The School in the Cloud

 In his TedTalk, "Build a School in the Cloud," Sugata Mitra talks about the curiosity of children and their ability to learn something with little to no background. He talks about how he created "hole in the wall" computers and placed them in communities that would not normally have had access to these devices. Children found these devices and questioned what they were and why they were there. At first, they seemed confused, but after a short period of time, they were able to figure out how to manipulate the device to search the web, play games, and learn new concepts. Mitra would return to these communities and discover that these children were able to learn English, learn how to use the technology, and in one instance learn about DNA replication. It is an interesting and conflicting concept to think that children are able to figure all of this out with nothing but a device in front of them. 

Children navigating the "hole in the wall" computers

This talk got me thinking about the idea of "digital natives" and "digital immigrants." We live in a world where technology has become a crucial part of our schools, workplaces, and personal lives. However, for the children in this video, they do not have the same experiences. They have not been exposed to technology from an early age. But they were able to figure out how to use the computer. This makes me question what Prensky's thoughts would be. Would these children be considered "digital immigrants?" They had no prior experiences with technology, they were not born into a society with technology all around. But wouldn't that contradict his beliefs about youth and technology? It's a complicated idea. 

I also started thinking about the ideas of Sherry Turkle. She believed that technology was taking over the world, and we would eventually turn to technology to be our companions rather than one another. In my opinion, she would not have liked what Mitra had to say. Turkle believed in a world where connection; real, face to face, human connection needed to be at the forefront. There is a space for technology, but it does not need to take over the connections we make with others. Mitra believed that technology could replace the way that schools are currently operating. There simply needs to be a moderator (teacher) that poses a big idea question: How did the world begin? Where did dogs come from? How do we breathe? Then, the students take their technology and find answers to these questions. 

I am very conflicted in my personal beliefs about this idea of the "school in the cloud." On one hand, I think that the idea is very innovative and promotes a sense of curiosity and self-guided learning for our students. On the other hand, I cannot imagine removing myself from the role of teacher and becoming a facilitator who takes a step back from the learning process. Honestly, this has left me feeling a bit uneasy and not sure where I stand.