TED Video Respon

In class we watched a video of Sugatra Mitra sharing his findings from a number of experiments related to education and the use of technology. I found it very intriguing.

He began by having us think about the remoteness of an area and it's relationship to the quality of the education found there. He shared a number of supposed reasons for poor education in remote areas, including the lack of technology and materials. But what he discovered was that the desire of the teacher to teach in the remote area had much more of an effect on the success, or lack of success, of the students.

He then discussed the phenomenon of high performing schools gaining less educational strides through technology than under performing schools. In our world today, schools that can afford technology are often schools in areas where students would perform well regardless of the technology. He stated, however, that schools where students do not have technology, and are underperforming, actually make much greater gains in learning when technology is introduced.

In summary, Sugatra made the case for placing technology in underperforming schools and creating opportunities for students to teach each other. Their natural interest, curiosity, willingness to experiment, and group learning are a perfect match for using technology to guide their learning.