Bill Gates Thinks the Web Will Soon Offer the Best College Education

Toilets weren't the only thing on Bill Gates' mind at yesterday's Techonomy conference in Lake Tahoe—the former Microsoft CEO also offered his vision of the future of education. The next great educational institution, he thinks, is the Internet.

Of course, the internet already has a wealth of information for self-starters. But as universities continue to post their materials online, Gates says, the web will come to offer educational possibilities unrivaled by any one university:College needs to be less "place-based," he explains, though physical schools are still important for K-12 education. The internet will undoubtedly play an increasingly important role in education in coming years, but until you can play Beer Pong on your laptop, I think the nations dorms will continue to be filled.