Week 5 Social Media and Technology Is the New Classroom?

I am curious after watching Mr. Sugata Mitra's presentation and talk about education, on how exactly it would work with eliminated education as we know it.  He spoke about giving the main question and letting students use a computer to figure it out and could they figure it out if allowed to on their own.  According to his presentation, YES!  Mitra's presentation was called "Build a School in the Cloud"  I have linked his New Castle University profile to his name for some background on Mr. Mitra and also the TED talk to the title.

The idea of students using the interent and computers as tools to learn on their own seems outlandish, but yet we as people not necessarily in school do it everyday.  Learning how to do home projects on Youtube, or asking other questions on Facebook.  Granted it may or may not be educational at all times but for the most part we are searching for an answer.  Is this different then being asked a question by a teacher and then searching for an answer?  Sounds the same to me, different levels of purpose and importance maybe but same idea.  I see Mr. Mitra's ideas and a breakthrough to explain and prove that education today is outdated. I agree with some aspects but for the most part could't agree more.  See actual evidence that shows children with no food let alone training on a computer can learn how to use it and what is actually on the screen.  I as a student and now as an educator have heard and used these words.  "It's not so bad if you just sit down and do it."  My mother and father both used to say this to me about homework daily.  I now say it to my students.  This is what I hear when watching Sugata Mitra's video.  I understand that technology has it dangers and can be scary at times, but lets be real for a second.  Everyone freaked out about the Wright brothers flying.  How many people have died or used aircraft to kill?  More than you can count I know.  So lets take scary and make it into useful and helpful.  I urge you, like Sugata Mitra has, try it and see that it can be done and needs to be for us and our students to continue being successful.


A quote I use all the time and I have to thank NIKE for it.  "Think Nike"......"Just Do It!"