The Cloud Part of Education...Build a School in the Cloud

You never know where your next blog post might draw inspiration.  In the case of this post, it was a reply to an email to my friends James, Mike and Wayne concerning the above Ted Talk.  I highly recommend watching Sugata Mitra's presentation and his compelling argument.  My friends sent the link to me as part of our ongoing email conversations about the world, education and business...4 people on two continents having a go at trying to make sense of those three words via email is a hoot, by the way.  What follows is my response, just copied and pasted, to the email that reminded us of Mitra's Ted Talk...

Yes, that is a great talk.  Not sure a school in the cloud is the answer, but it is part of the answer.  I like "build the resources in the cloud, and give them access" better.  Education still needs to be more than just the info and presentations of the info.  Education still needs exchange of ideas, thoughts, mistakes, success on a personal level with those who have a vested interest in our mental and emotional progress.  Education needs to be about learning the other skills that allow us to mature and become better at seeing the world as Google-able facts.  Friends, partners, lovers, and advisories are often met in school and those relationships drive our desires and needs.  Where will the human race be if we all stay at home to learn the facts that our governing bodies believe equal learning?  Think we have problems getting along now?  

Just like the business incubator works because there is a collection of minds of various interests, speeds, and desires all working and creating an energy and atmosphere of effort, focus and balance.  Similar skills, and more, are learned in schools...or should I say SHOULD be learned in schools.  What's happened is exactly what Kenneth Robinson said...we've taught the creativity out of our schools by making them assembly lines with checkmark goals of memorizing facts, and called it education.
School is...

• experiencing

• socializing

• entertaining

• challenging

• sometimes fun

• sometimes laborious

• learning

• discovery

• consideration

• curiosity

• collaboration

• communication

• creativity

• community

That list isn't exhaustive, and thus shows the challenges in creating the perfect learning environment...i.e. school.  So many variables to consider for each and every person involved in the system.  Solve an equation with that many variables and you will deserve a place at the big table :)