Innovation: How to reinvent the classroom for the digital age

We are at the dawn of a new era in education. What is becoming possible is a revolution - a transformation of the way teaching is done, with the computer taking the role of the lecturer, the teacher becoming a coach, and students taking responsibility for their own learning.

The digital tutor of the future will do knowledge transfer better than a human can. If the student likes reading and lectures, it will teach in a traditional way - through e-books and videos. If not, it will teach through games, puzzles and holographic simulations. What better way to learn history, culture and geography than by being there virtually and experiencing it?

The role of the human teacher will be that of guru: to teach values such as integrity, teamwork, respect, caring and commitment; to be a guide and mentor. And students take ownership of their education. This future isn't as far away as you think. I've already seen early signs of it in Silicon Valley.

Esther Wojcicki, a teacher at the famed Palo Alto High School, has been pioneering a new method of learning for the past 30 years. She joined the faculty at Palo Alto in 1984 as a teacher of English and journalism. She worked previously as a reporter.

In a new book, Wojcicki says Google-style moonshots are necessary to transform education. She and co-author Lance Izumi advocate changing the culture of the classroom so that the teacher relinquishes some control of the learning to students and the lessons become more relevant to the real world. Here are some of the key lessons from Moonshots in Education: Launching Blended Learning in the Classroom:

1) Giving students some control of their learning is the key to engagement. Schools of education train teachers to always maintain control, so one of the scariest things for teachers is to let go a bit.