Sugata Mitra

Newcastle University | NCL · School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences

Agents affected by their own future states in a one-dimensional discrete dynamical system (1-DDS) can replicate two-dimensional images. It is shown that such replication requires a toroidal spacetime and three rules are needed to calculate the number of iterations required for exact replication. It is argued that retrocausal updation used by 1-DDS...

In the United States, literacy rates vary between socio-economic groups, and this reading gap is also a common feature in the education systems of OECD member states. To help address this reading gap previous research has identified a number of teaching strategies that have a positive impact on student learning outcomes, including the use of peer c...

This article describes a study under the Reaching the Unreached component of the Chiphen Rigpel project between the governments of Bhutan and India. This initiative is an attempt to provide computer literacy to children of Bhutan through setting up “hole in the wall” (HiWEL) Playground Learning Station(s) (PLSs). The study described here involves 1...

In this talk, Sugata Mitra will take us through the origins of schooling as we know it, to the dematerialisation of institutions as we know them. Thirteen years of experiments in children's education takes us through a series of startling results -- children can self organise their own learning, they can achieve educational objectives on their own,...

Education and educational goals have changed over time in response to different political ideologies, the changing needs of society and the availability of new resources and technology. Yet this response, particularly in the past few decades, has lagged far behind the possibilities afforded by technology and is out of sync with the world beyond tra...

It is generally assumed that educational planning should be done while keeping in mind the ‘formal system’. While there is no universal definition of what a formal system of education is, there are sets of requirements that are considered necessary for any educational process. Among these are:1. There must be an ‘educational institution’. 2. There...

This paper describes the effect that assistive technologies, such as paper, printing, protractors, logarithm tables, computers, and the Internet, have on pedagogy. It reports the results of experiments with self-organising systems in primary education and develops the concept of a self-organised learning environment (SOLE). It then describes how SO...

Effectiveness of Self-Organised Learning by Children: Gateshead Experiments Sugata Mitra, Emma Crawley Abstract Children, working in groups and using the Internet, seem capable of learning content traditionally considered to be ahead of their time and comprehension levels. In this paper we describe four experiments to measure children’s achievemen...

Self-Organised Learning Environments (SOLEs) are models of learning in which students self-organise in groups and learn using a computer connected to the internet with minimal teacher support. The original ‘hole in the wall’ experiments in India are now applied to classrooms around the world. The idea of SOLEs is a social innovation that is inspiri...

This paper describes the effects of collaborative support on groups of distance learners of General Certificate of Secondary Education mathematics. Two experiments are described. In each case, learners were provided with teleconferencing with peers, experts and mentors in addition to structured study materials. No improvements were noticed in cours...

Since 2007, almost every child in Uruguay has a laptop connected to the Internet. We investigated possible changes that such exposure to IT may have had on the children's ability to read, understand, search and analyze information. This paper reports the results of experiments carried out in 4 schools in and around Montevideo. The experiments consi...

What and how much can children learn without subject teachers? In an attempt to find a limit to self organized learning, we explored the capacity of 10–14 year old Tamil-speaking children in a remote Indian village to learn basic molecular biology, initially on their own with a Hole-in-the-Wall public computer facility, and later with the help of a...

Writers Sugata Mitra and Payal Arora were invited to provide some afterthoughts having read each other's papers. As Arora observes, the Hole-in-the-Wall approach has shown that the absence of a teacher can sometimes encourage children to explore more bravely than they would in their presence. However, as she again observes, institutional indifferen...

There are schools where good teachers do not want to go. The reasons for this are discussed in the context of both developing and developed economies. It is proposed that learning in such areas, particularly for children, needs the support of appropriate technology. The concept of “presence” of a mediator is discussed in the context of distance edu...

Jute plants produce lignocellulosic fibre wherein Iignin is a polymeric constituent of the plant cell wall. The progeny of 55 crosses (without reciprocals) were advanced through modified bulk method of selection (F2 and Fa generations) followed by single plant selection (F4 onwards) for isolation of quality fibre with high yield. Three genotypes vi...

This paper studies the relationship between geographic remoteness and the quality of primary education in rural Northern India. It then discusses this relationship in the context of educational technology. There is a significant negative correlation between the quality of education and the distance of a school from the nearest urban centre. No corr...

Traffic signals and traffic flow models have been studied extensively in the past and have provided valuable insights on the design of signalling systems, congestion control, and punitive policies. This paper takes a slightly different tack and describes what happens at an intersection where the traffic signals are malfunctioning and stuck in some...

Transcript of a keynote speech by Sugata Mitra at “Into something rich and strange” – making sense of the sea-change, the 2010 Association for Learning Technology Conference in Nottingham, England. In the chair, Richard Noss, Co-director of the London Knowledge Lab. This text transcript is at http://repository.alt.ac.uk/855/ [82 kB PDF]. A one hour...

span>Earlier work, often referred to as the "hole in the wall" experiments, has shown that groups of children can learn to use public computers on their own. This paper presents the method and results of an experiment conducted to investigate whether such unsupervised group learning in shared public spaces is universal. The experiment was conducted...

This paper explores the possibility of constructing a "minimally invasive" learning model from the results of a Graphical User Interface (GUI) Icon Association Inventory (devised by Dangwal and Inamdar [Mitra 2003]). We discuss the results obtained from four playground (hole-in-the-wall) computer kiosk sites in southern India, made freely available...

Earlier work often referred to as the 'hole in the wall' experiments has shown that groups of children can learn to use public computers on their own. This paper presents the method and results of an experiment conducted to investigate whether such unsupervised group learning in shared public spaces is universal. The experiment was conducted with '...

Properties of elementary one-dimensional cellular automata (CAs) have been studied extensively in the past by varying the number of states each cell can take, the neighborhood of the cell, or the transition rules by which each cell is updated. This paper describes a previously untried variation on a CA system, where each cell is able to anticipate...

Although jute (Corchorus sp.) fibre has been traditionally used solely in the packaging sector, there are other sectors with tremendous possibilities for diversified utilization. However, in order to realize such possibilities, the breeder must incorporate newer exotic genotypes into the breeding programme. Towards this end, the superiority of the...

Audio editors are used to record or manipulate audio files. A sound card must be installed on a PC to edit stored or recorded audio data. Recording sound for multimedia applications is the first step in the process of sound processing. After the audio is recorded and stored, it has to be modified to improve the level of quality. Unwanted sound or s...

Cognitive systems are those systems whose behavior changes in an adaptive and proactive manner in response to and in anticipation of changes in the environment and user characteristic. There may be future hardware and software innovations that will enable the development of cognitive systems. This chapter discusses the seven habits as guidelines fo...

This chapter discusses the issues involved in both the aspects of design—the design of user interfaces and the design of multimedia systems. The various elements of multimedia are combined together to make a multimedia system. The term “user interface” includes things such as the windows, menus, buttons, the keyboard, the mouse, and the sounds that...

There are two types of 3-D packages. One is written for use by programmers and the other is for use by graphic artists. Persistence of vision raytracer (POV-Ray) is of the first type that produces quite high-quality, photo-realistic images and can even generate 3-D animations. This chapter provides an overview of some of the principles that are req...

Voice is the predominant method by which human beings communicate. Human are so accustomed to speaking and listening that sound is taken for granted. But, sound exists in many different forms and each form has its own purpose and characteristics. This chapter provides a prelude to audio along with some practice exercises.

This chapter reviews some of the properties of the eyes such as the fine resolution and the millions of hues that our eyes can distinguish between, and see where these may be applied in the design and construction of multimedia systems. The structure of the eye, vision, and the color resolution of the human eye are discussed. Human beings are quite...

This chapter presents a set of experiments to provide a overview about colors of graphics on Paint Shop Pro to gain some insight into various color models such as the RGB (red, green, and blue) and HSL (hue, saturation, and lightness) models. It also explains various color models in some detail. The colors used in printing are different such as cya...

This chapter discusses the digital audio—creating or synthesizing sounds using the computer. It gives an introduction to two aspects of audio synthesis, namely generation of music and of speech. Synthesized sounds are a set of instructions to the hardware audio device on how and when to produce sound. The Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI)...

This chapter discusses the size of graphics. The size can mean two things: one is the actual physical size of the graphic on the monitor or on the printout. The size of a digital graphic also refers to the size of the file on the computer. The file size of the bitmap is determined by the physical size and the amount of color information stored in e...

This chapter discusses the different types of fonts and typefaces. Internet and multimedia conjure up images of videos, animation, pictures, and colors. Text plays an important part in multimedia and the Internet although it is a more limited. In multimedia, text is used for four major purposes: titles, menus, navigation, and content. Text in multi...

Dimension is the number of pieces of information required to locate a point in a space. The computer monitor or a printed page is two-dimensional. To specify a particular pixel on the screen, two coordinates—namely, the horizontal and vertical distances from the top-left corner of the screen need to be specified. The painter perceives the three-dim...

Sound is a key component in communication. Sound is the brain's interpretation of electrical impulses being sent by the inner ear through the nervous system. The presence of sound enhances the effect of a mostly graphic presentation, especially in a video, or with animation. In a multimedia project, one can use sound in many different ways. This ch...

Video is a medium of communication that delivers more information per second than any other element of multimedia. People are now used to watching analog video on TV and well aware of its impact on their life. This chapter discusses the advantages of using digital video over analog video. It also discusses the various techniques used in the making...

The objective of this chapter is to learn about using layers in Paint Shop Pro and also to use various options for deforming the images that exist in Paint Shop Pro. It also includes experiments and uses various filters in Paint Shop Pro. These options often allow programmers with some graphics sense to be able to create interesting images without...

Animation is the art of creating an illusion of movement from a series of still drawings. Different techniques were developed for creating animation by hand such as key frames, cel animation, and rotascoping. This chapter provides an overview of the entire process of animation. The immense amount of work required in the making of an animation seque...

Graphics have become an integral part of our lives. Pictures, photographs, and mixtures of the two are everywhere. Graphics can be called good or bad depending on a number of things. This chapter provides a practice exercise to make out the differences between graphics and real pictures.

Waveform audio is one of the essential components of a multimedia system. Waveform audio can do anything within the practical limitations of memory, disk capacity, and sound card capabilities. The normal functions that one performs on tape recorder can also be done with waveform audio. One can read and write, store and retrieve, and manipulate the...

Computers process information using binary strings. Binary string is a linear sequence of bipolar states. All binary strings in a computer are labeled using headers that describe the nature, structure, and function of these strings. Headers are also binary strings. This chapter deals with the existence of meaning in binary strings. A set of experim...

This chapter discusses the experiments that help one to get familiar with the interface of Paint Shop Pro and to be able to make simple graphics. Learning to use a software package is always an incremental process: the more one works on a system, the more one will understand its various features. Start Paint Shop Pro and spend a few seconds trying...

This chapter discusses the properties of light and colors, and the properties of vision, which allows understanding various features of digital graphics. Sunlight contains ultraviolet rays that are not visible to us. Light bounces from certain surfaces and this property is called reflection. Refraction is the property of light to bend as it goes fr...

CD ripping is a process of converting audio CD into .wav format. This is done using a program known as the CD ripper or grabber. The CD ripper produces or contains exactly the same information that is on the CD, without any loss of quality at all. The size of .wav file is huge, which makes it difficult to store and transfer. Rippers use two ways to...

Cognitive science is the scientific study of the cognitive skills. An interface that changes or rearranges itself, acts proactively, and shows emotions in response to the information or experience it has gathered about the user and the environment is the cognitive user interface. This chapter reviews the strategies for coming up with ideas to make...

Visual Basic does not provide any intrinsic controls or methods for integrating audio and video into the multimedia applications. The application depends on ActiveX controls for managing audio and video. The multimedia control allows managing media control interface (MCI) devices, which includes sound boards, audio players, or videodisc players. Th...

The word multimedia is a combination derived from multiple and media. The computer is an intrinsic part of multimedia. Thus, all the elements of multimedia have to be in digital format. This chapter provides an overview of multimedia systems. The multimedia computer has the capability to play sounds, accurately reproduce pictures, and play videos—n...

This chapter provides a prelude to multimedia. There is a difference between news presented in a newspaper and shown on TV. This difference is very important to understand the multimedia. The chapter further provides an exercise to understand the main differences between newspaper and television.

This chapter discusses the basic principles of digital audio that are critical in understanding the storage, transmission, and applications of audio data. The sound heard by the ear is analog in nature and is a continuous waveform. Acoustic instruments produce analog sounds. A computer needs to transfer the analog sound wave into its digital repres...

MP3 is a method for compressing sound files, using a technique called MPEG1 and Layer3 encoding. It reduces the file sizes by almost a factor of 10 without loss of data. The best way to create MP3 files is to convert CD music to this format. This chapter proves to be a good example of how a mathematical algorithm can shake the foundations of an ind...

The task for the present study is to make an investigation of self-similarity in a self-focusing laser beam both theoretically and numerically using graphical user interface based interactive computer simulation model in MATLAB (matrix laboratory) software in the presence of saturating ponderomotive force based and relativistic electron quiver base...

A comparison of the beam propagation method (BPM) in two transverse dimensions and for a cylindrically symmetric laser beam with a direct FFT based method is presented for self-focusing of laser beam in a plasma with saturating type (ponderomotive) nonlinearity and cubic nonlinearity.

Callus initiated from germinating seeds of Azadirachta indica A. Juss was maintained on a modified Murashige and Skoog medium (MS). Organogenesis occurred in medium supplemented with various growth regulators. Undifferentiated callus tissues and seeds without testa were extracted with hexane. The extract was treated with 500μl each of methanol as w...

The doubled haploid and recombinant inbred lines development from a cross between IRAT177 and Apura were evaluated for resistance of leaf blast disease under natural and artificial conditions. Most of the lines exhibited high resistance to leaf blast. The performance of the lines at different locations was consistent with their performance under ar...

Thirty-eight single spore isolates of Magnaporthe grisea were isolated from the collection of blast infected rice leaves of a hotspot area in West Bengal. The polymorphic DNA banding pattern of the blast isolates for MGR 586 primer were analyzed to study the genetic variation and for the grouping of the isolates. Four clear groups were observed at...

The Sundarbans is, a part of the world's largest delta (80,000 sq. km) formed from sediments deposited by three great rivers, the Ganges, Brahamputra and Meghna, Covering some 10,000 sq. km of mangrove forest and water of which 4200 sq. km is in India. Here the plants and animals exist in perfect balance in a rich biomass by their stresses and stra...

This paper describes an experiment in which groups of children attempted to improve their English pronunciation using an English-language learning software, some English films, and a speech-to-text software engine. The experiment was designed to examine two hypotheses. The first is that speech-to-text software, trained in an appropriate voice, can...

High power laser propagation in a nonlinear medium like plasma leads to self-organization of a laser beam during the process of self-focusing. We analyze the problem using both pseudo-spectral methods and direct spectral method. We ask the question : how many partial waves can travel together with a common axial beam wavenumber. We find that only a...

Experiments first conducted in 1999 revealed that children are able to learn to use computers and the Internet on their own, irrespective of their social, cultural or economic backgrounds. These experiments were labelled by the press as "hole-in-the-wall" because the experimental arrangement consisted of computers built into openings in brick walls...

Urban children all over the world seem to acquire computing skills without adult intervention. Indeed this form of self-instruction has produced hackers?‘children who can penetrate high tech security systems. Is this kind of learning dependent only on the availability of technology? We provided slum children in New Delhi with Internet access in the...

In two experiments conducted in India, PCs connected to the Internet were provided on the roadside and turned on without any instructions or announcement. In both instances it was seen that the acquisition of basic computing skills by groups of children was achieved through incidental learning and some minimal (human) guidance. This paper reports t...

Kolb's Learning Styles Inventory is one of the most commonly used instruments to identify a learner's style. This paper attempts to find out whether our own perception of our learning style matches other people's perception of our learning style. We have used a 360-degree technique to measure an individual's learning style as perceived by others. A...

BAMs (bi-directional associative memories) are simple computational schemes for implementing neural networks. Since computations with BAMs are simple and fast, it is likely that BAMs can be adapted for real time applications and that BAMs can be implemented with few lines of code and therefore may be suitable for TSR (transient and stay resident) a...