If a tree crashes in the forest and no one is around will it make a sound? If you put a computer in a hole in the wall and just leave it there, will kids figure out how to work it? Check out Sugata Mitra’s “Hole in the Wall” project to find out how kids teach themselves and then end up teaching other kids….
Click on the link on the right to access the movie/talk. Please remember to include your course number when making comments.
It wasn’t very interesting but informative in a way how he tells us that learning is a self-organizing system. This teaches us that we can teach ourselves to learn things that have never been taught to us before and that we are able to acquire new skills through attempt, trial and error.
By: Chun Lee (362) on September 29, 2008
at 8:04 pm
He was a drab speaker but his points where founded . It was really amazing to see what people can learn with limited resources when they want to learn it. It’s also great to see how they set up a hierarchy to learn.
By: Trevor Hill on September 29, 2008
at 11:13 pm
Sugata Mitra conducted a lot of really interesting research and is definitely worthy of being a TED speaker. I thought it was really interesting that he was able to develop some evidence for the concept that learning is a self-organizing system; it was definitely surprising to see that children are interested in interteaching in other parts of the world. It would be so wonderful if there was enough money to provide computers for the remote areas in the world that lack good education. The actual presentation had so much feed back that it was hard to hear, and difficult to understand.
By: Kelsey Olson (362) on September 30, 2008
at 2:18 am
I loved this movie monday!!!! I thought that the speaker was very caring and aimiable. His accent was cool too. The experiments that he had done with the P.C.s are amazing. I would of thought that in such rural areas that someone would have destructed the P.C. but they became interactive with it instead. I loved that children were teaching other children and they found ways to learn English to make sure that their goal was achieved. He gives an example of leaving the P.C. for three months and when he came back the children had said “we need a processor and better mouse.” I thought that was so cute because they’re so excited over this new technology that they just bombarded him. I found it interesting that the boys were more common to go to the P.C. than the girls. I also thought that the younger teaching the older children was interesting. I would’t of guessed at first. I wish he had more time to speak on his research so that you could see more interactions with the P.C. I also enjoyed the point he made about teachers being replaced by machines. It can’t be done, but “a teacher that can be replaced by a machine, should be.” This movie was an eye opener to how much technology we use and learn from in our country.
Psyc 362
By: Jena Wagner on September 30, 2008
at 2:22 am
Psych. 414
I really enjoyed watching this video. Its amazing to me how intelligent the children were in figuring out what the pc was, despite the fact that they came from a rural area. Since they were from a rural area, I originally thought that they wouldn’t have any idea what the pc was or even know what to do with it. Even though they weren’t too sure about what it was at first, they still were pressing buttons and were determined to figure out how it worked. I would have thought that the children would have gotten frusturated with the pc and given up, but I was really suprised when they even forced themselves to learn English in order to understand the computer more. It never crossed my mind that children from another part of the world could teach other children about such technology. This video was an overall great example of how learning can be taught through imitation.
By: Kristi Schroder on September 30, 2008
at 8:21 am
PSYCH 362
I loved the statement he made that “Learning is a self-organizing system”. It really is a true and valid statement because if the individual does not have the desire to learn then learning can not take place. This whole concept that a machine can replace a teacher kind of reminds me of our own system of schooling where classes are offered through the internet. Yes, there is a teacher behind the scenes setting up the vista website, but it is the student that must self-motivate to go onto the website, explore all the information, go above and beyond, take the test and quizzes on their own, etc. I am curious to know if he has continued his research or if there are permanent computers available to these communities that he has been too. Since this experiment was so successful why aren’t computers being put up all over the world to help promote self-learning? It seems like a pretty easy thing to accomplish (especially since the children are not breaking them). Overall this movie Monday was interesting. I wish the speaker had more time to show longer videos of the children interacting with the computers.
By: Carolyn Toillion on September 30, 2008
at 2:14 pm
I thought Sugata Mitra’s research was very interesting. It was neat to see children, that had never seen a television screen, be given a computer and they automatically figured out how to do everyday tasks on the computer we do as Americans. What surprised me the most is that the children were so intrigued by the computer, that was in English, they took the time to learn English. It was surprising how quickly they learned too. In a matter of 6 months, Mitra said, they children learned about 200 English words and how to use a computer (well browse the internet, download, create documents, etc). I loved that he explained that children can learn a language if they want to learn it bad enough. Children can teach themselves far beyond what many think. I thought this week’s video was the best video show yet, simply because it gave a very powerful message!
Psyc. 414
By: Ashley Hamilton on September 30, 2008
at 7:37 pm
I loved this video! I thought it was neat to see that the children who didnt speak or understand any English were able to after using and figuring out how a computer worked. They did it on their own and that was amazing. I liked how he said that there were usually four kids around the screen and then others behind trying to give their input and other kids around them so they all were trying to figure it out even if they were not upfront next to the screen. They were all intrigued with the computer. I thought this was a great video!
By: Megan Webster - psyc 414 on October 1, 2008
at 12:33 am
This research was so interesting! I agree with some when they said they thought putting a piece of technology in a remote area would just disappear but it was the opposite. And I was also wondering why it was just children who seemed so curious about the computer, what about adults? Children are always being nosey and getting into things so its great that they use that to teach them. They are so smart and its sad that these children are not able to take more advantage of their growing minds. I would love to see more of this around the world!
By: Desiree Ribolin on October 1, 2008
at 5:34 am
This speech started out slow, but once he started explaining his “hole in the wall” project, I became very interested. This experiement really showed the potential children have to learn and teach themselves. I thought the point that children had to work together was important and relative to learning in a classroom environment and in an every day bases. I really enjoyed this speech. I feel more research should be done to help improve teaching quality in these remote areas.
By: Erica Brick Psyc 414 on October 1, 2008
at 6:02 am
I thought this was an interesting video. I thought the topic was fascinating but the speaker a little dreary at times. It is amazing how little is needed in order to create a positive learning environment. I agree with Sugata Mitra’s idea that primary education can happen on its own. The children surrounded the computer and worked together in figuring out how it works. Not only did the few students directly working with the computers end up with an understanding of it but the 16 other kids do as well.
By: Shaza Nassar (PSYC 414) on October 1, 2008
at 7:04 am
i thought this speech started out very boring and slow. i didnt even want to finish watching it. however, as the speech went on it became more interesting. i thought it was really interesting when refering to the hole in the wall project that the first thing the children said when Sugata Mitra returned after 3 months was, “we need a faster processor and a better mouse.” his theory that children in groups can self-teach seems to be somewhat accurate. i also thought it was really interesting that the children knew to find a website that would teach them english. they knew/learned 200 words in three months. very impressive.
By: ashley moyer (362) on October 1, 2008
at 5:13 pm
I actually really liked Sugata Mitra. I understood what he was discussing and it made sense. He talked about how schools in remote areas don’t have good teacher, retention of good teacher, infrastructure, or maintenance of that infrastructure but learning is a self-organizing system, at concerning primary education. His hole in the wall experiment showed that. I thought it was amazing that these kids outside of India in these very remote areas learned 200 words that they spoke among each other pertaining to computers, and they had no English teacher so they didn’t know any English at all. So, language is not an issue. I thought the video was very interesting.
By: Cinthia Orozco (psyc 362) on October 1, 2008
at 6:31 pm
He was kind of boaring to watch a first but once he got into the heart of his topic I found his presentation to be very interesting. Technology is a big part of our lives and it is interesting to take a step back and see how it truely effects our lives changing the paths we venture down. One thing am not clear on is why the younger children are quicker to learn how to use the computer and then teach the older kids. Is it due to brain plasticity?
PSYC 362
By: Jason Amarena on October 1, 2008
at 8:01 pm
It is very amazing to see how kids figure out the computers and to see that younger kids teach older kids. I think some kinds of learning can be self-learning but some are not. For example kids usually can figure out how to play with toys but not all the kids can figure out how to make toys. It also means that kids can figure out how to browse in a short period of days but it is probably unlikely that they can learn coding on their own without any books or anyone teaching them. But it is just my opinion.
By: SHIH YA HUANG PSYCH 362 on October 2, 2008
at 2:01 am
I enjoyed the speaker for movie #5. He was interesting to listen to. I liked when he said “If you can replace a teacher with a computer, you should”. I thought that was clever and very true. Technology can never take over an instructional classroom, but, if the teacher is poor, then maybe it should! This was something that stuck out in his presentation for me.
By: Andrea Tennyson on October 2, 2008
at 4:18 am
I really enjoyed this speaker and found what he had to say to be very interesting. I found his research with the “hole in the wall” very interesting and i loved how the six year old kids were the ones teaching the older children. I also liked and agree with what he had to say about implementing educational technology at lower level educational facilities where it will benefit most.
By: Brittney Bartram psyc 362 on October 2, 2008
at 5:49 am
It is amazing to see how very young children are the ones who tend to have this innate understanding of technologies. After seeing Sugata Mitra’s research, I had a theory that since our society is more technological now, children grow up exposed to it from a young age and that’s why they get it so well. That theory was kind of blown out of the water by this research that Sugata Mitra did with his “hole in the wall” in India, since these children have never seen a computer, let alone a TV, and yet they are able to figure it out by testing it out and seeing what it does and learning as they go and building on what they pick up. It really shows the incredible capacity that especially children have for knowledge and for teaching themselves and one another. I think the point that Sugata Mitra made about learning being a self-organizing system is really true. The social interactive peer relational part is so important and i think gets neglected and not taken advantage of in lots of industrialized schooling systems. I had always kind of thought, what is a rural community in some place like India going to do with a computer when they don’t even have health care or clean drinking water, but I can see now that even just one computer and internet access can be an amazing teacher for children, drawing on their ability to organize themselves to best learn, especially when teachers are not available or effective. It really just demonstrates the great potential and determination (and thirst for learning) that can be tapped into to help these kids learn and acquire an education to live and participate more fully in the world today.
Psy 362
By: Emma Schutz Fort on October 2, 2008
at 7:01 am
I really enjoyed watching movie #5. It amazed me that it took the 13 yr old 8 min to figure out how to brows the internet for the first time ever seeing a computer. It’s true that kids are curious about learning and if given the right opportunity will teach themselves. I thought it was funny when he quoted his friend saying that if you can replace a teacher with a computer you should. It is funny and makes a lot of sense. Teachers can motivate or damage the interest of learning in a classroom, like he was saying that the lower scoring schools were from schools with teachers who would prefer to be somewhere else than their current school. I loved that the children learned english so they could learn the computer and explore more, it shows just how much potential children have for learning when they are motivated. Great movie.
By: Katie Roberts PSYC 414 on October 2, 2008
at 5:24 pm
I thought this was such an interesting video! To see the children from remote areas be able to teach themselves how to use a computer. Not only were they able to use this PC, but they figured out how to use many programs and were able to perform many of the tasks that we do in everyday life. Also these children did not know how to speak English and the internet of course is in English. The children were curious and smart enough to be able to figure out how to get to a website that teaches them the English alphabet. These children receive minimal education in their schools and at home and cannot afford the technology. Putting this PC in the whole in the wall was such a great idea! It gave these children a second chance on being able to work with technology and becoming familiar with how things work, using teamwork and learning some of the English language. It is just so sad that these children do not have these resources offered to them elsewhere. I wish these children had the same opportunities as us.
By: Amy Parshall PSYC 414 on October 2, 2008
at 7:37 pm
I thought that the video was very informative, but I kind of had a hard time with his accent. He proved many powerful points that I found quite interesting. I was amazed that those children were able to learn up to 200 words on their own. That just shows you that if anyone truly wants to learn something they will! Overall I did enjoy the video and found it very educational!
By: Morgan Carney on October 2, 2008
at 8:36 pm
I liked the movie. Remoteness affects the quality of education: I thought it was interesting how he said that his studies showed that in rural areas the children’s performance was very low, but that it didn’t have to do with class size, whether or not the kids are properly fed, etc., but that it looked to have more to do with the fact that the teachers desired to be in more urban areas, which led Mitra to conclude that the teacher’s lack of interest in their current learning environment is actually a more accurate correlate than his predicted contributors. I thought the whole in the wall experiment was a really cool idea! It was really cool that the children were able to learn to browse the internet, play games, and basically self-teach, just as long as they were in groups together. I thought it was interesting when Mitra makes the claim that primary education can happen on its own; that learning is a self organizing system
By: Maggie Toole on October 2, 2008
at 8:48 pm
What a creative idea! I thought this was extremely interesting, not to mention shocking. The rate at which children would not only pick up on the phenomenon of being able to control what was on the screen, learn the language they were seeing/reading, but also successfully instruct other children on how to do so. While watching this video and hearing of the breathtaking results of these experiments, I can’t help but think “this is phenominal!” But really, this is a comprehensible solution to educational downfalls
By: Megan Pendleton on October 2, 2008
at 10:11 pm
This video suprised me in many ways as well as left me with a few questions. I was extremely intrigued by how these kids wanted to learn to use the computer so bad that they learned a completely new language. Not only that but it shocked me to find out that the kid didnt even necesarily even need to be using the computer to know how to use it. Why are we trying to back the computer for every child initiative when we only need a computer for every 300? The idea that we dont even need a teacher suprised me also. If we have the motivation, then we can teach ourselves many things. Finally, I completely agree with the idea that we should start with giving the technology to ouside communities before the center because that way it will spread out the learning better and will probably get to the metropolitan areas anyway.
By: Chris Bunt(401) on October 2, 2008
at 10:13 pm
Juana Barcenas PSYC 141
It is amazing how much children can learn without the assistance of an adult, or someone with “more knowledge” but themselves. It is surprising how much they can learn from their peers, and not having that many resources. The “hole in the wall” project reflects how little assistance children need to accoplish a task, learn it and teach it to their peers. It opens a window to start having more cooperative learning in schools along with the individual competitive method.
By: Juana Barcenas on October 2, 2008
at 10:27 pm
psych 401
Very interesting ted conference this week. I was surprised by the way the children worked together, I would have thought that there would be more fighting as to what to do on the one computer but from what was shown it seemed like they were working together pretty well. Now that might have something to do with the culture or maybe they just didn’t show conflicts. None the less they worked together very productively to get all they could out of this foreign technology in a foreign language. I liked the way that they came to the conclusion that they needed to learn english in order to get the most out of the computer, and taught themselves it without prompting from a teacher. It really shows how there can be many productive ways to learn information other than a teacher student dynamic.
By: Jack Coplen on October 2, 2008
at 11:17 pm
I think that it is interesting how quickly the children learned all of the tasks. Just think of all the potential benefits of such a learning system. If I had one of these I would be able to learn languages like nothing!!!!
By: Darren Holley on October 2, 2008
at 11:46 pm
I thought this talk was kind of boring, but the subject matter was interesting. I think that Sugata Mitra has made some compelling agruement about the need for technology in education. The idea of removing the teacher from the equation is very interesting. I couldn’t believe the kids were learning bt themselves with no instruction and then teaching each other. (And so fast)
-I would be interested to read more about this.
By: Liz Simmons on October 3, 2008
at 4:38 am
Wow this experiment was really interesting.
It didn’t surprise me, at all, how fast children learned. The boy in India was really intrigued by the PC that he brought other kids and taught them to use it. Its amazing how it only took him 8 minutes to figure out how to surf the web and then suddenly all these kids were doing it. Children love to learn new things and investigate and to them this wasn’t an experiment. Children can learn by themselves but I believe they also need some motivation from either their peers or an adult, to continue. I think the benefits of computers are really amazing. I can just imagine what would happen if every kid got a computer, how fast they would learn.
By: Daniella Galaviz (psy 362) on October 3, 2008
at 6:09 am
Oct 2
It’s great that one person, usually a girl (I wonder if this depends on the demographics of the area) leads a group and they explore and learn together. I do wonder what the long-term developements of the Hole-in-the-wall computers would have. Would they naturally start having the older kids teach curriculum from the websites? I know he said that the younger children more often taught the older, but I wonder if this would change as the younger, more savvy kids grow up. Seems there would be some kind of natural progression to learning/teaching.
By: Ryan Prior Psych362 on October 16, 2008
at 7:54 am