Sugata Mitra- Hole in the Wall project

I was very interested to see the way these children learnt to use a computer. This video really opened my eyes as to how important self instruction is for children. It was amazing that one computer could generate so much interest and all the children were able to learn how to use it with one operator and others giving instructions. Sugata's comment they are "learning as much as watching" is definitely correct. Teaching themselves English over a three month period by using a "hole in the wall" computer really opened my eyes as to the way young children can learn. Having 200 words they could use in the correct context after three months (even though the prounuication was not correct) demonstrates how quickly children are able to learn new concepts and teach each other. Sugata states "learning is a self-organising system" and this presentation definitely portrays this.

In this course, ICTs for learning design, there have been many technologies I have not felt young students would be able to use given the limited hours they have using computers each week. I am assuming from the video these children had continuous access to the hole in the wall computer, used it everyday and spent many hours experimenting with it and this enabled them to grasp how to use a computer in a very short period of time.