Agree with Subbu about the situation in India. Many teachers unknowingly prevent learning to happen as they have been themselves prevented from learning in their own school years. The emphasis is more on following rote memorization rather than encourage the exploring of newer horizons. OLPC can hope to change that. I would prefer my college students to learn through computer mediated communication but as they have been brought up in the previous system it is very difficult for them to try out exploratory learning rather than focus on rote memorization to clear their exams. This cycle of getting over their exams continues right up to their doctorates following which they encounter a void for some time and later become focused into narrower areas where they gradually start understanding the importance of self directed life long learning. :-( regards, rakesh <div class="gmail_quote">On Sun, Oct 31, 2010 at 7:30 AM, K. K. Subramaniam <<a href="http://kksubbu.ml">kksubbu.ml</a>@<a href="http://gmail.com">gmail.com</a>> wrote: <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;">On Friday 29 Oct 2010 3:21:55 pm Teemu Leinonen wrote: > On 26.10.2010, at 20.12, Caryl Bigenho wrote: > > I watched Negroponte on the Colbert show last night. Nice. He > > seems to have toned down his former "we don't need teachers... kids > > will do it all" line a bit, but it is still implied. > > > > Sugata Mitra implies the same in his TED talk: > > > > <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_shows_how_kids_teach_themselves.htm" target="_blank">http://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_shows_how_kids_teach_themselves.htm</a> > > l > > I think the latest TED talk of Sugata Mitra is much more interesting > and relevant: > > <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_the_child_driven_education.html" target="_blank">http://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_the_child_driven_education.html</a> One has to understand the context of Mitra's experiments. There is a old saying in India about how kids learn: Quarter from the teacher; quarter from peers; quarter from self-study and quarter over time (i.e. from rumination and experience) In the last forty years, schools in India have become teaching-centric. Teachers are expected to adhere strictly to a curriculum set by a committee and are held accountable for its completion. This has lead to schools becoming a place where teaching happens but not learning. Students vote with their feet :-(. In my own interventions in schools, I have met many teachers who are frustrated by the situation. Mitra is drawing attention of the authorities to these disappearing opportunities. Schooling should assist learning and not interfere with it. Subbu _______________________________________________ IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!) <a href="mailto:IAEP@lists.sugarlabs.org">IAEP@lists.sugarlabs.org</a> <a href="http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep" target="_blank">http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep</a> </blockquote></div>