Sugata Mitra: Build a School in the Clouds

In today's world, technology is everywhere. The younger generations are far more advanced than the older ones. My oldest daughter was able to fully function a computer, playstation, and television by the age of 3. My youngest two are only two and three and can practically any device given to them; they do struggle from time to time though. Over the last few years we have increased the amount of technology in our home greatly.

Technology in the school is no different. I observe a classroom for two hours every week and the teacher uses an iPad in their everyday routine. My daughter's classroom has an iPad and an interactive smart board. When I was in elementary and middle school, I did not have the luxury of using this type of technology. The most we had were over head projectors and TV's with VCR's on a rolling cart.

The "Build a School in the Clouds" video was inspirational. I liked the idea of having someone use a video cast program, such as Skype, to give the students the opportunity of learning from a highly experienced teacher. I would use a tool like this to teach students a subject like a foreign language. I struggled in Spanish classes even though my family come from Venezuela and Portugal. I wish I had the opportunity to spend one hour a week learning from someone who lives in the environment everyday.

Dr. Mitra discussed how people of wealth believe their children are smarter because they have the funds to expand their child's knowledge. Dr. Mitra has spent a lot of time traveling to various areas of high poverty to do a case study. This study is known as The Hole in the Wall. He believes that if children of poverty decent are given the opportunity to have a computer they will teach themselves.

This picture represents a hole in the wall. The children flock and line up for the opportunity of a lifetime to use a computer. This is something many of us take for granted on a daily basis. We witness similar interest when new technology comes out. There are lines of people at midnight who wait for a new game, game system, or even Apple products to come out.