Assigment 3

I will add to this post once I receive the book and read the other two documents. I can however, comment on the video by Sugata Mitra. Mitra highlights some very interesting points about the teacher motivation and teacher migration based on where they teach. He uncovers that over 60% of teachers in India who teach in remote areas would prefer to teach in more urban or suburban areas. Mitra suggests that this could have an effect on teacher motivation which could be linked to a deficiency in student learning. This whole idea of low student performance and low teacher motivation prompted a study by Mitra to gain a better understanding of student abilities in these remote areas as well student motivation.
He began this study by placing a computer in a slum and observing how the people in the area reacted to it. His observations included a child experimenting with it without any prior knowledge of computers. Within a short period of time, this child was showing and teaching other children how the computer worked. Mitra duplicated this experiment in other remote areas and experienced similar results.
What conclusions could be drawn from this?
What really stands out to me is not so much the interest in the computer. I believe technology is fascinating to most people. I am not surprised by the children's interest as much as I'm surprised at how civil they were in taking turns using it as well as the patience necessary to watch other children use the computer while they waited their turn.
I do agree that children can teach themselves as well as each other. This is especially true when dealing with a topic of high interest. I still do not believe it could replace a classroom setting with a teacher. There is more to a classroom then information. A classroom and involves the hidden curriculum and social curriculum. on the other hand, if Mitra is saying that they are not getting this anyway in the classroom, then it makes more sense.
My school does try to incorporate technology more and more each year. We understand the importance and significance of technology.