In an amazing experiment a Delhi-based IT professional has proved that kids can learn computer skills on their own. Over the years the results of Dr. Mitra’s experiments have been so spectacular that the National Geographic Channel has made a film on his unique research.

Again, to his surprise he discovered that the slum kids quickly taught themselves how to surf the Internet, read news and download games and music. Dr. Mitra then replicated the experiment in other locations, with the same results---within hours the children would teach themselves how to use the Net.

Teachers and lecturers are getting the lowdown on how to use social networking sites such as Facebook and Bebo in an educational way.Most schools and colleges in the UK block access to the websites but they are missing out on their potential for education, a government-funded guide says.The report for Childnet International and funded by Becta, the government body for technology in learning, says while teachers and lecturers may be using social networking services they may not recognise the educational potential for their students.Schools could help students develop "e-portfolios" where learners can record their achievements and collect examples of their work, the guide suggests. Or teachers could use social networking services to set up groups that "semi-formalise" students' online communications and "document discussions and milestones as they go".Young people are more likely to have learned their social networking skills from their friends or classmates than from any formal instruction or support from adults.

In Finland the educational system, as it is today, was build slowly. It is still strongly relying on the work of Uno Cygnaeus ( 1810-1888 ) who was influenced by the early European “constructivist” Pestalozzi ( 1746–1827 ) and Froebel ( 1782 –1852 ). The idea that children learn the best when they areactive and build things was not really invented by John Dewey or Piaget – they only were able to present the idea in a language of positivist science, when the earlier thinkers thought themselves as “pedagogues” or educational philosophers.

“In the rhizomatic model of learning, curriculum is not driven by predefined inputs from experts; it is constructed and negotiated in real time by the contributions of those engaged in the learning process. This community acts as the curriculum, spontaneously shaping, constructing, and reconstructing itself and the subject of its learning..”

Critics of one-to-one laptop programs in the United States say the computers facilitate more in-class distraction (instant messaging, MySpace, and so on) than learning, that they allow children access to inappropriate content, and that the benefits of constant access are so far unproven. Do you share those concerns? We do not share those concerns, but that is not to say they are not real issues. Our kids in Cambodia learn English using chat and MySpace. Children are distracted if the teaching is not interesting. One education minister just said to us, about the $100 laptop, "Finally, education will include learning."

Albert-László Barabási states that “nodes always compete for connections because links represent survival in an interconnected world” (2002, p.106).

Constructivism suggests that learners create knowledge as they attempt to understand their experiences (Driscoll, 2000, p. 376).

Key findings from the research are that: Media literacy, whether in traditional or convergent media contexts, is important for being engaged in society. Effective use of media and communications services is increasingly a prerequisite to broader citizen engagement including access to essential services. While the gap between ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ is narrowing in terms of access to information and communications technologies, there is evidence of a digital ‘use/literacy’ divide associated with socio-economic status, age, workforce participation and household type. The promotion of media literacy is an important prerequisite to effective regulatory intervention designed to protect consumers, particularly for online and mobile services.

Now, in theory, doing a 360 assessment (asking the people around the student, both before the formal learning program and, oh, six months after, for evaluations of behavior) is a pretty good technique. But 360's are also intrusive.

The bad news is that, well, who cares if someone can intellectually differentiate between different leadership styles? That is so old school. Further, simpler programs may get the same result, even if the knowledge is never used, (and the knowledge gleaned from old school programs also decays much more quickly after the program ends).

Multiple-choice questionnaires are biased towards proving what one knows, as opposed to presenting what one does. But I believe with some hacking of the medium, we can create better evaluations to guide us towards more productive programs.