This is a fascinating presentation by Sugata Mitra who, in an experiment, placed internet connected PCs into a wall bordering a slum in New Delhi. He found that children would start playing with the computers, teach themselves how to get on line to browse or play games, and teach each other.
After replicating his experiment in different settings throughout India, he concluded:
...even in the absence of any direct input from a teacher, an environment that stimulates curiosity can cause learning through self-instruction and peer-shared knowledge. Mitra, who's now a professor of educational technology at Newcastle University (UK), calls it "minimally invasive education." - TED
I came upon this as I was searching for "Arms and the Man", a play by George Bernard Shaw that I wanted to re-read after I gave in to a bit of nostalgia last month. I decided to pay $1.60 to download the play onto my Kindle (cheaper than printing seventy-six pages from a PDF file) and after I read it again, I'll watch Helena Bonham Carter in the lead role via Netflix.
Sugata Mitra's work, validates my fond connection with the internet as a learning tool and I'm so inspired by the curiosity and joyful tenacity of the Indian children. At an age that qualifies me for the Granny Cloud, a legion of volunteers who tutor the children over Skype, I'm drawn to the possibilities of learning any subject that intrigues me.
Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. -Mahatma Gandhi
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CNN video: Hole in the Wall Education inspired book and movie, "Slumdog Millionaire".
Video: TED Talks



