Schools left out of technological innovation?

If it takes a village to raise a child, that village might become increasingly virtual. Technology is making it easy to create learner-centered networks. Several developing projects aim to maximize the power of networks and improve learning. TeamPlay Foundation uses software to link students with a network of mentors. The mentors help students set goals and “see the path from here to there,” says co-founder Gunnar Counselman. In Chicago, the Electronic Learning Record project (a.k.a. Bettr@) aims to facilitate the formation of “interest nets” that will share content and help learners set goals and assess their progress.

Both groups are finding traction outside of traditional public schools. TeamPlay works with a variety of after-school and youth development programs, with plans to expand. Bettr@ director Patrick Whitney envisions working with home school-ers and potentially some charter schools, but not traditional schools. “Innovations come from the edge,” he says.

Neither group plans to focus on traditional public schools. Is it because schools are intractable by nature? Could schools and teachers be wary of the legal landscape of sharing student information? Or is something else going on?