Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and Sebastian Thrun discuss higher education at TechCrunch in San Francisco - CHRISTINE TYLER, Daily Cal

At a talk Monday morning during this year’s TechCrunch Disrupt SF, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom discussed how technology relates to the future of higher education. On stage with Newsom was Sebastian Thrun, CEO of Udacity, a MOOC provider. Thrun said innovation is the key to expanding students’ opportunities in higher education. He argued that there is an educational vacuum that companies like Udacity can fill by providing people with skills. The different learning format presented by online education also can reach a broader base of learners, Thrun said. “It’s been shown that a C-level math student can move to an A-level just by working at their own pace,” Thrun said. “Why can’t education be as fun as video games?” http://www.dailycal.org/2013/09/09/newsom-lauds-online-courses-at-techcrunch/