Hole in the Wall TED Talk Reflection

I recently viewed the 2013 Winning TED talk: Sugata Mitra - The Child Driven Education. It was an eye-opening talk and I found interesting the concept of putting a computer literally in a hole in the wall of a slum and leaving it there. The children flocked to it with no reason and no understanding. By simply making a computer available but with no other instruction on the topics he uploaded; it showed the sheer magnitude that learning and thirst for knowledge can have on a child.  I see this concept so often with my own children. The amount of learning a child can do on his own just by being given the materials is astounding. For example sometimes I can't figure out something on my iPad and my 3 year old can most times tell me what is wrong? Amazing and slightly terrifying :)

I love the concept of student driven education as demonstrated by Sugata Mitra and I see this come into practice a lot in my online courses. Students have to be motivated, self disciplined and driven to want to succeed in a course that is driven solely by them. No matter how student driven, I have seen first hand that a teacher is still needed and necessary. A teacher should be there to pose questions, give feedback and encourage those students learning on their own pathways.

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” by Coston Daugherty


I think EDU 653 is a lot like this. The gamification model of the course allows a student to have some freedom in what concepts they want to master while still gaining knowledge in all the necessary areas. I can see education changing with the limitless technological webtools available but the main take away is that learning will never stop. Our world is constantly changing and instructors can change with it in order to meet their students needs. I feel the dynamics of a traditional brick and mortar classroom will continue to evolve to enhance student learning and with that the instructor will also evolve.


Please feel free to watch the Ted Talk here: Sugata Mitra - The Child Driven Education

If you want to expand your knowledge on a student driven classroom and helping your students explore the WHY in their education please feel free to view this awesome TED talk from Shelly Wright about the power of student led learning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fMC-z7K0r4. 

Here are a couple additional articles on Student Driven Learning and the future of education.

Edutopia Student-Centered Learning: It Starts With the Teacher

9 Things That Will Shape The Future Of Education: What Learning Will Look Like In 20 Years?