I believed in the idea that technology such as cell phones and internet has made our world a smaller place. One can easily connect miles apart in less than a fraction of a second. The world has become so well connected, that we have almost overtaken the physical dimension of distance and time making this vast world into a compact one. But this advancing technology has made a paradigm shift for me towards this inter-connectivity. I no longer see this interconnection as a means to make our world a smaller place. But rather I believe that it has expanded our world. This expansion is due is to the openness of ideas through the means of internet. The internet has become a limitless world of its own. A place where ideas are having sex as Matt Ridley refers in his surprising TED talk and new ideas are been born. And this notion of openness and accessibility to ideas in this world of internet has a direct influence towards shaping human life.
One of the major areas that internet has a direct influence on is the education field. But this internet is not worth without the addiction of knowledge. This addiction to learn, to comprehend and feel the ecstatic understanding; in short the idea of curiosity and the intense intellectual pleasure it offers. This idea of curiosity is the root for making humans travel from caves to moon. Imagine what if Einstein didn’t have this curiosity in him; or what if those first men and women had not asked the question sitting under the sky that “what are those twinkling lights”? Can we ever have a world that we see today without the idea of curiosity?
One of the most fascinating TED talks that I have ever seen is about the idea of SOLE (Self Organized Learning Environment) by Sugata Mitra. This talks about the obsolete education system that we are still practicing and how we need to let learning happen rather than make it happen. We need to have a curriculum of questions rather than answers, switching the curiosity in kids to learn and understand.
Believing in this idea I started practicing the same with my current project of English training for the kids here in a rural village of Chennai called Kasuva. I started with the big questions like “Is there life on other planets?” “Why do we slip on wet surfaces”? In a hope that these non English speaking kids can at least learn few new words; I provided a computer with an internet connection and asked them to find the answer within a week time; So now imagine how these Tamil speaking kids with no idea what and how to search in the internet will ever find answer to these big questions.
So on the day of presentation of the answers I was worried that will they will not be able to answer. It was shocking how these kids made me close my eyes and said to imagine a life after 100 years when all the resources on earth is exhausted and how we will shift our life to Mars. I am surprised how this idea of self-learning can make them do this in a week’s time. So just imagine what if they become lifelong self-learners? What achievement they can make in their life with these learning? And who knows these learners might become the Einsteins and Newtons of tomorrow.
And what if truly “Knowing is obsolete” as Sugata Mitra shares in his talk? What if there is no need to remember anything anymore? What if this internet acts like one single brain that stores all? And whenever we need anything we can get at just a click. I mean I don’t remember those big periodic tables that I learned in my school days and I don’t even care because even if I will memorize the periodic table, Google can give a faster answer than I can. So what’s the need for me to remember? I don’t know how much this idea can work, and is it a perfect replacement for the current education system or not. But one thing that I can surely say is that we need a “Learning System” more than the “Education System”; a learning system which can create learners rather than just educated people.
Good one Mr. Sevalaya 🙂 it’s inspiring to see you work with the kids in a completely novel way.
As one of the kids shared with me when I was in the campus ” Your friend has a very big brain. Only why and how. Very intelligent. ” And this guys was just in his 8th std.
Kids love Abhi here 🙂
Good one Mr. Sevalaya 🙂 it’s inspiring to see you work with the kids in a completely novel way.
As one of the kids shared with me when I was in the campus ” Your friend has a very big brain. Only why and how. Very intelligent. ” And this guys was just in his 8th std.
Kids love Abhi here 🙂
I do agree with you, self learning is very fruitful but this point which you made saying why remember when the internet can provide us with answers, I’d like to differ there, not always does one have internet connectivity. There is nothing far superior than the human brain and don’t forget it’s man who has made internet. Also not all that is there on the internet can be trusted. BTW what you are doing is amazing, teaching the kids and tapping their potential. Way to go Abhi =D
@swethadavuluri we are entering into a world of “internet of things”. Where every thing is connected to the internet. I think you are seeing a narrow picture. The pace at which technology is advancing, I believe that we will get this internet of things sooner than we think. Also in a recent report I read that cost of a computer will be less than a paper by 2020. So how difficult will it be to make reach internet to every part of the world, when it is cheaper than paper?
Think about it…!! And yes human brain has made internet, But it’s not a one way design. Actually what we design today is designing us back tomorrow. It’s a cycle that goes on and on. So the human brain cannot take all the credit.
Also yes it cannot be trusted…but it depends on us what to use and where to use. Let these kids learn and make mistakes as many as possible. But at the end what they get is this learning attitude. Which can make them shine and grow ahead.
Yes, I do know how fast technology is improving and am not denying that or saying it’s bad. In fact the kind of exposure that you are giving to the students is great. Internet might be available to a person living in some corner in the near future, yet depending only on it is not a good thing is all am saying.
I do agree with you, self learning is very fruitful but this point which you made saying why remember when the internet can provide us with answers, I’d like to differ there, not always does one have internet connectivity. There is nothing far superior than the human brain and don’t forget it’s man who has made internet. Also not all that is there on the internet can be trusted. BTW what you are doing is amazing, teaching the kids and tapping their potential. Way to go Abhi =D
@swethadavuluri we are entering into a world of “internet of things”. Where every thing is connected to the internet. I think you are seeing a narrow picture. The pace at which technology is advancing, I believe that we will get this internet of things sooner than we think. Also in a recent report I read that cost of a computer will be less than a paper by 2020. So how difficult will it be to make reach internet to every part of the world, when it is cheaper than paper?
Think about it…!! And yes human brain has made internet, But it’s not a one way design. Actually what we design today is designing us back tomorrow. It’s a cycle that goes on and on. So the human brain cannot take all the credit.
Also yes it cannot be trusted…but it depends on us what to use and where to use. Let these kids learn and make mistakes as many as possible. But at the end what they get is this learning attitude. Which can make them shine and grow ahead.
Yes, I do know how fast technology is improving and am not denying that or saying it’s bad. In fact the kind of exposure that you are giving to the students is great. Internet might be available to a person living in some corner in the near future, yet depending only on it is not a good thing is all am saying.
Nice to see that one of my favorite TED Talks is also someone else’s favorite. 🙂 Regarding the issue of everyone having access to computers, however, I would advise some perspective. That was the goal of the OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) project of Nicholas Negroponte. He had immense support – both political and financial – and yet OLPC is considered to be largely a failure. The idea may not necessarily be a bad one. But one needs to be realistic about development rather trusting in blind optimism. There are a lot lessons to be learnt from OLPC, so it might be of interest to you.
Also of interest would be the ongoing debate about online education portals – MOOC’s – such as Coursera. Plenty of people aren’t convinced – for plenty of reasons worth considering.
Lastly, there’s a SOLE in Pune, if I remember right. If you’re ever near there, you might want to check them out. Mitra’s talk is a bit misleading – according to the lady who herself runs it – but either way, you would probably like being able to see it firsthand. 🙂
Nice to see that one of my favorite TED Talks is also someone else’s favorite. 🙂 Regarding the issue of everyone having access to computers, however, I would advise some perspective. That was the goal of the OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) project of Nicholas Negroponte. He had immense support – both political and financial – and yet OLPC is considered to be largely a failure. The idea may not necessarily be a bad one. But one needs to be realistic about development rather trusting in blind optimism. There are a lot lessons to be learnt from OLPC, so it might be of interest to you.
Also of interest would be the ongoing debate about online education portals – MOOC’s – such as Coursera. Plenty of people aren’t convinced – for plenty of reasons worth considering.
Lastly, there’s a SOLE in Pune, if I remember right. If you’re ever near there, you might want to check them out. Mitra’s talk is a bit misleading – according to the lady who herself runs it – but either way, you would probably like being able to see it firsthand. 🙂
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