Check out this edtech start-up: I spoke to the founder today, and their philosophy sounds like it's right out of T-545. It's all about promoting intrinsic motivation for positive classroom behaviors and increasing kids' engagement through technology and immediate feedback.

An alternative to free online courses for all (a la Coursera/Udemy/Udacity), Minerva plans to charge ~$20,000 in tuition for an Ivy League - equivalent education. Anyone else think this is a stretch?

GIVING a child a computer does not seem to turn him or her into a future Bill Gates-indeed it does not accomplish anything in particular. That is the conclusion from Peru, site of the largest single programme involving One Laptop per Child, an American charity with backers from the computer industry and which is active in more than 30 developing countries around the world.

Interesting NYTimes article - an elementary school organizes regular field trips to provide students with basic experiences that many low-income kids don't get to have (i.e. an auto repair shop so they get a chance to experience sitting in a car) and connects these to academic work.