Obama Pushes Education 'DARPA' At TechBoston

03:44

March 08, 2011

In remarks prepared for President Obama's visit to Dorchester's TechBoston Academy Tuesday, the President highlights a new project he's calling "ARPA-ED" — $90 million in competitive federal grants for educators who create dramatic breakthroughs using technology for teaching and learning.

An online tutoring module created by the U.S. Army (U.S. Army/Flickr)

The proposal is modeled after DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which created the Internet.

As a basis for comparison, Obama's education secretary Arne Duncan points to a DARPA program for the Navy, in which recruits receive training from a digital tutor.

Does this mean computerized learning is the future of K-12 education? Harvard's Martha Stone Wiske says not quite.

Guest:

Martha Stone Wiske, member of the Technology, Innovation and Education Program, Harvard Graduate School of Education

This program aired on March 8, 2011.