To take a famous example, the essential insight of the scientific revolution was peer review, the idea that science was a collaborative effort that included the feedback and participation of others. Peer review was a cultural institution that took the printing press for granted as a means of distributing research quickly and widely, but added the kind of cultural constraints that made it valuable.

We are living through a similar explosion of publishing capability today, where digital media link over a billion people into the same network. This linking together in turn lets us tap our cognitive surplus, the trillion hours a year of free time the educated population of the planet has to spend doing things they care about. In the 20th century, the bulk of that time was spent watching television, but our cognitive surplus is so enormous that diverting even a tiny fraction of time from consumption to participation can create enormous positive effects.

Wikipedia took the idea of peer review and applied it to volunteers on a global scale, becoming the most important English reference work in less than 10 years. Yet the cumulative time devoted to creating Wikipedia, something like 100 million hours of human thought, is expended by Americans every weekend, just watching ads. It only takes a fractional shift in the direction of participation to create remarkable new educational resources.

At a glance: what makes Finland stand out “What visiting educators from over 50 countries have found in Finland is simple: well trained teachers and responsible children– Seppo Tella, professor of language education (and teaching matters),University of HelsinkiThe Finns have a high regard for and confidence in their schooling system and a high opinion of schooling.All teachers must hold a masters degree; most train for at least five and a half years.Status of teachers is high and teaching is one of the most coveted and popular professions.400 local councils or municipalities administer schools. Schools are free to tailor education to local needs. Government only sets overall objectives.Principal has key role in driving education, responsible for the school’s entire operation and pupil assessment and budget.Principals evaluate teacher performance focusing on mastery of the profession, pupil performance and ability to co-operate.No national evaluation system for teacher work, no external inspection system and no focus on league tables.Compulsory nine year basic schooling is free for all aged 7-16 years.Schools have a statutory obligation to maintain contact with homes.“Our objective is not to be the best in the OECD. Our objective is to provide the best possible education for our children

First, great teachers tended to set big goals for their students. They were also perpetually looking for ways to improve their effectiveness.

“You want to work smart, not hard,” he tells me later. “If you just show them the traditional method, not everyone understands.” He actually learned the method last year—from one of his students.

Nuoret ja lapset ovat tietotekniikan käyttäjinä monesti jo vanhempiaan ahkerampia, mutta osataanko tietotekniikkaa hyödyntää kouluissa? Ei ainakaan tarpeeksi, näin väitti Helsingin yliopiston professori Kirsti Lonka.

Tietokoneluokka löytyy monesta koulusta, mutta käyttöasteeltaan ne ovat vähäisiä. Lonka ottaisi tietokoneet tiiviimmin osaksi päivittäistä opetusta.

tietokoneet voisivat korvata ruutuvihkon ja kynän. Että koulujen työskentelyvälineet olisivat samat kuin työelämässä, Lonka ehdottaa.

In contrast to the traditional lecture-oriented room, this increasingly popular kind of space, known as a "studio classroom," emphasizes group learning and collaboration.

These new kinds of spaces will not and should not replace all traditional classrooms, as both configurations are necessary to meet the wide range of learning activities.

They have multiple electronic display surfaces oriented on different walls. Some are large projected images, using dedicated ceiling mounted projectors. The images projected onto these screens are used to engage larger groups of students or the entire class.

Tulevaisuudessa tarvitaan entistä enemmän monimutkaista viestintäosaamista, vuorovaikutustaitoja, yhteistoiminnallisia taitoja sekä asiantuntijuuden jakamista ja asiantuntijaverkoissa toimimisen taitoja.

Tietokäsitys on muuttunut ja oppimisessa painotetaan entistä enemmän tulevaisuuden oppimistaitoja, joissa korostuvat ilmiöpohjaiset, ongelmalähtöiset ja tutkivat menetelmät, yhteisöllinen tiedon rakentaminen sekä sosiokonstruktiivinen toiminta.

tietokoneet, kännykät, e-kirjalukijat, interaktiiviset taulut ja integroidut kosketusnäytöt