be found in a variety of media types, including videos and audios, rather than being restricted to reading materials like articles and ebooks.

It is true that audio-visual media is thought to be highly beneficial for understanding, and knowledge remembered in this way is preserved fairly well. Additionally, there are advantages to employing services like translation of articles that are not initially available in the language that the student is familiar with while accessing online resources. Online platforms provide a number of benefits that we have come to rely on for our convenience and that have made information readily available to all of us. It would be unintelligent to not make the best use of these resources.

Sample 5:

With the onset and drastic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, online materials have become a common source for studying and preparation for students. This essay will present several argumentative points associated with the concerned topic. 

Students are required to read quite a lot. Studying from online sources for a prolonged period can have adverse effects such as deterioration of eyesight, headaches, problems in posture etc. In the long run their attention span is affected, and they tend to find it hard to concentrate while studying from online materials. Reading books in the physical form is far less distracting. Online platforms can often lead to misinformation, if not checked for credibility. There are risks of getting reeled into conspiracy theories and fake news.

One needs to be absolutely cautious of the information that they access through the internet. Books or other reference material prescribed by the institutions tend to have more authority. Even with new introductions of technology, books cannot suddenly disappear because they hold significance to us. They are not a waste because they can be reused, and they are treasures of knowledge that can be held in physical form. While the spread of technology and the internet has been substantial, there are still areas in many countries that tend to remain remote. Unless the internet is readily usable everywhere, students that belong to those places would undoubtedly have to rely on the physical forms of information that they can access like journals, books and newspapers.

In conclusion, both of these approaches do not need to be exclusive of each other. A blend of online resources as well as the printed materials can be the way to go for students to get the best of both. Imposing either of the two ways without consideration to the factors that affect students would not be fruitful.

Gaining knowledge is the actual goal and no number of resources can be too much for that, and certainly should not be less. So, it seems sensible to figure out a middle ground or incorporate both kinds of sources for students to study.