FOSI 2012 - Nicholas Negroponte

Kids learning without schools or teachers through technology.
 

Why School? How to education must change.

TEDxNYED - Will Richardson - 03/05/2011


 

Traditional educators, classrooms, and brick-and-mortar schools are no longer necessary to access information. Instead, things like blogs and wikis, as well as remote collaborations and an emphasis on 'critical thinking' skills are the coins of the realm in this new kingdom. Yet the national dialogue on education reform focuses on using technology to update the traditional education model, failing to reassess the fundamental design on which it is built.

In 'Why School?,' educator, author, parent and blogger Will Richardson challenges traditional thinking about education — questioning whether it still holds value in its current form. How can schools adjust to this new age? Or students? Or parents? In this provocative read, Richardson provides an in-depth look at how connected educators are beginning to change their classroom practice. Ultimately, 'Why School?' serves as a starting point for the important conversations around real school reforms that must ensue, offering a bold plan for rethinking how we teach our kids, and the consequences if we don't.

Buy The Book


Ethiopian Experiment: What happens when you give 1000 kids a computer with zero instruction?

Rather than give out laptops (they're actually Motorola Zoom tablets plus solar chargers running custom software) to kids in schools with teachers, the OLPC Project decided to try something completely different: it delivered some boxes of tablets to two villages in Ethiopia, taped shut, with no instructions whatsoever. Just like, "hey kids, here's this box, you can open it if you want, see ya!"

"We left the boxes in the village. Closed. Taped shut. No instruction, no human being. I thought, the kids will play with the boxes! Within four minutes, one kid not only opened the box, but found the on/off switch. He'd never seen an on/off switch. He powered it up. Within five days, they were using 47 apps per child per day. Within two weeks, they were singing ABC songs [in English] in the village. And within five months, they had hacked Android. Some idiot in our organization or in the Media Lab had disabled the camera! And they figured out it had a camera, and they hacked Android."

FOSI 2012 - Nicholas Negroponte - Learning without teachers.

OLPC Tablet PC
Computers are now cheaper than text books. One Laptop Per Child wants to give every child in the world a computer.




Khan Academy Founder talks about a new way of teaching.

We have a mental health problem not a gun problem

You don't need a gun to kill. Yes, it is true that about a third of the intentional homicides in the United States are done using some some type of gun.  It is also true that about the same number are killed unintentionally by drunk drivers. You have just about the same chance of being beat and kicked to death than you do by being murdered by a rifle or shotgun. 

You remember - on 9/11/01 2,996 people were killed by Kamikaze pilots. James Jones killed 914 using poisoned Kool Aid. Theodore Kaczynski and Timothy McVeigh killed using explosives. Jeffrey Dahmer and John Wayne Gacy used knifes. Ted Bundy simply hit his victims with blunt instruments. Charles Manson and his "family" did not use guns. What about the anthrax attacts?   

Test scores do not indicate success in life. What does?

The USA is not all that violent.

Intentional Death Rate

• Jamaica 52.2 per 1,000
• USA 4.2 per 1,000
• United Kingdom 1.2 per 1,000

My personal belief is that we have a mental health problem in the United States.

The United States of America is not that violent when compared with other nations of the world. Jamaica is the 4th most murderous country in the world. The US Virgin Islands is 7th. Puerto Rico is the 20th. Greenland is ranked 35th. Mexico is ranted 42nd.  The United States is ranked 104th.

There are charts available that show that the more guns in a country the more murders are committed  These charts are misleading because they do not include murders that are done in other ways. There are many ways to kill someone without using a gun.  People that believe that gun control will solve the violence problem in the United States have never seen the movie "Hotel Rwanda". I believe is is a must see for all adults. It is not fit for children's viewing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate

Intentional Homicide by country

UNODC murder rates most recent year (full table here)
Country	Rate	Count	Region	Subregion
Honduras	91.6	7,104	Americas	Central America
El Salvador	69.2	4,308	Americas	Central America
Côte d'Ivoire	56.9	10,801	Africa	Western Africa
Jamaica	52.2	1,430	Americas	Caribbean
Venezuela	45.1	13,080	Americas	South America
Belize	41.4	129	Americas	Central America
U.S. Virgin Islands	39.2	43	Americas	Caribbean
Guatemala	38.5	5,681	Americas	Central America
Saint Kitts and Nevis	38.2	20	Americas	Caribbean
Zambia	38.0	4,710	Africa	Eastern Africa
Uganda	36.3	11,373	Africa	Eastern Africa
Malawi	36.0	5,039	Africa	Eastern Africa
Lesotho	35.2	764	Africa	Southern Africa
Trinidad and Tobago	35.2	472	Americas	Caribbean
Colombia	33.4	15,459+	Americas	South America
South Africa	31.8	15,940	Africa	Southern Africa
Congo	30.8	1,180	Africa	Middle Africa
Central African Republic	29.3	1,240	Africa	Middle Africa
Bahamas	27.4	94	Americas	Caribbean
Puerto Rico	26.2	983	Americas	Caribbean
Saint Lucia	25.2	44	Americas	Caribbean
Dominican Republic	25.0	2,513	Americas	Caribbean
Tanzania	24.5	10,357	Africa	Eastern Africa
Sudan	24.2	10,028++	Africa	Northern Africa
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	22.9	25	Americas	Caribbean
Ethiopia	22.5	20,239	Africa	Eastern Africa
Guinea	22.5	2,152	Africa	Western Africa
Dominica	22.1	15	Americas	Caribbean
Burundi	21.7	1,726	Africa	Eastern Africa
Democratic Republic of the Congo	21.7	13,558	Africa	Middle Africa
Panama	21.6	759	Americas	Central America
Brazil	21.0	40,974	Americas	South America
Equatorial Guinea	20.7	137	Africa	Middle Africa
Guinea-Bissau	20.2	294	Africa	Western Africa
Kenya	20.1	7,733	Africa	Eastern Africa
Kyrgyzstan	20.1	1,072	Asia	Central Asia
Cameroon	19.7	3,700	Africa	Middle Africa
Montserrat	19.7	1	Americas	Caribbean
Greenland	19.2	11	Europe	Northern Europe
Angola	19.0	3,426	Africa	Middle Africa
Guyana	18.6	140	Americas	South America
Burkina Faso	18.0	2,876	Africa	Western Africa
Eritrea	17.8	879	Africa	Eastern Africa
Namibia	17.2	352	Africa	Southern Africa
Rwanda	17.1	1,708	Africa	Eastern Africa
Mexico	16.9	25,757+	Americas	Northern America
Chad	15.8	1,686	Africa	Middle Africa
Ghana	15.7	3,646	Africa	Western Africa
Ecuador	15.2	2,638	Americas	South America
North Korea	15.2	3,658	Asia	Eastern Asia
Benin	15.1	1,262	Africa	Western Africa
Sierra Leone	14.9	837	Africa	Western Africa
Mauritania	14.7	485	Africa	Western Africa
Botswana	14.5	287	Africa	Southern Africa
Zimbabwe	14.3	1,775	Africa	Eastern Africa
Gabon	13.8	200	Africa	Middle Africa
Nicaragua	13.6	785	Americas	Central America
French Guiana	13.3	30	Americas	South America
Papua New Guinea	13.0	854	Oceania	Melanesia
Swaziland	12.9	141	Africa	Southern Africa
Bermuda	12.3	8	Americas	Northern America
Comoros	12.2	85	Africa	Eastern Africa
Nigeria	12.2	18,422	Africa	Western Africa
Cape Verde	11.6	56	Africa	Western Africa
Grenada	11.5	12	Americas	Caribbean
Paraguay	11.5	741	Americas	South America
Barbados	11.3	31	Americas	Caribbean
Togo	10.9	627	Africa	Western Africa
Gambia	10.8	106	Africa	Western Africa
Peru	10.3	2,969	Americas	South America
Myanmar	10.2	4,800	Asia	South-Eastern Asia
Russia	10.2	14,574	Europe	Eastern Europe
Liberia	10.1	371	Africa	Western Africa
Costa Rica	10.0	474	Americas	Central America
Nauru	9.8	1	Oceania	Micronesia
Bolivia	8.9	884	Americas	South America
Mozambique	8.8	1,925	Africa	Eastern Africa
Kazakhstan	8.8	1,418	Asia	Central Asia
Senegal	8.7	1,027	Africa	Western Africa
Turks and Caicos Islands	8.7	3	Americas	Caribbean
Mongolia	8.7	239	Asia	Eastern Asia
British Virgin Islands	8.6	2	Americas	Caribbean
Cayman Islands	8.4	5	Americas	Caribbean
Seychelles	8.3	7	Africa	Eastern Africa
Madagascar	8.1	1,588	Africa	Eastern Africa
Indonesia	8.1	18,963	Asia	South-Eastern Asia
Mali	8.0	1,157	Africa	Western Africa
Pakistan	7.8	13,860+	Asia	Southern Asia
Moldova	7.5	267	Europe	Eastern Europe
Kiribati	7.3	7	Oceania	Micronesia
Guadeloupe	7.0	32	Americas	Caribbean
Haiti	6.9	689	Americas	Caribbean
Timor-Leste	6.9	75	Asia	South-Eastern Asia
Anguilla	6.8	1	Americas	Caribbean
Antigua and Barbuda	6.8	6	Americas	Caribbean
Lithuania	6.6	219	Europe	Northern Europe
Uruguay	5.9	199	Americas	South America
Philippines	5.4	4,947	Asia	South-Eastern Asia
Ukraine	5.2	2,356	Europe	Eastern Europe
Estonia	5.2	70	Europe	Northern Europe
Cuba	5.0	563	Americas	Caribbean
Belarus	4.9	473	Europe	Eastern Europe
Thailand	4.8	3,307	Asia	South-Eastern Asia
Suriname	4.6	24	Americas	South America
Laos	4.6	279	Asia	South-Eastern Asia
Georgia	4.3	187	Europe	Eastern Europe
Martinique	4.2	17	Americas	Caribbean
United States	4.2	12,996	Americas	Northern America
Turkmenistan	4.2	203	Asia	Central Asia
Yemen	4.2	990+	Asia	Western Asia
Palestine	4.1	145+	Asia	Western Asia
Albania	4.0	127	Europe	Southern Europe
Niger	3.8	552	Africa	Western Africa
Solomon Islands	3.7	19	Oceania	Melanesia
Sri Lanka	3.6	745	Asia	Southern Asia
Montenegro	3.5	22	Europe	Southern Europe
Djibouti	3.4	29	Africa	Eastern Africa
Argentina	3.4	1,360	Americas	South America
Cambodia	3.4	448	Asia	South-Eastern Asia
India	3.4	40,752+	Asia	Southern Asia
Turkey	3.3	2,320	Asia	Western Asia
Chile	3.2	541	Americas	South America
Taiwan	3.2	743	Asia	Eastern Asia
Uzbekistan	3.1	831	Asia	Central Asia
Latvia	3.1	70	Europe	Northern Europe
Iran	3.0	2,215	Asia	Southern Asia
Libya	2.9	176+	Africa	Northern Africa
Nepal	2.8	818	Asia	Southern Asia
Liechtenstein	2.8	1	Europe	Western Europe
Fiji	2.8	23	Oceania	Melanesia
Bangladesh	2.7	3,988	Asia	Southern Asia
South Korea	2.6	1,251	Asia	Eastern Asia
Mauritius	2.5	33	Africa	Eastern Africa
Luxembourg	2.5	12	Europe	Western Europe
Afghanistan	2.4	712+	Asia	Southern Asia
Malaysia	2.3	604	Asia	South-Eastern Asia
Syria	2.3	463+	Asia	Western Asia
Azerbaijan	2.2	206	Asia	Western Asia
Kuwait	2.2	59	Asia	Western Asia
Lebanon	2.2	95	Asia	Western Asia
Finland	2.2	118	Europe	Northern Europe
Tajikistan	2.1	143	Asia	Central Asia
Israel	2.1	159+	Asia	Western Asia
Iraq	2.0	608+	Asia	Western Asia
Bulgaria	2.0	147	Europe	Eastern Europe
Romania	2.0	421	Europe	Eastern Europe
São Tomé and Príncipe	1.9	3	Africa	Middle Africa
Macedonia	1.9	40	Europe	Southern Europe
Jordan	1.8	100	Asia	Western Asia
Cyprus	1.7	19	Asia	Western Asia
Czech Republic	1.7	181	Europe	Eastern Europe
Belgium	1.7	180	Europe	Western Europe
Canada	1.6	554	Americas	Northern America
Vietnam	1.6	1,346	Asia	South-Eastern Asia
Maldives	1.6	5	Asia	Southern Asia
Somalia	1.5	138+	Africa	Eastern Africa
Algeria	1.5	516	Africa	Northern Africa
Slovakia	1.5	84	Europe	Eastern Europe
Bosnia and Herzegovina	1.5	56	Europe	Southern Europe
Greece	1.5	176	Europe	Southern Europe
Morocco	1.4	447	Africa	Northern Africa
Armenia	1.4	44	Asia	Western Asia
Croatia	1.4	62	Europe	Southern Europe
Hungary	1.3	133	Europe	Eastern Europe
Andorra	1.3	1	Europe	Southern Europe
Egypt	1.2	992	Africa	Northern Africa
Ireland	1.2	54	Europe	Northern Europe
United Kingdom	1.2	722	Europe	Northern Europe
Portugal	1.2	124	Europe	Southern Europe
Serbia	1.2	123	Europe	Southern Europe
Tunisia	1.1	117	Africa	Northern Africa
Poland	1.1	436	Europe	Eastern Europe
France	1.1	682	Europe	Western Europe
Netherlands	1.1	179	Europe	Western Europe
Samoa	1.1	2	Oceania	Polynesia
China	1.0	13,410	Asia	Eastern Asia
Bhutan	1.0	7	Asia	Southern Asia
Saudi Arabia	1.0	265+	Asia	Western Asia
Sweden	1.0	91	Europe	Northern Europe
Malta	1.0	4	Europe	Southern Europe
Australia	1.0	229	Oceania	Australasia
Tonga	1.0	1	Oceania	Polynesia
Qatar	0.9	13	Asia	Western Asia
Denmark	0.9	47	Europe	Northern Europe
Italy	0.9	529	Europe	Southern Europe
New Zealand	0.9	39	Oceania	Australasia
Vanuatu	0.9	2	Oceania	Melanesia
Federated States of Micronesia	0.9	1	Oceania	Micronesia
United Arab Emirates	0.8	39	Asia	Western Asia
Spain	0.8	390	Europe	Southern Europe
Germany	0.8	690	Europe	Western Europe
Macau	0.7	4	Asia	Eastern Asia
Oman	0.7	18	Asia	Western Asia
Slovenia	0.7	15	Europe	Southern Europe
Switzerland	0.7	52	Europe	Western Europe
Bahrain	0.6	6	Asia	Western Asia
Norway	0.6	29	Europe	Northern Europe
Austria	0.6	56	Europe	Western Europe
Guam	0.6	1	Oceania	Micronesia
Brunei	0.5	2	Asia	South-Eastern Asia
French Polynesia	0.4	1	Oceania	Polynesia
Japan	0.3	442 [8]	Asia	Eastern Asia
Singapore	0.3	16	Asia	South-Eastern Asia
Iceland	0.3	1	Europe	Northern Europe
Hong Kong	0.2	17	Asia	Eastern Asia
Monaco	0.0	0	Europe	Western Europe
Palau	0.0	0	Oceania	Micronesia

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