http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/sugata_mitra_shows_how_kids_teach_themselves.html

Shows how the net can work.

Serendipitously I am reading Paulo Freire's - Pedagogy of the Oppressed, he makes some excellent points that seem to apply everywhere.

Seems to me the pedagogy is bureaucracy driven and simply sees that same pedagogy reinforced. There's nothing new in this. How can it be driven from "above" when "above" have to be concerned about whether students should sit to close to each other or do hand stands in the lunch break ? Change as espoused by the author can only be driven by some brave Teachers ignoring the bureaucracy and doing what's best for the individual child, albeit they will suffer the consequences but then if enough are doing it... it becomes the new norm. Tough indeed.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/10-key-skills-schools-must-start-teaching/2008/09/08/1220725904072.html

Terrific article. It's at the edges where the interesting stuff is happening. The contortions of educational bureaucracies to manage/control/influence what is going on in schools becomes less and less tenable as new ways of doing school (Khan, Mitra, Udacity, MITx and a host of folk working in "the system" but cleverly disguising their work from the gaze of them wot know best aka education bureaucrats). The "contribution" of management "science" to these circumstances should not be underestimated. Don Watson's hilarious account (Bendable Learnings) of the nonsense speak we now get from bureaucracies and mandated into schools points to one of the crippling limitations with which teachers have to deal. Much more to be said but wonderful to see experiences like Ben's being shared.

If you'd like to read a longer rant :)
http://www.chrisbigum.com/scribbles/CurriculumRant